29 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  09:15 – 10:15
The Flash:  08:25 – 09:10

14.0°C:  Broken cloud with some sun and a few spots. Light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:07 BST

After much overnight rain, the forecast of more and the rainfall radar showing heavy rain nearby I eschewed an early start. I went later – to The Flash first – when the rain failed to materialise and a few sunny intervals developed

Priorslee Lake:  09:15 – 10:15

(234th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- The Greylag Goose arrived; left and presumably the same one returned a few minutes later.
- We are now down to just three ‘extra’ Great Crested Grebes. The long-term non-breeding pair remain; and of the seven other birds (one adult and up to six full-grown juveniles) just one juvenile remains. All nine juveniles from the three recent broods here are doing well and all have been seen diving though I doubt they are catching all their own food yet.
- I wonder whether the first-winter Common Gull is the same individual as the immature I saw here at the beginning of the month which could have been lurking with the Black-headed Gulls all the while?
- Once again most of the adult large gulls flew straight over, the first-winters joining those already on the water.
- Two groups of Meadow Pipits over – more seen earlier at The Flash (q.v.) [and over my Newport house even earlier].
- A Skylark heard and then seen singing high over the fields to the E – my first song here since the breeding birds stopped singing in early July. Later a party of eight birds flew S.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
note: different timing means totals not comparable
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two of these first-winter birds
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
- 8 Skylarks
- 2 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 16 Meadow Pipits

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 2 (1♂) Mallard again
- 4 (0♂) Tufted Ducks (see notes)
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 7 adult + 1 immature + 9 juveniles (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens again
- 121 Coots
- >56 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Common Gull: first winter bird
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 11 of these first-winter birds
- 4 Herring Gulls: all four of these first-winter birds

Other sightings:
- >20 fruiting bodies of an unidentified fungus

A really close Greylag Goose. After a couple of exploratory circuits it landed. It departed after just a few minutes only for it, or another, to return shortly after that.

Here is the first-winter Common Gull – back left. Stayed at long range and the accompanying Black-headed Gulls were not behaving to allow direct comparison. Some features to look for are the dark eye, at this age enhanced by streaking around the eye; the rounded head profile; more extensive brown in the folded wing and more extensive black in the folded wing-tips. Just about visible is the bill, slimmer than any large gull and without any red or orange colour that would be seen in any Black-headed Gull.

A small fungus lurking under a big brother. Not certain whether the glossy look is a feature of the species or the result of the overnight rain.

Wasn’t able to do too much ‘gardening’ to clear the view for fear of breaking them. Here we see the stem and the gills. You would think that a fungus with more than 20 fruiting bodies in an open grassy area would be common and easy to identify. You would think ... I have been unable to get an ID on these.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash:  08:25 – 09:10

(222nd visit of the year)

NB: Visited here before the lake

Notes from here:
- Just one Greylag and two Canada Geese when I arrived. 53 Greylags flew in – three groups.
- 1 Grey Wagtail seen here again.
- Big passage of Meadow Pipits with groups of up to nine birds, all heading S/SW. Likely many more missed as the calls are rather quiet. I recall a larger Spring passage a few years ago: this is more than I have previously logged on any one day during Autumn passage.
and
- 1 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) on a different lamp pole
- 1 Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea) with ...
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen on its usual lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel once more

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 12 Feral Pigeons
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 55 Meadow Pipits!

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 54 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada Geese
- no hybrid / feral geese
- 36 (21♂) Mallard
- 40 (9?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes as ever
- 2 Moorhens yet again
- 18 Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls: three of these first-winter birds

Some of the Greylag Geese arrive in a rather neat echelon. One of them, of course, has to announce their arrival.

(Most of) a Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea). The photo deliberately cropped off-set and with missing tips to the legs to avoid the intrusive light that was filtering around the edges of the lamp pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
2 Sparrowhawks
24 Swallows
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Siskin
105 Greenfinches
Swallow
House Martin
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)