29 Sep 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 13.0°C: A clear start very soon gave way to low scudding cloud and areas of mist. This gradually lifted but it was after 10:00 before any serious breaks in the cloud. Moderate NW wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 07:09 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:42 – 09:40

(206th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Low cloud and restricted visibility restricted the over-flights seen, especially gulls and corvids.

- For the first time this Autumn >100 Black-headed Gulls arrived in a large 'whoosh' low from the W. At least 175 arrived before they headed off back, probably many going to the academy and football fields for a while. Later no more than 50 at the lake.

- The first Lesser Black-backed Gulls were two hitherto unseen birds leaving at 06:40. Only 52 arrived by 07:00 and it was unclear whether any of these departed. At least 63 (with four immature Herring Gulls) were present at 07:45 with another 19 seen arriving from the E. Thereafter birds were flying in and out from all directions and how many of these were new arrivals was impossible to say. Only one group of four Lesser Black-backed Gull plodded over and had nothing to do with the lake.

- A Grey Heron present before 06:30 that I lost track of. It, or another, flew in from the W at 07:00. None seen later.

- A male Blackcap seen along the S side. A female and an unsexed bird scolding from the SW copse. Another Blackcap calling alongside the W end footpath. A good count for this date.

- Three Pied Wagtails together along the dam, strangely all males.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

All numbers affected by low cloud / mist

- 12 Canada Geese (one group outbound)
- >4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 43 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Skylark
- 7 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 2 Siskins (singles)

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 5 (1♂) Tufted Duck: of these two (1♂) flew off 06:55
- 1 Cormorant: stayed less than five minutes
- 1 (2?) Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes: heard only
- 15 + 6 (5) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 134 Coots
- >175 Black-headed Gulls
- *>82 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *4 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Birds on the fields c.07:15:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- >150 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing fields.
- 93 Black-headed Gulls on the football field.

I strongly suspect that most of the birds on the football field has flown across from the academy fields but I was unable to double-check as that would have risked flushing the gulls from the football field.

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

Moths:

- *1 Rhomboid Tortrix (Acleris rhombana): moth species #102 here this year.

Other things:

- *1 Larinioides cornutus spider.
- *1 Opilio canestrinii harvestman.

Insects etc. noted later:

- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Mammals:

- 2 Grey Squirrels

There were a number of 'interesting' first-winter gulls around this morning and several of them were reasonably close. This caught my eye with its very white-looking head. That and the distinct pale line between the median and greater coverts formed by the tips of the median coverts are features that might suggest a Caspian Gull. The large bill is parallel-sized with little if any kink (gonydeal angle) on the lower mandible. As always with immature gulls it is best to see them in flight and look and the pattern across the whole wings and the tail. So it will have to be pended as 'interesting'.

This is apparently more straightforward and looks like a regular first-winter Herring Gull.

As does this.

 Another pale-headed bird which I suspect is a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull.

This most certainly is a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull showing very dark secondaries and only the merest hint of pale webs to the inner primaries. Note this all-black bill shows a pronounced gonydeal angle on the lower mandible.

Compare with a first-winter Herring Gull with obvious paler inner primaries. We can rule out Yellow-legged Gull as the upper-tail of that species is less well-marked.

A direct compare and contrast first-winter Herring Gull on the left and first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull on the right (with weed in its bill).

One of the 'crazy-paving' Tortrix moths. This is a Rhomboid Tortrix(Acleris rhombana). I recorded this species previously on 9th October 2017 and 10th October 2019. Another species where the adult feeds at Ivy blossom.

Two for the price of one. The spider on the right seems to be Larinioides cornutus. The harvestman on the left seems to be Opilio canestrinii: an unusually small specimen.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:43 – 10:59

(190th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- All seven cygnets flying again.

- Two duck Teal 'appeared' from the island, had a quick paddle around and then went back to the island.

- Drake Tufted Ducks quickly coming in to plumage and many much easier to separate.

- Coot numbers seem to be fading away.

- A party of five Skylarks seen over. Later calls heard but bird(s) not located.

- As well as two fly-over Pied Wagtails a Grey Wagtail was on the island briefly.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again: adult
- 1 Jackdaw
- 6+ Skylarks
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs again

Counts from the water:

- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose seen: others heard inside island
- 21 Canada Geese
- *2 (0♂) Teal
- *29 (15♂) Mallard
- *71 (>21♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 14 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both immatures, departed separately

On one of the lamp poles:

- *1 weevil sp.

Elsewhere:

Moths

- 2 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miners (Cameraria ohridella)

Bees / wasps

- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies

- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)

Flies

- Nowickia ferox (a Tachinid fly): same place as two days ago.

Mammals:

- 1 Grey Squirrel

Scattering Tufted Duck a Mute Swan cygnet goes for a practice flight.

Some of the others joining in here.

Six of them here: all seven flew strongly. The parents on the island are paying no attention.

Turns are not a problem any more.

Three of them on their way back.

Two duck Teal. Very small ducks with all-black bills except in breeding condition. Note the white flash on the side of the tail – often visible at long range. A darker mark through the eye.

They paddled a long way off before either of them showed another distinctive feature – a green speculum.

A drake Mallard of course now in full breeding finery. It is not really 'sleepy'. The white across the eye is an extra translucent eyelid that birds have to clear their eyes while maintaining limited vision. It is called a nictitating membrane and sweeps horizontally across the eye. Humans have one as a vestigial mark on the inside corner of our eyes.

You have probably guessed. I do like Tufted Duck. This one may look asleep but one eye is open and watching me. At first glance it appears to be a duck but I do wonder whether it is a first-winter drake. Are those white feathers just beginning to show in the flanks?

A different bird with perhaps more white developing along its flanks. Most years after completion of the moult drakes outnumber ducks so I expect many that I am not currently identifying as drakes will turn out to be so.

The Grey Heron looks as if it got out of bed the wrong side this morning. Definitely Mr. Angry.

The Mute Swans were big and easy to photograph. This Long-tailed Tit was harder work.

Work for later. There are over 50 weevils in the eakringbirds.com beetle photo gallery. A photo of one 15 feet up a lamp pole may take some matching.

(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

2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
2 Sparrowhawks
24 Swallows
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Siskin
105 Greenfinches
Swallow
House Martin
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)