1 Nov 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:20
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:05

7°C: Low cloud with rain and drizzle at times until c.09:30. Light NW wind. Moderate visibility until clearance: then very good

Sunrise: 07:06 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:20

(139th visit of the year)

Everything affected by the rain and sometime dull conditions

Bird notes:
- 2 visiting adult Mute Swans present when I arrived and were soon chased off leaving at 06:35. Just enough light to confirm they were not Whooper Swans. A pair of these visited Belvide yesterday
- rather few Mallard on the water – more flying about
- big reduction in Tufted Duck numbers
- confirmed that the remaining 2 Great Crested Grebes includes the juvenile still being fed, though the adult is diving to force the juvenile to take the food underwater
- 12 Black-headed Gulls either roosted or arrived under cover of darkness. About as many again drifted in. Numbers still very poor

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 8 Wood Pigeons (no migrants)
- c.100 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 2 Fieldfare
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 4 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Goldfinch
- 1 Siskin

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 2 Redwings
- 11 Starlings

The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 68 (>29♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 108 Coots
- 29 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull

And other notes
- my log today consisted of
- 1 Autumnal-type moth (Epirrita sp.) on a different lamp pole
- 1 probable Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) on a lamp pole
- 1 spider sp. on a lamp pole with a midge sp. in close attendance

This is probably a Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) as this is the most likely species to be active at this date – unlike most lacewings it hibernates. Many green lacewings are hard to separate. Indeed the whole process has become a lot more complex, as to quote Wikipedia "it was originally considered to be a single species with a holarctic distribution but it has now been shown to be a complex of many cryptic, sibling subspecies. These are indistinguishable from each other morphologically but can be recognised by variations in the vibrational songs the insects use to communicate with each other, which they especially do during courtship".

Another of my unidentified species of spider. This one is a bit different in that it is not a white mark on its head but a reflection of the camera’s flash so it must have a hard carapace. I had not seen the small midge that seems to be living dangerously until I looked at the photo.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:05

(111th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- the gang of 12 Goosanders, all brownheads, was a surprise
- the Cormorant arrived and immediately hauled out. Then it took off, circled and landed back in the water
and
- at least three fruiting bodies of Shaggy Inkcap / Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus)

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Jackdaws

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- [no geese again]
- 33 (20♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 12 (0♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 5 Moorhens
- 9 Coots
- 23 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010
Priorslee Lake
Brambling
3 Fieldfares
12 Redwings
5 Siskins
2 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Cormorant
14 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
Female Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Willow Tits with the Long-tailed Tits
Kingfisher
Jays
Sky Lark
Siskin
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)