24 Sep 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

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

The white breast and belly means this is an immature Cormorant. My book suggests only first year birds have this: if so the extent of the white is highly variable. Here the front view...

...and here the back...

...with a difficult-to-reach itch.

Juvenile Moorhens are typically more confiding than adults.

Guess the species....

 ...and again.

The Reed Bunting was very close and between many small branches. The only way I could get the camera to focus on the bird was to zoom in so that the branches did not confuse it. Then I had to wait for the head to appear. I knew if I moved the bird would fly.

A bumper year for this moth species – another Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) found despite the pouring rain.

I needed a good photograph of the face of this hoverfly to confirm its identity. I suspect it is the dark form of a female Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum). There are several similar species with dark forms but none is as common as this.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:34 – 10:25

(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

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..........

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Wheatear

1 Yellow Wagtail

(John Isherwood)