5 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:20 – 06:50 // 07:50 – 09:40
The Flash:  06:55 – 07:45

9.0°C > 12.0°C:  Overnight showers clearing to E: clear for a while: more light showers after 08:15. Moderate W breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:26 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:20 – 06:50 // 07:50 – 09:40

(215th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- Another change in the Great Crested Grebes. There are now six (up from four) full-grown and independent juveniles. (I doubt the two ‘missing’ from The Flash as those are not quite full size).
- The same single small juvenile Coot from the last-but-one brood noted.
- The early passage of large gulls commenced with birds from the S heading away E. Later birds were passing over SE-bound, as they have done for the last few days, often and confusingly mixed in with the departing Rooks.
- ‘Best endeavours’ with the gulls here. A large party of c.300 gulls descended on the water at c.08:00. >100 of these were ‘large’ gulls and most juveniles. Trying to separate adults from juveniles and then decide whether each juvenile was a Lesser Black-backed or a Herring Gull was a nightmare in the five minutes or so that most of them stayed.
- 18 House Martins over at 06:45 in a tight group heading SW. 15 at 06:50 also heading SW seemed to be a different group. No others seen or heard.
- This morning’s ‘football’ field count gave me 186 Black-headed Gulls, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 18 Wood Pigeons, nine Magpies, two Carrion Crows and 62 Pied Wagtails. There were another 9 Black-headed Gulls on the school playing field at this time.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 178 Greylag Geese (92 outbound in 10 groups; 83 inbound in eight groups)
- 31 Canada Geese (28 outbound in three groups; single and duo inbound)
- 37 Black-headed Gulls
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 11 of these first- winter birds
- 1 Herring Gull
- 152 large gulls (too dark to ID)
- 43 Wood Pigeons
- 10 Jackdaws
- 93 Rooks
- 4 Starlings

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 33 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 14 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 12 (9♂) Mallard
- 3 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Little Grebe
- 8 + 6 +9 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 6 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 89 + 1 (new-ish brood) Coots
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 109 Lesser Black-backed Gulls : 95 of these first-winter birds
- 13 Herring Gulls : 7 of these first-winter birds

On the lamp poles pre-dawn and after overnight showers: just -
- 2 unidentified flies

The following logged later:
No insects on a breezy and cloudy morning
And other things:
- 2 Grey Squirrels

The interlude between the late night showers and more showers after 08:00 gave some colour to the early sky.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:55 – 07:45

(205th visit of the year)

Highlights here were
- Yet another Autumn passage record of Common Sandpiper with one circling the water at 07:30. Not seen to land and no other sighting.
- A rather late Willow Warbler heard in song from squirrel alley at 07:05. I usually reckon to see / hear my last birds in mid-August

Other notes from here:
- Only the two adult Great Crested Grebes located
- One Common Buzzard, the calling juvenile, being harassed by Crows.
and
- The same large moth as yesterday in exactly the same place on its lamp pole. However I initially mis-identified it yesterday. It is a Red Underwing (Catocala nupta) and not a Copper Underwing. Yesterday’s text is being corrected!
- 1 Comma butterfly trying to look like a moth 15 feet up a lamp pole.
- 1 wasp sp. on a lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 6 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as usual
- 4 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 5 Canada Geese: 2 of these arrived
- 41 (23♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 20 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Moorhen again
- 19 Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 6 Black-headed Gulls: 2 of these juvenile / 1st winter birds

The Common Buzzard was calling as if it were a juvenile. If so it probably just learning about the habit of Crows – one seen in hot pursuit here.

With the avoiding action being taken as the Crow calls.

When I saw this 15 feet up a lamp pole I assumed it was a species of thorn moth – they rest with wings half-open and some have white marks on the underside of the forewing. However none of the thorn species have such ‘ragged’ wings. Surprisingly it is a Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album). We can see how it got both its vernacular and scientific names – a ‘c’ or comma-shaped white mark. My first at The Flash this year. This way and ...

... that way, perhaps showing the strange shape of the wing outline better. No doubt a camouflage strategy.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Moorhen(s) calling from the upper pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Yellow-legged Gull
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson))

2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)