12.0°C > 13.0°C: Overcast with rain from 06:10 to c.09:00. Light ENE wind. Moderate visibility.
Sunrise: 06:41 BST
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 09:25
Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 09:25
(203rd visit of the year)
I checked the rainfall radar before I left home. The overnight rain had gone through and no more rain seemed to be approaching: wrong! I just had time to check the tunnel and the lamps at the W end and it started to rain.
Two highlights this morning
- A female Peregrine flew low and fast in front of the dam in hot pursuit of a Wood Pigeon that wisely landed in the NE trees and hid. The Peregrine, a female on size, was unsuccessful as disappeared to the E.
- At 08:30 two Common Terns arrived and stayed well down the 'other end'. I was sheltering in the car in the Castle Farm Way lay-by and managed a few record shots out of the car window – I did not want to get the camera wet. Luckily the Black-headed Gulls stopped harassing the terns whenever they sat on any of the buoys. After 09:00 when the rain eased I was able to get closer for a few photos, albeit in very dull light.
Other bird notes:
- Unusual to find more duck Mallard than drakes.
- Counts from the water are 'best-effort' in dull and wet conditions. There were certainly fewer Coots out on the open water
- All gulls were very late arriving and in low numbers. Three large gulls flew high over at 06:14 with another a few minutes later, apparently nothing to do with the local roost dispersal. The first of just 10 large gulls from the roost appeared at 06:29, one minute ahead of a lone Black-headed Gull. This was not joined by any others until 06:34 and only c.75 were noted.
- I should record that last year the post-roost arrival of the large gulls took place from the NW, with birds appearing over the centre of the N side. This year they are arriving from the W and over the Ricoh buildings. I assume this means that the roost location, thought to be the roof of Halesfield factories last year, has moved.
- A Blackcap in sub-song is unusual at this date.
Overhead:
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 206 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Peregrine: female
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >4 large gulls: see notes
Hirundines etc., noted:
I checked the rainfall radar before I left home. The overnight rain had gone through and no more rain seemed to be approaching: wrong! I just had time to check the tunnel and the lamps at the W end and it started to rain.
Two highlights this morning
- A female Peregrine flew low and fast in front of the dam in hot pursuit of a Wood Pigeon that wisely landed in the NE trees and hid. The Peregrine, a female on size, was unsuccessful as disappeared to the E.
- At 08:30 two Common Terns arrived and stayed well down the 'other end'. I was sheltering in the car in the Castle Farm Way lay-by and managed a few record shots out of the car window – I did not want to get the camera wet. Luckily the Black-headed Gulls stopped harassing the terns whenever they sat on any of the buoys. After 09:00 when the rain eased I was able to get closer for a few photos, albeit in very dull light.
Other bird notes:
- Unusual to find more duck Mallard than drakes.
- Counts from the water are 'best-effort' in dull and wet conditions. There were certainly fewer Coots out on the open water
- All gulls were very late arriving and in low numbers. Three large gulls flew high over at 06:14 with another a few minutes later, apparently nothing to do with the local roost dispersal. The first of just 10 large gulls from the roost appeared at 06:29, one minute ahead of a lone Black-headed Gull. This was not joined by any others until 06:34 and only c.75 were noted.
- I should record that last year the post-roost arrival of the large gulls took place from the NW, with birds appearing over the centre of the N side. This year they are arriving from the W and over the Ricoh buildings. I assume this means that the roost location, thought to be the roof of Halesfield factories last year, has moved.
- A Blackcap in sub-song is unusual at this date.
Overhead:
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 206 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Peregrine: female
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >4 large gulls: see notes
Hirundines etc., noted:
None
Warblers noted:
- 4 Chiffchaffs: three in song
- 2 Blackcaps: one in sub-song
Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 46 Coots only
- 9? + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls: all immatures again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: first-winter
- 61 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: various ages
- 16 'large gulls' only: see notes
- *2 Common Terns: juveniles
- no Grey Heron
Moths at the lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata)
- 1 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba): still in same position with a Noble False Widow spider in attendance
- 4 Chiffchaffs: three in song
- 2 Blackcaps: one in sub-song
Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 46 Coots only
- 9? + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls: all immatures again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: first-winter
- 61 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: various ages
- 16 'large gulls' only: see notes
- *2 Common Terns: juveniles
- no Grey Heron
Moths at the lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata)
- 1 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba): still in same position with a Noble False Widow spider in attendance
Other things:
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus): female
- *1 Tephritid fly Anomoia purmunda
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Noble False Widow spiders (Steatoda nobilis)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 female Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
Noted later: too damp and dull for much.
- 1 Common Wasp
- 1 bumblebee sp. in flight
- many White-lipped Snails (Cepaea hortensis) as usual
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus): female
- *1 Tephritid fly Anomoia purmunda
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Noble False Widow spiders (Steatoda nobilis)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 female Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
Noted later: too damp and dull for much.
- 1 Common Wasp
- 1 bumblebee sp. in flight
- many White-lipped Snails (Cepaea hortensis) as usual
The rather smudgy black trailing edge to the under-wing is a good clue this is a Common Tern.
Both together from below
I think this can only be a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) starting to acquire its winter colours – they become completely bronze-brown before they hibernate.
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Moths:
None
with:
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus): female
- 2 lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- plus craneflies and *spiders as usual
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus): female
- 2 lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- plus craneflies and *spiders as usual
One of the many spiders here.
What looks to be a spider of the same species has caught its breakfast. It was a cranefly now of an unrecognisable species.
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:15
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:15
(183rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan adopted the threat posture toward the two cygnets. These are spending an increasing amount of time well away from any of the adults and also seem to have fallen out with their Canada Geese friends.
- A flock of c.40 Goldfinches was seen circling over the island
Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted:
- 5 Chiffchaffs: two in song
- 1 Blackcap
On /around the water:
- 79 Canada Geese: some of these arrived
- 14 Greylag Geese: most of these arrived
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 28 (19♂) Mallard
- 30 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens again
- 23 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Grey Herons
On various lamp poles:
- 1 caddis fly sp.
- *1 lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan adopted the threat posture toward the two cygnets. These are spending an increasing amount of time well away from any of the adults and also seem to have fallen out with their Canada Geese friends.
- A flock of c.40 Goldfinches was seen circling over the island
Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted:
- 5 Chiffchaffs: two in song
- 1 Blackcap
On /around the water:
- 79 Canada Geese: some of these arrived
- 14 Greylag Geese: most of these arrived
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 28 (19♂) Mallard
- 30 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens again
- 23 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Grey Herons
On various lamp poles:
- 1 caddis fly sp.
- *1 lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2013
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
Snipe
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Sandwich Tern
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)