23 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake only

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 –07:50

12.0°C > 13.0°C:  Clear intervals. Light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:56 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 – 07:50

(229th visit of the year)

An abbreviated visit this morning affected some counts.

Bird notes from today:
The 06:55 ‘football’ field count gave me 113 Black-headed Gulls, 11 Wood Pigeons, 21 Magpies, the usual single Carrion Crow, 56 Pied Wagtails and 1 Starling.

Other notes:
- The now almost regular Common Kestrel seen hovering over the fields to the E.
- Very few of the large gulls in the early movement from the N stopped off this morning.
- House Martin(s) heard overhead at 06:45 and again at 07:00. None seen.
- No Blackcaps seen or heard.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese: both singles outbound
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: a first-winter bird
- 185 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 35 Wood Pigeons
- 40 Jackdaws
- 181 Rooks
- 7 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. noted:
- ‘several’ House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 8 adult + 2 immatures + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens (ages?)
- 122 Coots
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: a first-winter bird
- 6 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 3 different spiders, all unidentified.
- 1 small fly sp.

Only other sightings:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- 1 (Great) Black Slug type (Arion ater agg.)

Not an inspiring sunrise!

This despite the obvious discrepancy in the name is from the (Great) Black Slug group (Arion ater agg.). Three species are recognised one of which has the scientific name Arion rufus: it is sadly too simplistic to say that if the slug is red-brown, as here, then it is this species.

Spider species #1 this morning. The sparkle is dew droplets catching the camera flash and somewhat obscuring the markings that might (but probably not) allow me to identify it.

Spider species #2. Likely to be one of the Tetragnatha genus.

The spider and the fly – and some bits and pieces of dead things. These small flies, as previously noted, have been a feature of the last few weeks that I cannot recall from earlier years. Might be because the relatively new LED street lights give light with a different colour spectrum which may be more attractive for some species.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Whinchat
3 Snipe
1 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Kingfisher
696 Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martin
55 Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson)