Priorslee Lake: 05:25 – 06:55 // 07:50 – 09:30
The Flash: 07:00 – 07:45 yet again
5.0°C > 13.0°C: Fine and clear: chilly. Almost calm. Good visibility with some mist.
Sunrise: 06:31 BST
Priorslee Lake: 05:25 – 06:55 // 07:50 – 09:30
(218th visit of the year)
Bird notes from today:
- For most of the time the two adult Mute Swans were well-separated from each other. Five of the cygnet were together but elsewhere. A sixth cygnet, as seems typical, was well apart and doing its own thing. All back together later.
- The Little Grebe was only seen in spattering flight across the surface pre-dawn and could not be aged.
- Yet another slight change in the Great Crested Grebes. Back to six full-grown and independent juveniles. The juveniles sheltering on the parent’s back could not be counted today. One of the four juveniles from the brood in the NE area was well apart from its parents and its siblings.
- The single juvenile Coots from each of the two late broods were noted.
- No House Martins heard overhead before 07:00. A few others heard later with just two found against the hazy sky.
- The 06:45 ‘football’ field count gave me 105 Black-headed Gulls, just 12 Wood Pigeons, 13 Magpies, the usual two Carrion Crows and 49 Pied Wagtails. 11 of the Magpies were standing in a semi-circle glaring at a black cat which only slunk off as I approached.
- More Blackcaps than recently with one of them sub-singing. I have rarely heard this species singing in Autumn.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 76 Greylag Geese (65 outbound in eight groups; 11 inbound in one groups)
- 85 Canada Geese (53 outbound in eight groups; 32 inbound in two groups)
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 4 of these first- winter birds
- 13 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 30 Wood Pigeons
- 27 Jackdaws
- 98 Rooks
- 1 Meadow Pipit
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 2+ House Martins (see notes)
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 13 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (1) Blackcaps
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe (age?) again
- 8 + 6 + >6 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 3 + 5 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 84 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 105 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls : both of these first-winter birds
On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
not much – too cold and too much dew.
- 1 Wasp sp.
- 1 fruit fly-type
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen
The following logged later:
Although warm in the sun there are rather few flowers and fewer with nectar to attract insects:
- Butterflies
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) again.
- Hoverflies
- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax) again.
and
- 2 wasps sp.
- many Common Crane-flies (Tipula oleracea) – it is Autumn!
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) (with fly)
- 2 Grey Squirrels
... and is carrying it off.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 07:00 – 07:45 yet again
(208th visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- As yesterday, neither of the two juvenile Great Crested Grebes located.
- House Martins heard overhead. The hazy sky precluded any sightings.
and, all on the same lamp pole
- 8 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
Hirundines etc. noted:
- House Martins heard only
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 4 (1) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as usual
- 18 Greylag Geese: 17 departed; 1 arrived
- 1 Canada Goose
- 36 (18♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 27 (12♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron yet again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Moorhens
- 15 Coots
- 16 Black-headed Gulls: at least three of these first-winter birds
- 1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- An adult and full-grown juvenile Moorhen separately on the grass by the upper pool.
- Moorhen(s) heard calling at the lower pool
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........