13 Oct 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 8.0°C: Early light shower: then clearing for a while: later much low cloud before that too cleared. Light NW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:33 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:02 – 09:54

(219th visit of the year)

More signs of the changing season:

- first Starlings leaving reed-bed roosts this year.

- parties of both Fieldfare and Redwings overhead, moving W. A big group of >100 Fieldfare over and at least 50 seen flying in to and then out of trees to the N. Also a few small groups, some of mixed species. Redwings heard both before dawn and seen later leaving roost trees.

Other bird notes:

- Perhaps more Tufted Ducks than shown. Six flew off from the W end at 06:25 and I did not see where they went – whether they departed or were part of the group in the NE area later.

- Five Cormorants arrived together. Four departed almost immediately.

- Great Crested Grebes seem to be moving away. At least two juveniles still present. For the first time I can recall since they hatched none was heard begging.

- I counted 171 Lesser Black-backed Gulls coming from the N / NW between 07:01 and 07:25. I did not note any flying over at this time (at least 4 did much later)

- Thereafter at least 23 Lesser Black-backs and five Herring Gulls arrived.

- Very difficult to see, let alone count, the Jackdaws. With the NW wind they were flying very high and almost lost in the shower cloud that coincided with their passage. I found but one Rook!

- The Cetti's Warbler heard making an attempt to sing, but not completing the full explosive song. Now at the W end.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- Canada Geese heard only
- few Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 1 Stock Dove
- 63 Wood Pigeons again
- c.360 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook (see notes)
- 5 Ravens
- 8 Skylarks
- 24 Starlings (2 groups)
- >150 Fieldfare (3 groups)
- 49 Redwings (8 singles / groups)
- >12 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 2 Lesser Redpolls

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake

- 32 Starlings
- 4 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 17 (8♂) Tufted Duck (see notes)
- 3 brownhead Goosanders, briefly
- 5 Cormorants arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 13 Great Crested Grebes only
- 7 Moorhens
- 136 Coots
- >65 Black-headed Gulls
- >185 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 5 Herring Gulls: two immatures and three adults
- 1 Kingfisher

Birds on playing fields c.07:35:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- 19 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing field
- 87 Black-headed Gulls on the football field

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

- 3 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)

[one other moth flying around was likely also this species]

- *1 midge sp. possibly Trichocera regelationis
- *1 Tipula confusa cranefly

Noted later:

- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris): apart from innumerable unidentified flies the only insects on the ivy.
- *unidentified group of fungus.
- Grey Squirrel again

Not my best – almost escaping out the top of the photo and partially obscured. A Treecreeper shins up, always up, a trunk using its tail as a prop.

A perky Wren. Wrens are always perky and not pinky (oh! - never mind: showing my age).

This juvenile Goldfinch has still not acquired its red face. There is just a hint of red above and in front of the eye.

From this angle as it gets to grips with some food the red is more visible. Sadly it was moving its head quickly and it is not sharp. But you get the idea.

This cranefly is Tipula confusa, one of the two members of the genus that rests with wings folded obscuring the details in the wings and body. The other species, T. rufina, flies only in Spring. This individual has lost a leg - a frequent occurrence with this group. It seems to be the right rear leg that is missing and it is holding its left rear leg across its body.

Next to the cranefly was this smaller insect that I think is a 'winter midge', possibly Trichocera regelationis.

I found this group of emerging fungi on the football field. Assuming the grass in not mown in the next few days I may be able to see these properly developed and then have a chance of an ID.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:57 – 11:05

(204th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Tufted Duck very mobile and hard to total. I think I avoided double-counting but whether I logged them all....

- First Herring Gull for a while here.

- Party of 25 Redwings flew W. Later a solo over.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Jackdaws
- 4 Skylarks
- 26 Redwings

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 20 Canada Geese
- 38 (23♂) Mallard
- 81 (>32♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: first-winter
- 1 Kingfisher

On various lamp poles:

- *1 Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata)
- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

On / around the Ivy:

- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta): my first here this year. Nothing like leaving it late!
and
- innumerable unidentified flies

All the way across to the island this first-winter Herring Gull is having a preen. At this age the bill shows the merest hint of brown at its base but is essentially all black.

This Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata) was on the lamp pole on which I saw my first-ever moths only yesterday. They were both November Moth-types so this is moth #3 on the lamp pole. Must search more assiduously in future. This brown colour morph does not occur in the similar Dark Marbled Carpet (D. citrata) so there is no possibility of confusion.

The camera can be a pain at times – it seems to insist on photographing Orange Admirals when they are not orange 'in the flesh'.

That's a bit better. A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) after all. I have to make sure the camera takes the light reading from the dark part of the wing. It does not help to play around with the result on Photoshop (other photo editors are available!): it still looks an orangey-red.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2011

Nedge Hill

1 Fieldfare

100+ Redwing

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

10 Cormorants

3 Wigeon

15 Pochard

84 Tufted Ducks

Snipe

Kingfisher

8 Redwings

5 Jays

Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

7 Wigeon

500+  Lesser Black-backed Gull

52  Mute Swan

1 Little Grebe

(Mike Cooper)

2007

Priorslee Lake

3 Pochard

42 Tufted Duck 

Treecreepers

19 Blackbirds

57 Robins

7 Song Thrushes

5 Redwings

2 Chiffchaffs

Siskins

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

Skylarks

Several Redwings

3 Pochard

46 Tufted Ducks

50 Robins

9 Song Thrushes

8 Redwings

1 Treecreeper

(Ed Wilson)