28 Oct 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Fine and clear with areas of mainly thin high cloud. More cloud developing later. Light S wind increasing somewhat. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:00 GMT

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:32 – 09:09

(233rd visit of the year)

A postscript to yesterday's visit by Mute Swan 7JSH: Martin Grant tells me this bird was picked up later in St. Georges and taken in to care by Cuan Wildlife Rescue.

Bird notes:
- Another visiting Mute Swan duo that were soon dispatched. Perhaps the same two flew E overhead some 15 minutes later
- 276 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from the Hortonwood roost, mostly between 06:24 and 06:30.
- 41 more Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from the E after 08:00 – the same number as yesterday. One first-winter Herring Gull with them.
- Apart from the fly-over Wood Pigeons there were at least 50 more flying in and out of trees in Wards Rough to the NE, feeding in the fields.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew very high S and continued as far as I could see in binoculars. Likely 'not one of ours'.
- Again a single Starling was noted leaving the NW area roost. A group of 11 had already departed from the NE area – possibly more as I did not a good line of sight on them.
- Almost all the Fieldfare and Redwings seen overhead appeared to emerge from trees and bushes in the Woodhouse Lane area and were likely leaving overnight roosts there.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- *2 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 3 Greylag Geese: trio outbound
- 69 Canada Geese: party of eight outbound; parties of 58 and three inbound.
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 4 brownhead Goosanders: trio and singleton
- 9 Cormorants: group of seven and duo
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
- 5 Feral Pigeons: two groups
- *658 Wood Pigeons: 618 of these in 12 migrant parties SW
- c.325 Jackdaws
- 15 Rooks
- 1 Raven
- 1 Skylark
- 22 Starlings: one group
- 140 Fieldfare: four groups
- 37 Redwings: seven groups
- 10 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Chaffinches
- 6 Goldfinches

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 12 Starlings (see notes)
- 23 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings only

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 5 Mute Swans: the additional duo for a short while only.
- *22 Canada Geese: stopped off inbound
- *7 (4♂) Gadwall again
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- *6 (5♂) Pochard remain
- 25 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately again
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe once more
- 11 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 133 Coots
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- c.310 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter bird

Playing fields:
Not visited

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

- 5 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- *1 possible Scarce Umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria)
- *2 spiders of different unidentified species

Noted later:
- 5 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) around the few remaining Ivy flowers.

The areas of high cloud produced an attractive sunrise.

Well you have to try.... a Lesser Black-backed Gull silhouetted against the sunrise.

Colour fading as the sun rises. There used to be several rather derelict fishing platforms on the N shore that provided a good vantage point for winter sunrises. I suspect it was Health & Safety that had them removed and now I cannot get access without thigh-waders.

One of the two fly-over Mute Swans and perhaps one of the birds that had visited briefly some 15 minutes earlier.

22 Canada Geese dropped in. Not too many for the cob Mute Swan to deal with. He singled out two of them and chased them and when they left the others did too.

One of the four drake Gadwall present at the moment. The flanks have yet to develop the full breeding plumage vermiculations.

And here is one in flight. Note the white speculum and the chestnut area in the middle of the wing. He might have a black bill but when he quacks, as here, the inside of the mouth is a bright orange-tone.

Two drakes in pursuit of the soberly-plumaged duck Gadwall. She too has the white speculum. On the leading male the white 'arm-pit' and pale belly show.

Ploughing through the water is a drake Pochard, keeping an eye on me.

And keeping the other eye on me as well

Well they were a long way away. These two Great Crested Grebes seem to be anticipating Spring.

This is what migrant groups of Wood Pigeons look like – hard to count! There are just about 100 here. I real life they continually change relative positions which complicates things further. Then during peak passage, often around Guy Fawkes night if it is clear, some groups comprise more than 500 birds.

I nearly overlooked this moth resting on the sticky remains of a notice once adorning a lamp pole. I originally recorded it, pre-dawn, as another November Moth-type. It was still present at 09:00 when the daylight gave it quite a different hue. I am not 100% sure – I am taking advice – but I think it is a Scarce Umber (Agriopis aurantiaria). My hesitation is that it is a very early date for this species to be flying yet it is mainly devoid of markings as if it is very worn. Would be moth species #105 this year if confirmed.

The larger of the two spiders I found this morning on the lamp poles pre-dawn. This looks to have a very distinctive pattern with an 'X'-shaped pale mark at the top of the abdomen. I have not been able to match it with the photo galleries on the web

Much smaller, shorter-legged and dumpier-looking. Another mystery.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:12 – 10:25

(218th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- More Canada Geese following higher number over the lake earlier.
- I did not see any Goosanders on the water. Later when I was standing on the exit sluice I noted groups of five, then three and then four flying around as if they were arriving or leaving. I got the impression that only six birds might be involved. From my position much of the water was hidden by the island which also partially obscured the flying birds. At least one drake amongst them.
- A third Great Crested Grebe noted.
- Today's Lesser Black-backed Gull was a different bird – and a very puzzling bird of indeterminate age.
- Grey Wagtail seen in flight from the island.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Common Buzzards
- 9 Feral Pigeons (one group)
- 66 Wood Pigeons (three groups)
- 13 Jackdaws
- 3 Fieldfare
- 2 Redwings

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 81 Canada Geese
- *28 (16♂) Mallard
- 105 (?♂) Tufted Duck: no attempt made to sex these
- *6? (1♂?) Goosanders (see notes)
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens only again
- 34 Coots
- 67 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull – perhaps!

On the lamp poles:
Nothing

On / around the Ivy:

- >30 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- the usual mainly black flies

The Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) were not showing around their nest

I must not let smart drake Mallards get all the attention. Here is a duck flying by.

And a low-level pass showing the blue speculum.

And now the back markings as well.

One of the brownhead Goosanders circles around. No idea whether they did land.

Yet another gull puzzle. I had this down as an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the basis of its all-white tail. This photo reveals that there are dark greater and lesser primary covets which would usually indicate a third-winter bird; but also dark secondaries which would suggest a second-winter. At both these ages the tail should have a black band. There is also a significant difference in tone between the main part of the wing and the wing tips – rather more than I would have thought usual.

Another view of this bird shows a very well-streaked head, not untypical of adults in Winter. Meanwhile the bill-pattern looks like none of the illustrations in my books.

And again. HELP!

I took this photo of a Wood Pigeon because it had almost no white mark on the neck and I was going to remark that it is rather late to be seeing a juvenile. I am now inclined to think it is an adult in moult and the new white neck feathers are still below over-laying and possibly un-moulted feathers. One of the wing feathers is about to drop.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2010

Priorslee Lake

c.75 Starlings left roost at W end

118 Wood Pigeons

2 Sky Larks

7 Meadow Pipits

478 Fieldfare

76 Redwings

9 Siskins

13 Linnets

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

2 Cormorants

26 Pochard

47 Tufted Ducks

1 drake Ruddy Duck

1 Water Rail

64 Coots

35 Fieldfares

3 Song Thrushes

24 Redwings

4 Mistle Thrushes

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebes

Wigeon

Cormorant

300 Black-headed Gulls

40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.75 Lapwings

2 Fieldfares

1 duck Pochard

34 Tufted Duck

200 Coot

(Ed Wilson)