20 Nov 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 6.0°C: Early occasional very light rain from high cloud: dry for a while: cloud lowering and thickening after 09:15 with persistent rain after 10:15. Very light S wind, increasing somewhat. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:42 GMT

* = a photo today.

For the first time this season a noticeable, if small, passage of Fieldfares over both the lake and The Flash.

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:12

(256th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All the Gadwall had the decency to gather together so that I could confirm their number. Highest count of the season so far.
- The gulls were again late arriving. Seven Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 07:00 with no more until 07:12. Eventually a total of 54 (and two Herring Gulls) had arrived from the NW by the time they started streaming out after 07:20. None was seen to arrive after this - no second wave for them.
- The first two Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:15 with a desultory arrival of small numbers before c.50 at 07:35 perked things up a bit. Numbers stayed low.
- Unsure where many of the Jackdaws were this morning. Largest group of just 86. Several small groups on unusual flight lines.
- The eight Siskins and one Lesser Redpoll noted as overhead could have flown to or from Alders around the lake.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 10 Canada Geese: group of eight and two singles concurrently outbound
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- 179 Jackdaws
- 35 Fieldfare: two groups
- 1 Redwing: with Fieldfare
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 8 Siskins
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- no Starlings
- 10 Redwings
- no Reed Buntings: I was at the wrong location again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 11 (7♂) Gadwall
- 9 (5♂) Mallard
- *5 (2♂) Pochard
- 38 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- no Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 12 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 172 Coots again
- *c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- 54 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all pre-dawn
- 1 Herring Gull: adult pre-dawn
- 1 Herring-gull type: 'immature' pre-dawn when too dark to ascribe a positive ID.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- 3 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- *1 small all-red unidentified spider sp.
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

A few distracting car lights mar this sunrise, such as it was. Light rain at the time.

One for cloud fans (and electricity transmission line fans).

There were three different duck Pochard giving quite close views. Most of my attempts proved that I could not hand-hold a fiftieth of a second on long zoom. This, showing #2, is better than most of my efforts.

Having found one of Severn Trent's signs to lean on (signs that very few of the dog-walkers read or take any notice of) the shot of duck Pochard #3 was more stable.

She was almost asleep, though just peering through slit eyes. 

The same as seen a few days ago - or another - adult Black-headed Gull showing a well-developed summer breeding 'hood'.

A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). Seems to be a seven-legged spider. They do often hold the front two pairs tight together: I cannot see two on the left side.

No chance of an ID on this small rufous-looking spider. The best I could get as it was more than 15 feet up the top of a lamp pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:19

(240th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The cygnets all went for a fly down the length of the water. They are still not venturing further afield.
- A Collared Dove calling. I have not seen this presumably still resident species very often since July time.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 75 Fieldfare: three groups
- 29 Redwings: three groups

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 34 Canada Geese: 20 of these arrived together
- 35 (20♂) Mallard
- 61 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 19 (3♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 12 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 59 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: same now obviously deceased

On the lamp poles.

Again nothing

Around the Ivy
- at least 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) despite the overcast conditions with light rain and a chilly breeze.

Elsewhere:

Nothing of interest

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2018

Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall 

8 Pochard 

15 Tufted Ducks 

149 Coots 

286 Redwings

84 Fieldfares

c.350 Jackdaws but no Rooks seen.

(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

2009

Priorslee Lake

42 Mute Swan

1 Wigeon

c. 45 Tufted

36 Pochard

c. 240 Coot

c. 400 Lesser Black-backed Gull

c. 120 Black-headed Gull

10 Herring Gull

3 Yellow Legged Gull

(Mike Cooper)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 male Stonechat showing well near to sailing club hut.

1 Gadwall

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

31 Pochard

52 Tufted Ducks

8 Lapwings

>550 Black-headed Gulls

187 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

239 Wood Pigeons

40 Robins

32 Blackbirds

60 Fieldfares

11 Redwings

1 Willow Tit

310 Jackdaws

150 Rooks

35 Greenfinch

6 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

18 Pochard

55 Tufted Duck

3 Ruddy Duck

1 Wigeon

c.200 Coot

4 Cormorant

C.750 birds

24 Fieldfare

3 Redpoll

12 Siskin

5 Reed Bunting

1 Willow Tit

(Martin Adlam)