24 Oct 18

Priorslee Lake only

10°C: Area of medium cloud moved away: clear with scattered, thin low cloud thereafter. Brisk NW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:51 BST

Priorslee Lake: 06:30 – 09:10

(132nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the 3 cygnets and their parents left the lake and flew over the fields to the E for several minutes before returning – all 3 cygnets together today. Later a stray adult arrived and was chased by all 5 residents
- increase in Tufted Duck numbers: ‘best effort’ at total with many birds diving and others flying around
- the Goosanders were on the lake for at most two minutes
- party of 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls dropped in as I was leaving
- almost all the migrant Wood Pigeons were in a single sprawling group of birds flying S to the far W
- after a week with no sign of any Chiffchaffs one was heard calling

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 295 Wood Pigeons (includes 270 migrants in 2 groups)
- 204 Jackdaws
- 2 Skylarks
- 1 Starling
- 2 Redwings
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Warblers seen / heard
- 1 Chiffchaff

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 6 Redwings

The counts from the lake area
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 83 (36♂) Tufted Ducks
- 6 (2♂) Goosander
- 3 Little Grebes
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails heard again
- 12 Moorhens
- 114 Coots
- 53 Black-headed Gulls again
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

And other notes
- my log today consisted of
- 2 Autumnal-type moths (Epirrita sp.) on the lamp poles
- 1 wasp sp.: a rather late date
- >10 Muscid flies again on lamp poles later
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Here is the visiting adult Mute Swan. We can clearly see it is unringed.

Touching down for the umpteenth time before finally getting the ‘MOVE’ message.

Goody goody – breakfast.

“I suppose you think that’s funny?” Seems junior still has to learn how to manipulate fish to swallow them.

This is a fairly typical example of the Autumnal Moth complex with rather indistinct markings.

This is a very different-looking example with much stronger markings. The ‘fluffiness’ of the wing-edges suggests this is a very fresh individual. The wing here is rather more rounded but this merely indicates it as a female and helps little in separating between the species.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day..........

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010
Priorslee Lake
733 Wood Pigeons
11 Sky Larks
151 Fieldfare
20 Redwings
2 Brambling
2 Linnets
2 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
5 Wigeon
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Shoveler 
1 Teal (female)
1 Common Gull
(John Isherwood)