28 Sep 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 9.0°C: Some high cloud to start, increasing throughout. Calm start with very light E wind later. Good visibility though mist over the water early.

Sunrise: 07:07 BST

Frost in September!? Must be global warming

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:43 – 09:37

(205th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Drake Gadwall heard calling pre-dawn. Not seen.

- Four Tufted Ducks came in fast and very low from the W, almost decapitating me, did two circuits and left high to the NW at 06:45. The five birds on the water were present throughout.

- Cormorant(s) have been in attendance for some weeks. Not for the last four mornings.

- Coot numbers higher today.

- 155 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew from the W / NW between 06:43 and 07:05 with 91 of these stopping at the lake. There were still(?) 56 present at 07:45. All had gone, mainly to the E by 08:20. Thereafter at least 36, presumed returning birds, arrived from the E.

- The two Skylarks were, unusually, flying NE. Almost all Autumn passage here is westerly.

- Three Reed Buntings left their traditional roost at the W end. Another bird still calling in the area.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 24 Canada Geese (in two groups outbound)
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 45 Black-headed Gulls
- 64 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 56 Wood Pigeons
- 20 Jackdaws
- 23 Rooks
- 2 Skylarks
- 2 Starlings (singles)
- 6 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Siskin again

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 5 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap again

Counts from the lake area:

- *2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: briefly, outbound
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 5 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes: one adult with full-grown juvenile
- 16 + 6 (5) Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 156 Coots
- >100 Black-headed Gulls
- *>91 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls

Birds on academy playing fields c.07:15:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- >150 Black-headed Gulls

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise

Nothing: too cold?

Insects etc. noted later.

None

Mammals

None either

Not a spectacular sunrise on a frosty morning. A few images to capture the best. This while the street lights were still on.

A bit more colour later.

Later still. With some of the Black-headed Gulls in the foreground.

The Mute Swan family appear out of the low-level mist over the water.

The light catching the underwing of this first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull illustrates the extensive patterning. They are much more heavily marked than any equivalent-aged Herring Gull.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:39 – 10:51

(189th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- All seven cygnets made several flights including landing in the restricted space between Derwent Drive and the island.

- Fewer Tufted Duck today.

- Another day with many Moorhens around. Four together walking one of the footbridges.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese again
- 18 Canada Geese again
- 42 (26♂) Mallard
- 60 (>12♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *16 Moorhens
- 46 Coots again
- *42 Black-headed Gulls

On different lamp poles:

- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum-type harvestman

Elsewhere:

Moths

- c.5 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miners (Cameraria ohridella)
Presumed these – very small insects in flight around the Horse Chestnut leaves. They did not settle to enable a positive ID.

The friendly Grey Heron was back. A study in concentration.

"Perhaps if I lean slightly forward I can see the fish better"

A 'grab shot' ahead of oncoming dog-walkers who would have flushed these four Moorhens off the footbridge. Note the Black-headed Gulls on the hand rail.

And here are those Black-headed Gulls. Not enough depth of field to get them all sharp. For some reason they are all first-winter birds.

(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

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Sky Larks

3 Meadow Pipits

26 Pied Wagtails

7 Siskins

2 Redpolls

142 Greylag Geese

320 Canada Geese

Common Sandpiper

45 Robins

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Cormorant

A pair of Wigeon

220 Coots

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

(Ed Wilson)

2007

RAF Cosford

Juvenile Gannet flew over RAF Cosford at about 100ft

(Martin R Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake

3 Redpoll

Siskin

5 Chiffchaffs

Blackcap

Kingfisher

Buzzard

2 Kestrel

Meadow Pipit

(Ed Wilson)