5.0°C > 8.0°C: Clear start with areas of fog drifting in and out, especially early. Light NNW wind. Visibility alternated between poor and good.
Sunrise: 07:37 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 06:06 – 09:30
(221st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- When six Canada Geese arrived the cob Mute Swan set off in pursuit of two of them, soon joined by three of the cygnets (males?). The pen and the other two cygnets (females?) stayed out of it. Eventually the cob got bored and the geese remained.
- A drake Wigeon and an extra drake Gadwall were new in.
- Not sure why so, relatively, few Coots were logged. Were they late out of their roosting areas in the reeds because it was cold? Flown off?
- Just five birds in today's decisive party of Lapwings flying over.
- Only 35 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged arriving from the N / NW between 07:20 and 07:30. Again none noted flying over at this time but it was rather misty. At least 12 flew over later.
- Thereafter 139 Lesser Black-backs and seven Herring Gulls arrived, all from the E. All but four of the Lesser Black-backs were adults. When I looked at a photo I took then a first-winter Great Black-backed Gull also sneaked in.
- Jackdaws mostly lost in the fog. At 09:00 a tight group of 30 flew W – most atypical.
- I was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time to record any Cetti's Warbler present.
- At least 150 Starlings left the NE reeds and flew off E. A few stragglers left within minutes.
- I am sure there were many, many more than the 30 Pied Wagtails I recorded. Numerous small groups over, many unseen.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 14 Canada Geese (one group outbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 5 Lapwings
- 12+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 1 Stock Dove
- 46 Wood Pigeons
- c.110 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- >3 Skylarks
- 2 Fieldfares
- 30 Redwings (eight singles / small groups)
- >30 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Chaffinch
- 5 Greenfinches
[also at least 10 unidentified 'finches']
- 2 Siskins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- c.160 Starlings
- 3 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting
Due to the mist I was not in my normal location to view any roost departure. All these birds left different areas and would probably not have been seen from my usual vantage point even if it had been clear.
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 Canada Geese: arrived
- 1 (1♂) (Eurasian) Wigeon
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 13 (?♂) Mallard: all departed in the mist. A few, presumed of these, flew in later.
- 1 (1♂) Pochard again
- 18 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 15 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 118 Coots
- >75 Black-headed Gulls again
- c.175 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again (see notes)
- *7 Herring Gulls: six immatures and one adult
- *1 Great Black-backed Gull: first winter
Playing fields:
Not visited
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 3+ November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
[three on lamp poles; another probable in flight only]
- 1 Tipula confusa cranefly sp. Also with only five legs so perhaps the same individual as seen Tuesday.
- 1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.
Nothing noted later:
While waiting for the mist to clear I hunted down some of the many flowers that are still extant at this date in mid-October. I do not have a convenient systematic list for plants. Even if I did the taxonomists would have changed the order by now – just as they have some of the scientific names. So here in alphabet order:
Bistort (Polygonum bistorta)
Bramble [Blackberry] (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
Common Hawkweed (Hieracium vulgatum)
Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Dandelion sp. (Taraxacum officinale agg.)
Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Scentless Mayweed (Matricaria perforata)
Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia)
White Campion (Silene latifolia)
White Clover (Trifolium repens)
White Dead-Nettle (Lamium album)
Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
The mist and fog did their best this morning. An attempt at a sunrise photo.
And another.
Almost lost in the mist is this drake Wigeon. Looks to be calling here though I heard nothing.
The head and neck are paler allowing for a darker area around the eye. An all-black bill.
(Ed Wilson)
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(206th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- May possibly be some double-counting of the Mallard: several food-offerings were made with birds flying around.
- Where were all the Moorhens hiding?
- The two Grey Herons were chasing after which neither was present.
- Eight Skylarks seen overhead: other(s) heard.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 21 Jackdaws
- 8+ Skylarks
- 5 Starlings
- 1 Chaffinch
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 Greylag Geese: departed
- 20 Canada Geese yet again
- 50 (30♂) Mallard
- 58 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 brownhead Goosander
- 2 Grey Herons: departed
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens only
- 32 Coots
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
On different lamp poles:
- 3 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
On / around the Ivy:
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
So many wasps perhaps they are intimidating the hoverflies, notable by their absence
and
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- the usual array of unidentified flies
Also
- Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) still busy at their nest site (again none on the Ivy)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris): a possible nest was site found: this along squirrel alley near the lamp pole they are often around. Did not investigate too closely!
- 2 Grey Squirrels again
The council's contractors where busy flailing a hedge in the middle of nowhere this morning. I have a photo and have sent a complaint. There was no point talking to the man with the flail – he was only doing what (he thought?) he had been told to do.
On the original lamp pole where a November Moth-type had been resident for three days there were two such moths neither of which was the earlier individual – that was much more patterned then either of these.
and
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- the usual array of unidentified flies
Also
- Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) still busy at their nest site (again none on the Ivy)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris): a possible nest was site found: this along squirrel alley near the lamp pole they are often around. Did not investigate too closely!
- 2 Grey Squirrels again
The council's contractors where busy flailing a hedge in the middle of nowhere this morning. I have a photo and have sent a complaint. There was no point talking to the man with the flail – he was only doing what (he thought?) he had been told to do.
(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
2014
Priorslee lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Nedge Hill
Location
2 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Gulls
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
87 Tufted Ducks
1 Kingfisher
23 Pied Wagtails
32 Robins
12 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
11 Redwings
c.130 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)