20 Oct 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 13.0°C: Another start with very low cloud and only moderate visibility. Clouds began to lift and break after c.08:15 but took its while to clear. Then a light shower c.10:00. Light SE wind, veering and increasing moderate. Eventually very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:46 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:17 – 09:41

(225th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- The Mute Swan cygnets went for a fly all on their own – just from one end to the other. First time I have seen them fly without the adults.

- A third pair of Gadwall and more drake Pochard have arrived.

- A Lapwing flying around on its own was unusual.

- The first gull arrivals this morning were 26 Black-headed Gulls at 07:06. Numbers quickly increased until c.250 were flying up and down low over the water when the first of the large gulls arrived at 07:13. As these mixed with, eventually, c.400 Black-headed Gulls it was impossible to count them on arrival. I logged 186 Lesser Black-backs and two Herring Gulls at 07:25 when they had settled on the water at 07:30. At 08:00 another 38 Lesser Black-backs also arrived from the N with two different Herring Gulls. After 08:50 another 113 Lesser Black-backs and yet another two different Herring Gulls arrived from the S and the E with a very small passage of 18 birds overhead.

- A few of the Wood Pigeons overhead were in very small loose groups climbing away as if they were going to join passing large migrants parties. If so they have better eyes than my binocular-assisted pair.

- A big party of c.180 post-roost Jackdaws at 07:32 was not followed up with other groups until 17 flew E at 08:20. Also a few singles.

- Two Fieldfare and at least 25 Redwings were with Blackbirds and Song Thrushes feeding on haws in the Ricoh hedge until pedestrians on the footpath spooked them.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 31 Canada Geese (19 in two groups outbound; 12 in one group inbound)
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck: did not seem to be birds from the lake
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lapwing
- >18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 5 Feral Pigeons (single and one group)
- 82 Wood Pigeons
- c.210 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 2 Starlings (singles!)
- 99 Fieldfares (three groups)
- 26 Redwings (five groups)
- >11 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake

- >350 Starlings
- 13 Redwings
- 5 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 39 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived together; one departed.
- *2 Grey Herons
- 16 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 153 Coots
- >400 Black-headed Gulls
- c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again (see notes)
- >6 Herring Gulls: two adults; four immatures

Playing fields

Not visited

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

- probably 4 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.). Two on lamp poles and two more, presumed this species, flying around.
- *1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria).
- >15 unidentified small flies of at least three species. An unusually large number.
- *1 ant sp.! Possibly Common Red Ant (Myrmica rubra)
- 1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.

Noted later:

- A bumblebee sp. flew past me
- 2 Grey Squirrels.

A Grey Heron after its breakfast.

Its two mandibles don't seem quite to close. Is this normal? Or just the way it is holding its bill?

I managed a quick photo of a Song Thrush before a pedestrian flushed all the thrushes from the hawthorns. So no Redwing photo today.

Dreadful. How come this in not in focus. It is my first Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria) of the season. Not new for the year as this species can be seen until January. I recorded it in January this year. It is a male – the female has vestigial wings not visible to the naked eye.

There are a number of very similar orange-toned fly species but as far as I can find on the web none with a white area between the eyes. I assume this an effect of the flash photography.

An unidentified fly I see regularly on the lamp poles pre-dawn. Cannot recall seeing it companion - an ant - in the dark previously. Possibly a Common Red Ant (Myrmica rubra): there are 51 species known from the UK to choose from though.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:44 – 10:58

(210th visit of the year)

Best today was either one or two Chiffchaffs around the massacred Willows alongside Derwent Drive. I heard a bird persistently calling and then found what seemed to be a different bird. Either that or I put my ears on wrong this morning and they were deceiving me as to the source of the calls. I did not see a second bird.

Other bird notes:

- The Mute Swan cygnets had a short flight with, I think, the pen. I was getting worried as having taught themselves to fly I had not seen them do so for 10 days or more. I was concerned they might have 'been there, done that, got the T-shirt' and be settling in to a life of handouts from the locals. Such behaviour is not likely to be acceptable to their parents, especially Dad, as they acquire white plumage.

- Very similar reduced Tufted Duck number as yesterday.

- Grey Wagtail present yet again

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Feral Pigeons (duo)
- 33 Jackdaws
- 4 Skylarks (single and trio)
- 19 Redwings (two groups)

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 9 Greylag Geese
- 14 Canada Geese
- *47 (27♂) Mallard
- 38 (c.9♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 brownhead Goosanders yet again
- 1 Grey Heron
- *3 Great Crested Grebes again: one struggling to eat a large fish – Tench?
- 10 Moorhens
- 42 Coots
- 48 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first-winter, briefly
- 1 Herring Gull: second-winter, briefly

On the lamp poles:

Nothing on any of them

On / around the Ivy:

- >20 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- 1 dronefly sp. - not specifically identified.

Otherwise

- The Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) nest was active again.
- 2 Grey Squirrels

By special request from one of my regular readers who asked why there were no photos of drake Mallard in their breeding finery. Have one.

Have another. And thank you for the kind comments.

This Great Crested Grebe seems to think it can manage the large Tench it has caught.

Does not look an easy proposition from this angle either.

The grebe dived with the fish several times, presumably in an attempt to recapture it at a better angle.

"Quarts and pint pots" spring to mind. I am not sure of the outcome. After this attempt the grebe again dived and I never saw where it resurfaced. Perhaps it swallowed it and it was too heavy and it drowned!

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2017

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

Water Rail heard

>500 Black-headed Gulls

>530 migrating Wood Pigeons

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

65 Mute Swans

7 Wigeon

7 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

47 Greylag Geese

56 Canada Geese

9 Pochard

19 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

236 Coots

4 Buzzards

Chiffchaff 

27 Starlings

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Water Rail

Goldeneye

100 Fieldfare

(John Isherwood)