19 Oct 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Early thin low cloud below medium-high overcast. Low cloud dispersed from time to time and then permanently c.09:00. Light SSE wind. Hazy with moderate visibility early; better later.

Sunrise: 07:44 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:16 – 09:37

(224th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- An extra pair of Gadwall and another drake Pochard have arrived.

- The Tufted Duck were again very mobile. I think I found them all

- An unusual congregation of more than 50 Coots in the SE area. Some of these then moved to join those in the NE area. As is currently normal c.100 were also at the W end. A higher total than recently as a result

- I logged 225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arriving from the N / NW between 07:10 and 07:20. Exact number hard to ascertain as there was no small advanced party that worked out where to settle on the water. So c.100 of the first arrivals were circling around. I had to wait until they settled when they are harder to count. I still wonder where these birds come from and why. Such a consistent early arrival has not been apparent since the open tip on the Granville site closed more than five years ago. Nor do I know whether these are some of the same birds that arrive from the E later. I only ever see Herring Gulls later: perhaps too dark to notice them on first arrival?

- It was after 09:00 before 102 Lesser Black-backs and four Herring Gulls arrived from the E. Once again very few gulls were noted flying directly over.

- A big party of post-roost Jackdaws was right on the limit of the visibility and I suspect I missed many more birds.

- Much of the time it was too hazy to see whether migrant groups were passing unless they called when they were more or less directly overhead.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 13 Canada Geese (three groups outbound)
- 2 Common Buzzards
- >6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 58 Wood Pigeons
- c.160 Jackdaws
- 3 Skylarks
- 94 Fieldfares (seven groups)
- 50 Redwings (eight singles/groups)
- >15 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 15 Goldfinches

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake

- >300 Starlings
- 1 Fieldfare, unusually
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- *5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 15 (9♂) Mallard
- *5 (3♂) Pochard
- 31 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- [no Little Grebes]
- 15 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 171 Coots
- >200 Black-headed Gulls
- c.275 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again (see notes)
- 4 Herring Gulls: one adult; three immatures

Playing fields

Not visited

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

- probably 10 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.). Eight on lamp poles and two more, presumed this species, flying around. I have a theory as to why it is the first time I have noted these flying around: it is the first period that I have consistently used a head-torch to examine the lamp poles and perhaps they react to the beam.
- *2 unidentified midge-types
- 2 winter gnats (Trichocera sp)
- *1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.
- *1 very small spider, possibly a female Philodromus dispar

Noted later:

Nothing

Just to prove the sun did shine a little this morning. It briefly broke through the haze.

From this position the head of this drake Gadwall looks rather angular. Black bill and black stern are the best ID features here. The brown-edged scapulars are just about visible. A vegetation eater, would you believe?

A different drake at a different angle. The brown-edged scapulars not yet fully developed.

Pochard are usually rather shy. Not this drake. A rather soggy-looking head. The back and flanks are more waterproof and show fine vermiculations.

The other drake was also not very shy. He is still moulting and showing several grey feathers in the flanks.

Several 'different-looking things' found on the lamp poles this morning. Not much idea about this little critter. A plumed midge of some sort. More patterned wings than usual. Shorter wings might suggest a female though females would not usually have feathered antennae.

This looks rather more like a regular female plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus) with the striped thorax and no plumes on the antennae.

And another! Rather attractively marked but again no idea what it might be – other than very small.

Apologies for the rather out-of-focus shot. Despite its colour I am pretty certain that this is a Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea) - they become straw-coloured late in the season.

A tiny spider with only five legs apparently. It could well be a female Philodromus dispar (the males are black). Then again....

Autumn colour – before all the leaves blow down with the forecast wind this week.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:39 – 10:57

(209th visit of the year)

A party of eight Fieldfare flying over were my first at this site in 2020. This species is always scarcer on Spring migration than in Autumn. Species #76 here this year.

Other bird notes:

- Both the Pochard and very many of the Tufted Duck have departed since yesterday (as have the Teal, though that was probably to be expected).

- Grey Wagtail present again

- At least 32 Goldfinches in a tight group on the island – at least I assume they were all Goldfinches though a few might have been the Siskins I saw fly in that direction.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 2 Common Buzzards
- 6 Feral Pigeons (two groups)
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws again
- 3 Skylarks (singles)
- 5 Starlings (one group)
- 8 Fieldfares (one group)
- 62 Redwings (five groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the water:

- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 15 Canada Geese
- 37 (20♂) Mallard
- *36 (c.9♂) Tufted Duck only
- *2 brownhead Goosanders again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- *47 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both first-winter birds

On various lamp poles:

- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
- *1 female Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman

On / around the Ivy:

- 2 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) only

Otherwise

- *more fungus in squirrel alley, likely Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea)

Food is in the offing so here comes the cygnet flotilla.

Possibly the same two brownhead Goosanders were on tourist duty.

Q: how does a Goosander deal with an itchy eye? A: carefully.

I don't think the Goosander is really asleep. A good size comparison with the Tufted Duck. Both immatures and adult ducks often show white around the base of the bill. This bird shows no black tip (nail) to the bill which suggests an immature and the rather blotchy flanks suggests it will become a white-flanked drake.

The Tufted Duck here seem to be trying to work out exactly what the Goosander is doing. Much white around the base of its bill and as it does have a dark tip it is likely a duck. Another Tufty is preening in the foreground.

"My: what bright feet you have". Presumably this Goosander stopped mid-preen and has yet to readjust its wing.

Did I note that food was in the offing? Three Black-headed Gulls fight over who will get the morsel. First winter birds flank an adult.

Three adult winter and three first-winter Black-headed Gulls.

The underwing pattern of a first-winter Black-headed Gull.

The distinctive pattern on the back of this harvestman identifies it as a female Leiobunum blackwalli. It only in males that the colour of the eye-surround is necessary to separate L blackwalli from L. rotundum.

This fungus had already been knocked over so the best way to photo it was to hold it. I think Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea). Memo to self: clean finger-nails.

The underside view of the gills also reveals the collar that this species shows has been broken on this specimen.

As you can see I did not do any 'gardening' around the main clump – well I didn't want to get my nails dirty!

(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

2009

Priorslee Lake

63 Mute Swan

7 Wigeon

14 Pochard

26 Tufted Duck

c.600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

6 Herring Gull

1 Yellow Legged Gull

27 Redwings

3 Fieldfare

2 Willow Tits

(Mike Cooper / Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

>100 Tufted Duck

2 Water Rail

107 Redwings

176 Fieldfare 

19 Siskins

4 Sky Larks 

3 Meadow Pipits 

2 Redpolls

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

2 Shoveler

37 Redwing

1 Fieldfare

250+ Starlings in the roost

11 Pochard

48 Tufted Duck

202 Coot

5 Moorhen

(Ed Wilson)