4 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake only

13.0°C: Medium overcast. Light E wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:25 BST

Another day mostly spent at an air event at Sywell in Northants. An abbreviated report once again. The same may prevail tomorrow.

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 – 08:25

(195th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No Gadwall located.
- A party of six Teal circled overhead at 06:30, heading off W.
- A Common Sandpiper again.
- The Black-headed Gulls returned to the football field soon after 06:30 with just 33 noted. No larger count was made at the lake later.
- The post-roost dispersal of large gulls produced two Herring Gulls and 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls visiting the lake, with another 30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls passing straight over.
- More gulls visited the lake later before a distant party of 112 gulls was seen flying NW to the E. Ten of these, all Lesser Black-backs, diverted in to the lake. Most of the other 92 were too distant to specifically identify and are logged as 'large gulls'.

Overhead:
- 19 Canada Geese: all outbound together
- 4? Greylag Geese: single outbound; three singles inbound: possibly the same bird?
- 6 Teal
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Stock Dove
- 241 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 62 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 92 large gulls
- 3 Jackdaws
- 4 Goldfinches

Hirundines etc., noted:
None

Warblers noted:
- 12 Chiffchaffs: three in song
- 3 Blackcaps

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 14 (8♂) Mallard
- 5 (2♂) Tufted Duck again: two flew off
- 7 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- 10 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 88 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons: one of these chased away

At the lamps pre-dawn:

Moths only
- 1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
- 1 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis)

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2012
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson/ John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Hobby's chasing Swallows and martins
1 Common Redstart
2 Meadow Pipits - first autumn birds
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Teal
14 Cormorants
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
Hobby chasing Swallows
1 Wheatear
2 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Egret
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
2 Swifts
1 Meadow Pipit - first autumn bird
(Ed Wilson)