5 Nov 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 –09:05
The Flash:  09:10 – 10:05

8.0°C:  Started with low cloud and light drizzle. Some breaks developed before a heavy shower c.08:30. Thereafter a low overcast and dull. Light NNW wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:13 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 –09:05

(263rd visit of the year)

Initially seemed promising for a good migration watch with six parties of Wood Pigeons, three parties of Fieldfare and a group of Redwings. Then as the shower and low cloud arrived all movement stopped.

Bird notes:
- The first swan flying lesson of the day took place almost in the dark at 06:40 with all five cygnets taking part. Thereafter the parents failed to round them all up for later lessons.
- A ‘brownhead’ Goosander came from the W at 07:25 and touched down before thinking better of it and flying off.
- The first two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived, bathed and left before the first tardy Black-headed Gull arrived at 07:00.
- What seemed to be the same first-winter Caspian Gull was present for a while – very white-headed for an immature winter gull.
- I was standing where I hoped I would be well-placed to see any Woodcock arriving at its day-roost. After some ten minutes an unidentified partridge sp. could hold its breath no longer and flew out of the grass and away never to be seen again.
- The Jackdaws behaved differently yet again. A single tight group of c.200 flew past along the normal line at 06:50 far to the E and just about at the limit of visibility at the time. No more until 07:10 when 30 flew straight overhead. Just ones and twos thereafter.
- c.230 roosting Starlings shot out of the reeds in multiple small groups. A short while later a Sparrowhawk was seen dashing in to the reeds in search of its breakfast, flushing another 20 Starlings as it did so.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Cormorants
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 212 Wood Pigeons: of these 189 in six migrant groups
- >250 Jackdaws
- 114 Fieldfares (3 groups)
- 39 Redwings (1 group)
- >9 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Greenfinches
- 1 Siskin

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.250 Starlings
- 9 Redwings
- 6 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Pochard
- 30 (15?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron only
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 11 Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens again
- 137 Coots
- c.85 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first winter bird
- 1 Caspian Gull: first winter bird

Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 1 Red-green Carpet moth (Chloroclysta siterata)
- 3 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- 3 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 blue-black beetle sp. It fell off the lamp pole when I shone my torch on it.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 2 orb-web spiders (Araneidae type)
- 1 other unidentified spider
- 3 Paroligolophus agrestis (harvestmen)

No later sightings. Forgot to recheck the bracket fungus.

One of the cygnets gets a flying lesson. The cygnets are getting much white in their plumage – a trigger for the cob swan to start chasing them away. No “living with mum and dad” if you are an immature swan.

Hard to be certain at considerable distance in poor light: this looks like the first-winter Caspian Gull first seen by me on 30th October. The very pale and unmarked head (for a winter immature gull) is he most striking feature.

Good of Severn Trent to look after our safety with this protective male Pied Wagtail. I don’t know why ST bother with this sign: very few dog-walkers heed the request to keep their dogs on leads.

Having a good sing.

My first Red-green Carpet moth (Chloroclysta siterata) of the year here – previous records this year have been at The Flash and between here and The Flash. Moth species #77 for 2019 at the lake. As usual with photos from the lamp poles other detritus is in the frame – including what looks like a long-discarded spider exoskeleton.

As previously noted Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria) are very variable. Here is an ‘extreme unmarked’ specimen.

And here an ‘extreme marked’ specimen – this one is much paler than normal.

An orb-web spider hanging by a thread.

And another specimen.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:10 – 10:05

(249th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- The preponderance of adult drake Goosanders continues
- A male Sparrowhawk flew in to a tree but stayed only very briefly. For once it is not a fly-over record.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 6 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 8 Redwings

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese
- 34 (19♂) Mallard
- 22 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (4♂) Goosander
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (briefly)
- 1 Kingfisher

Other things:
- nothing noted.

This Sparrowhawk popped up on this branch. The rufous barring on the throat and breast indicates this is an adult male. As good as it gets in the low light.

The next frame – he was off and weaving through the trees.

Also as ‘good as it gets’ with this Long-tailed Tit in the gloom.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow Legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
4 Gadwall
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.80 Greylag Geese over 
2 Gadwall 
6 Pochard 
40 Tufted Ducks 
7 Moorhens 
c.130 Coots
2500 Wood Pigeons
580+ Jackdaws
45+ Rooks
Raven
1 Siskin
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
106 Greylag Geese 
1 possible Bean Goose 
38 Canada Geese 
2 Pochard 
32 Tufted Duck 
17 Goosanders 
7 Moorhens 
7 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck 
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
513 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
732 Wood Pigeons
5 Meadow Pipits
503 Fieldfare
2 Song Thrushes
34 Redwings
1 Brambling
12 Chaffinches
2 Siskins
51 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
15 Shoveler
1 Gadwall
10 Pochards 
117 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rails
100+
Many Redwings
4 Fieldfare
20+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
189 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
803 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
19 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
30 Robins
21 Blackbirds
128 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
13 Magpies
347 Jackdaws
160 Rooks
12 Carrion Crows
223 Starlings
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail 
Kingfisher
2 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
35 Tufted Duck
3 Ruddy Duck
27 Redwing
10 Fieldfare
5 Reed Bunting
Redpoll
Siskin
101 Rooks
12 Carrion Crow
227 Jackdaws
3 Jay
12 Magpies 
1 Raven
1200 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)