26 Sep 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 9.0°C: Fine and clear. Moderate / fresh WNW wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:03 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:39 – 09:23

(203rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Slight decrease in Coot numbers. Perhaps the difficult viewing conditions – eyes streaming in the brisk wind!

- At least 65 Black-headed Gulls circumvented the lake c.06:45 passing to the N and then E perhaps descending towards Bayliss Pools (or fields in that area).

- The first Lesser Black-backed Gulls were two that departed to the NW at 06:20.

- Only 40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew SE between 06:34 and 06:50. 18 of these stopped to drink and bathe. All soon departed.

- 74 Lesser Black-backed and two Herring Gulls arrived from the E c.08:00 and stayed until one of the fishermen launched his bait-boat.

- There seemed to be more Chiffchaffs flitting around in the sheltered sunny areas. One small area contained five such birds. Hard to know exactly how many birds involved as they were so flighty.

- Both male and female Blackcaps seen (I judge that any juvenile male would by now show some black on the head and therefore any brown-capped bird is a female).

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 5 Greylag Geese (four together outbound; single inbound)
- 41 Canada Geese (30 in one group outbound; 11 in two groups inbound)
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- >65 Black-headed Gulls
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 51 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 19 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- *12 (2) Chiffchaffs (see notes)
- 2 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 8 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- [no Cormorants]
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe: adult
- 15 + 7 (5? broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 147 adult and juvenile Coots
- >90 Black-headed Gulls
- 94 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Birds on academy playing fields c.07:05:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- 87 Black-headed Gulls

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

- 1 Tipula pagana cranefly
- 2 Opilio canestrinii harvestman

Insects / other things etc. noted later in very cool conditions

- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Mammal:

- 1 Grey Squirrel

A series of Chiffchaff photos while I still can.

There were at least five flitting about these bushes. I have no idea whether this is the same individual.

I took many photos of empty branches and part birds behind leaves.

From this angle it is hard to see any supercilium.

This was the only insect of interest at the lamps this morning. It is a rather small cranefly with unmarked wings and seems to be Tipula pagana. Unusual for a Tipula species because it rests with wings folded over the abdomen. One of the species that occurs mainly in Autumn.

There are very many flies of all sizes that are just too hard to identify and which I do not bother to log. Even this distinctive fly is almost impossible to name. Its hairy appearance makes it one of the Muscid house-fly group. It may be Phaonia gobertii, though the quoted flight period of that species (May to August) has passed as it has for many of the similar species.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:26 – 10:29

(187th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Four 'white' Mute Swans noted. Hard to work out who was being chased though it was the resident cob that was doing most of the chasing.

- All seven cygnets seen. I learned that one of the cygnets was briefly in care while a fishing hook was sorted out which is why I only noted six yesterday.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 3 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Jackdaws
- 1 Skylark

Warblers logged

None

Counts from the water:

- 4 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans (see notes)
- >12 Greylag Geese
- >27 Canada Geese
- 50 (27♂) Mallard
- 58 (18?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Grey Herons
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
- 11 Moorhens
- 56 Coots
- 42 Black-headed Gulls

Nothing found on any of the lamp poles:

Elsewhere:

- Terrapin sp. (Yellow-bellied Slider)

Look, eleven Mute Swans – four white ones and seven cygnets. Also in view on the end of the island is one of two Grey Herons present.

It was difficult to know which was the additional bird. The cob, as usual, did most of the chasing but he certainly chased after at least two of the others.

I think this was the stranger. It can be seen that this bird has no Darvic ring. If it had one on its other leg then the leg we can see would have a BTO metal ring.

Time to go. Cropped this one a bit tight on the camera!

This is an immature Common Buzzard. The breast is barred – adults have striped breasts (often more blotchy than striped). It seems to be moulting as Primary #4 is short on both wings. Primaries #1 and #2 on the right wing are regrowing.

An adult Common Buzzard which also seems to be moulting its wing feathers – there is one more exposed primary on the right wing.

The third bird looks to have a complete set of primaries on both wings. Here twisting its tail to get directional control.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2011

Priorslee Lake

115 Greylag Geese

420+ Canada Geese

Shoveler

Common Sandpiper

Kingfisher

3 Blackcaps

12 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)