10 Oct 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 11.0°C: Mainly cloudy with showers developing. Moderate W wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:29 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:24

(216th visit of the year)

One that got away this morning. At 06:35 a shape flew past me which I suspect might have been a Woodcock heading toward a traditional roost site.

Bird notes:

- A Cormorant seen leaving at 07:05. Had it really roosted here and if so where?

- Possibly more then three Grey Herons. Two seen chasing with another calling from the reeds. Later two seen flying off. Then later still two still around the edges of the water.

- Two Little Grebes seen. Ages hard to determine as both seemed to be moulting.

- A female Sparrowhawk unusually flushed off the dam-face.

- I counted 287 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arriving between 06:54 and 07:10 the last 30 or so amongst the passing corvids: trying to keep three counts going!

- After 08:30 51 Lesser Black-backs, two (near) adult Herring Gulls and one Yellow-legged Gull (near adult?) arrived.

- Hard to know how many Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over as although they seemed to be passing over some / all circled back.

- Not the weather to find warblers though I did locate two Goldcrests – almost pseudo-warblers.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 2 Greylag Geese (singles outbound and inbound)
- 9 Canada Geese (eight outbound in two groups; single inbound)
- 3 brownhead Goosanders
- ?? Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 35 Wood Pigeons
- 316 Jackdaws
- 102 Rooks
- >8 Pied Wagtails

Warblers recorded

None

Counts from the lake area:

- 3 + 5 Mute Swans
- 13 (?♂) Mallard: most flew off pre-dawn
- 9 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- 3 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 15 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 135 Coots
- >60 Black-headed Gulls
- >325 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Herring Gulls
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull

Birds on playing fields c.07:35:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- >60 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing field

Birds moving about and some flying in / out prevented a precise total.

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

- *1 Notch-wing Button moth (Acleris emargana)
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.) [Autumnal, November, Pale November Moths]
- 1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.

Nothing noted later.

In the foreground is what I think is a Yellow-legged Gull. A hint of black on the upper mandible but that is often present in adult winter birds. Rather darker on the mantle than a Herring Gull. Some head streaking, though many gulls have yet to acquire that winter feature – one of the adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls behind it is almost unstreaked.

This shot of it wing-flapping had me confused. Looking at the underside of the left (nearest) wing I think the outer primary is still growing with the white that will be at the wing-tip still well down the wing-edge. Hence the difficult I had in reconciling the dark mark on the upper, outer edge of the other wing.

A Long-tailed Tit with its mouth open either catching flies or, more likely, calling.

And a less vocal member of the same group.

This morning's Notch-wing Button moth (Acleris emargana) - quite different markings to previous examples yet with same diagnostic wing outline.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:26 – 10:37

(201st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Tufted Duck reduced again. Many continually diving so difficult to ascertain precise number. Sexing not attempted.

- More Goosanders being typically elusive. Initially five; then eight; finally at least 11.

- A Grey Wagtail present again.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- *1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Redwings

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 16 Canada Geese
- 37 (20♂) Mallard
- 65 (??♂) Tufted Duck
- *11 brownhead Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron (there should also have been one in the log for yesterday)
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 32 Coots again
- 38 Black-headed Gulls

Nothing on any lamp pole:

Elsewhere:

-*another two different unidentified fungus groups in squirrel alley.

The Goosanders are often hard to photograph, slipping quietly away to the 'other end' of the water. When they initially stayed close to Derwent Drive I took advantage of the opportunity of a few shots. All of the birds were 'brownheads'. Unless they flap their wings I find it hard to tell immature drakes from ducks of any age.

This one with a great hair-do and no pale line below the eye.

Just a hint of a pale line here – or is it the angle of the light?

A different view of the spiky hair.

At long range – it was Magpies that were harassing the Common Buzzard this morning.

Mrs. Bullfinch not eating buds for a change. A fruit diet is a healthy diet.

Seems to be a lot of pith to these fruits.

Nearby Mr. Bullfinch was doing the same.

Time for another.

And he seems to be having trouble with the pith and / or skins as well.

Found yet more fungus this morning. This small delicate white group look like archetypical toadstools.

Part of a larger group. The one on the right shows how the shape flattens with age.

And an even bigger clump. Pressed for time right now but I'll have a go at an ID later.

Apart from their colour this group is superficially similar. Another to ID later – perhaps.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee lake

Today's Sightings Here

2011

Priorslee Lake

29 Redwing

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Curlew

1 Goldeneye

1 Goosander

1 Shoveler

4 Wigeon

1 Teal

1 Common Gull

(John Isherwood)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

3 Lapwing

25+ Redwing

1 Siskin

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

130 Tufted Ducks

4 Buzzards

Kingfisher

Chiffchaff

Meadow Pipits

Sky Larks

Redwings

Redpoll

Siskin

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

1 Ruddy Duck

50 Robins

1 Redwing

4 Chiffchaffs

11 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

37 Meadow Pipits

36 Pied Wagtails

1 Redwing

55 Tufted Ducks

2 Willow Tits

(Ed Wilson)