Priorslee Lake: 06:25 –09:20
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:10
7.0°C > 8.0°C: Overnight rain moved away to the E and then clear for a while. Some mist later before a shower from W cleared this away. Light and variable wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:40 BST
Priorslee Lake: 06:25 –09:20
(247th visit of the year)
Surprisingly quiet overhead apart from many distant gulls. Two late Barn Swallows and an unexpected female Blackcap were notable.
Other bird notes from today:
- The Mute Swans managed to round up all their errant cygnets and tried to give them a flying lesson, without much success. This date last year their three cygnets were flying strongly and they were able to depart on the 3rd November.
- Big number of gulls passing S pre-dawn, mostly far to the E, though a few diverted and dropped in for a while. Whether some of these were the birds that flew in from the E after 08:20 or not is impossible to say. So many coming and going I was not able to get an accurate breakdown on the ages of these birds – hard-enough to separate the first-winter Lesser Black-backs from Herrings.
- Just one large group of c.170 Jackdaws passing to the E. Singles / small groups later with a few Rooks as well.
- c.65 Starlings came out of the NW reeds in three tight groups at 07:40. A few minutes later a lone bird left the NE area. Then at 08:40 three birds flew out of the SE trees – were these late emerging birds, or had they stopped off? Just nine seen overhead passing W.
- Five Song Thrushes were motivated to attempt some spluttering song.
- After the seven Reed Buntings left the roost at c.07:40 I could hear at least two more still calling. They may have left after I moved on; or may have been staying locally.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese (outbound)
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two of these a first-winter bird
- 261 large gulls while still too dark to ID
- 25 Wood Pigeons: 13 of these in two migrant groups
- 1 Collared Dove again
- >210 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 9 Starlings (single and two groups)
- 2 Redwings (one groups)
- 10 Pied Wagtails at least
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Siskin
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake
- c.70 Starlings
- 2 Redwings
- 7 Reed Buntings
Warblers noted:
- 1 Blackcap: female
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (?♂) Mallard – most flew off whilst too dark
- 20 (7?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 3 Grey Herons
- Little Grebe(s) heard only
- 17 Great Crested Grebes: ages not determined
- 6 Moorhens
- 125 Coots
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 144 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: more than half of these first-winter birds
- 19 Herring Gulls: 17 of these first-winter birds
- 1 Kingfisher
Pre-dawn sightings on the lamp poles: a bumper count – the recent Common Marbled Carpet moth had moved on at last.
- 5 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- 2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- at least three species of fly
- 1 Common stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
- 1 other unidentified spider
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
- 1 unidentified larva – perhaps a sawfly caterpillar
No later sightings.
The recent wet weather has made photos of the moon hard to come by. Waning gibbous today.
A hint of mist for a while.
One of the Grey Herons flies in ....
... silhouetted against the light.
Once landed on one of the platforms it has a good shake to settle its feathers.
An adult winter plumage Black-headed Gull passes by.
And as so often happens the attacker is so keen to press home the attack it falls off.
..’splash’!
Another, dusted in dew and at rest with wings held more typically.
I do not have any good literature on caterpillars and their allies. I suspect a sawfly larva, but ...
This is a tiny insect: a midge? Again any detail is lost underneath the dew.
Easier to see the white dots here. Different specimen.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:10
(234th visit of the year)
No visit down squirrel alley today – the ‘boys with toys’ were out with chainsaws and chippers. No chance of the cut wood rotting away naturally then.
This after contractors ‘trimmed’ the hedges yesterday cutting off many berries that thrushes would love as winter food.
Other notes from here:
- Two brownhead Goosanders new arrivals.
- Back to four Great Crested Grebes, behaving as two pairs.
- The two Sparrowhawks flew over together, each pursued by a Carrion Crow.
- I wonder whether most of the recent Pied Wagtails I have logged as ‘overhead’ are in fact coming from the house-roofs / roadways around the water.
Other things:
- on the usual lamp pole
- 1 Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 22 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Warblers noted.
None
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 35 Greylag Geese
- 29 Canada Geese
- no hybrid / feral geese
- 38 (22♂) Mallard
- 32 (7?♂) Tufted Duck – as yesterday
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens yet again
- 14 Coots only
- 17 Black-headed Gulls
Terrible light with these two brownhead Goosanders lurking in the darkest corner.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2008
Priorslee Lake
992 Redwings
203 Fieldfare
Siskins
Redpolls
6 Pochard
c.150 Tufted Duck
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
18 Pochard
98 Tufted Ducks
1 duck Goldeneye
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Kingfisher
20 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
46 Robin
20 Blackbirds
6 Song Thrushes
42 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff
12 Starlings
52 Greenfinches
9 Goldfinches
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)