30 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C: Mostly cloudy with occasional light rain. Moderate S wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:09 BST]

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 10:30 – 11:30

(216th visit of the year)

With heavy rain at my usual visiting time I waited until after the school run for a shorter look mainly from the dam-top.

Definite highlight of the day was the two Sandwich Terns over the lake when I arrived. They were around for some 10 minutes before something spooked all the gulls on the water and they all departed. Bird species #107 for me here in 2021. It is at least eight years since I saw this species here though I am aware of it having been seen by others in May 2016 at least.

Other bird notes:
- The fourth cygnet was again being chased by the cob Mute Swan and in escaping was noted to be flying strongly, albeit no more than a few feet above the water. One of the fishermen reported that yesterday all four cygnets had been making short flights together.
- Later the three cygnets were weighed and given both BTO and Darvic rings – I do not have the numbers as yet.
- The Skylark overhead was, unusually, flying E.

Overhead:
-? Wood Pigeons – not counted
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Skylark
- c.53 Starlings: c.50 together and then three more
- 2 Meadow Pipits

I did not walk around to see / hear any warblers

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (9♂) Mallard only
- 2 Moorhens
- 78 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes: all adults
- c.50 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Sandwich Terns: departed
- 1 Cormorant
- no Grey Heron

Nothing else of note.

As a post-script to my comment about the recent absence of bats one of the fishermen reported plenty around on the night of 28/29 September but none last night.

Mute Swan ringing in progress. One cygnet has been done and is in the water. Two are on the grass with one being processed (weighed and fitted with rings). Their parents, who were ringed in previous years, look none too pleased, especially the cob! The guy on the left is a trained and licenced ringer. Both metal BTO and blue Darvic rings will be fitted, the roll of Darvic rings can be seen. The fourth cygnet had been chased away and will not be ringed. 

Sandwich Terns have an unmistakeable grating flight call and this is often the first indication of their presence. In summer they have an all-black head and rather shaggy black feathers on the nape. After the breeding season finishes the forehead loses the black and the nape is less shaggy. The slightly forked tail is just visible here.

The birds of course spent all the time 'at the other end'. Had I been at that end I would have been shooting in to the light which not have helped much. The long dagger-like bill and the darker outer wing are illustrated here.

A typical pose when searching for fish with the bill held almost vertically. The outer tail feathers are not as long as on, say, Common Tern.

And here are the two birds.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:20

(195th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A duck Wigeon found near the island was my first for the year here – bird species #77 in 2021 (which equals by total for 2020).
- At lest 25 Goldfinches were in trees near 'Percy the Priorslee Snake'.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Jackdaws
- 8 Starlings

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: no song

On /around the water:
- 49 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 1 (0♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- 22 (8+♂) Tufted Duck again
- 5 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

On various lamp poles:
- 1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman

Nothing noted elsewhere

A duck Wigeon – rufous flanks; grey bill (it has a dark tip, not visible here); dark around the eye; and, had it posed better, a noticeably rounded head shape.

A gang of Long-tailed Tits sped by. This one paused long-enough to get recorded.

After the rain and with breezy conditions I was surprised to find any moths on the lamps. After the very early Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria) at the lake last Friday I found this one here, also on an early date. This species is very variable in both markings and tone, though the shape is a good guide. Other moths with this shape are more consistently marked. This is a male – the females of this species are almost wingless and certainly flightless. I need to double-check my moth lists: this seems to be moth species 43 around The Flash this year.

This is a Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus). Not easy to tell from Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale), the rather headless appearance is a clue. In real life it was noticeably small though that is not apparent here.

(Ed Wilson)