21 Oct 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

130°C: Very low cloud again with mainly light rain starting at 07:45. Almost calm (where is storm Barbara?). Moderate visibility but poor after start of rain.

Sunrise: 07:47 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:18 – 09:29

(226th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- The Water Rail first heard two weeks ago seems to have moved on.

- No very early arrival by Black-headed Gulls: first at 07:35. c.225 noted streaming in from W / NW later. As ever hard to certain whether some birds had flown back and were really returning,

- I logged just 76 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying from the N / NW between 07:15 and 07:29. Of these 53 settled on the water and 23 flew over.

- After 08:50 another 92 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived with five Herring Gulls, these all from the NE / E this morning. Just two more noted passing overhead

- The first party of post-roost Jackdaws was 65 birds at 07:39. At 07:45 a very large group of c.250 birds flew over. Just two seen later.

- Strange that there are no Rooks at the moment. A few weeks ago there were >100 with the Jackdaws.

- After making the usual chatter just five Starlings left the NW roost and all went quiet. Seemed a lot of noise for five birds! A few minutes later c.100 more departed silently. Many fewer than in recent days.

Birds noted flying over / near here: all numbers affected by low cloud and poor visibility.

- 1 Greylag Goose (outbound)
- 5 Canada Geese (one group outbound)
- 1 Cormorant
- c.25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 13 Wood Pigeons only
- c.320 Jackdaws
- 10 Fieldfares (one group)
- 6 Redwings (three groups)
- >12 Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:

- c.100 Starlings
- 7 Redwings
- no Reed Buntings (several heard calling from roost site)

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall again
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Pochard
- 46 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- *2 Little Grebes
- *14 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 153 Coots again
- c.225 Black-headed Gulls
- c.145 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again (see notes)
- 5 Herring Gulls: one adult; four immatures

Playing fields

Not Visited

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

- *1 probable Rhomboid Tortrix moth (Acleris rhombana)
- again probably 4 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.). Three on lamp poles and another, presumed this species, flying around.
- 2 Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperia carnea): both brown individuals.
- *3 spiders all of different species.

Noted later:

- 3 Grey Squirrels.

With the very mild conditions I half-expected to see some bats. I checked all the usual spots without success. It is now known that as well as hibernating many bats also migrate so perhaps our bats are no longer in the area to wake up in warmer weather.

A prize will be awarded..... This is actually a typical view of a Little Grebe, pattering along the surface with whirring wings. I am sure it was stationary when I pressed the shutter! Terrible light this morning especially after it started raining.

One of the juvenile Great Crested Grebe's parents has caught a fish. Junior does not seem that interested.

Unusually the adult manoeuvred the fish to hold it tail-first. I assume that this was so the juvenile could take it head-first?

This is probably a Rhomboid Tortrix moth (Acleris rhombana). It is rather worn – this species normally only flies until early-October. I think I can make out a hint of the 'crazy-paving' pattern of this species. Very few other Tortrix moths rest show such a cleft between the closed wings.

Spider #1. Seem to be too many legs here even allowing for the shadows caused the camera flash. I suspect it has prey. The horizontal white mark at the front of the abdomen suggests a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus), though the rest of the markings don't match. So unidentified I am afraid.

Spider #2. Seems distinctive-enough but I cannot match it. Looks like a wolf spider and I read "The markings of (wolf spiders) are variable in colouration and patterning" which does not fill me with confidence.

Spider #3. I think this is the orb-web spider Larinioides sclopetarius, though it is rather smaller than those I last saw some weeks ago. Spiders increase in size as they age so perhaps this is a new generation and hence why they have been missing for a while.

 (Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:32 – 10:16

(211th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- A further reduction in Tufted Duck numbers. Perhaps some gone to the lake? Still many unaccounted for.

- Many birds in the hawthorns. All those I determined were Blackbirds.

- Two Song Thrushes heard sub-singing.

- Grey Wagtail once more.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

None

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 Canada Geese
- 36 (21♂) Mallard
- 21 (7♂) Tufted Duck only
- 2 brownhead Goosanders remain
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens
- 42 Coots again
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first-winter, briefly again

On different lamp poles:

- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 female Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

On / around the Ivy:

Nothing seen 

Otherwise:

- 2 Grey Squirrels again

 (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

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2010

Priorslee Lake

Little Grebe

5 Lapwings

1487 Fieldfare logged, mostly flying W. 7 of the flocks estimated at between 110 and 130 birds

25 Redwings

Raven

56 Goldfinch

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

62 Swans

5 Wigeon

14 Pochard

22 Tufted Ducks

231 Coots

Great Black-backed Gull

3 Buzzards

1 Kestrel

27 Redwings

Chiffchaff

c.250 Starlings

8 Siskins

c.15 Goldfinches

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Cormorant

25 Pochard

72 Tufted Ducks

1 Kestrel

1 Kingfisher

20 Robins

17 Blackbirds

15 Song Thrushes

59 Redwing

3 Mistle Thrushes

1 Chiffchaff

1 Blackcap

5 Goldcrests

(Martin Adlam)