7.0°C > 10.0°C: Early heavy rain. Cleared with sun after 08:00. Clouded again after 10:15. Light SE wind, veered SW and increased somewhat. Moderate visibility in rain. Excellent thereafter
Sunrise: 07:00 BST (as it should be on the equinox?)
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 05:34 – 09:31
(201st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The two drake Tufted Duck stayed at opposite ends of the water.
- Just 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew E/SE between 06:25 and 06:50. 32 of these came in to the lake with the other 13 passing by. All had departed by 07:40. The rafter 74 more(?) LBBGs and three immature, Herring Gulls arrived from the E. Almost all left to the W. A few more passed over later.
- The House Martins seemed to have left the estate area (a few stragglers were last seen around my Newport home on Tuesday). A lone bird heard and then seen here presumably a migrant passing through.
- Three Blackcaps seen together in the small SW copse, two of them males. The other bird was not positively sexed. Another heard calling along the N side. These are late records.
- After several weeks with very few, if any, Reed Buntings four different birds seen.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 1 Greylag Goose (very high inbound)
- 9 Canada Goose (one group outbound)
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 49 Wood Pigeons
- 21 Jackdaws
- 1 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 5 Pied Wagtails
Hirundines etc. logged again:
- 1 House Martin over at 09:10
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- *2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons: one departed 06:05; the other arrived after this
- 13 + 7 (5? broods) Great Crested Grebes
- *10 adult and juvenile Moorhens yet again
- 148 Coots: only one of these is an obvious juvenile
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 106 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher yet again
Birds on the academy playing fields c.07:20:
[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]
- 73 Black-headed Gulls
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
Nothing else in rain:
Insects etc. noted later and.
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
- *probable Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Mammals recorded again
None
...and here the back...
...with a difficult-to-reach itch.
Juvenile Moorhens are typically more confiding than adults.
Guess the species....
...and again.
(Ed Wilson)
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(185th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I have confirmed that three of the cygnets have blue Darvic rings – 7JUB,7JUC and 7JUD. The other four are unringed. [7JUE is one of those at the main balancing lake.]
- More geese remained uncounted inside the island.
- Not sure why there were relatively few Coots today. Perhaps some have gone to swell the numbers at the main balancing lake?
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Meadow Pipit
Hirundines etc. logged:
None
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff again
Counts from the water:
- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- >14 Greylag Geese
- >65 Canada Geese
- 40 (25♂) Mallard
- 60 (>16♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes as ever
- 10 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 45 adult and juvenile Coots only
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
On one lamp pole:
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum-type harvestman
Elsewhere: it had clouded again when I was in the vicinity of the only flowers.
Bees / wasps:
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Mammal:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Not managed a photo of this ring previously. Three of the cygnets are ringed: four are not.
I think 'stately' is the right adjective here. This Grey Heron flew in, looked around and departed.
(Ed Wilson)
Note:
Click Here for a few Images from the Wirral - 18 Sep 20
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On this day..........