11.0°C > 13.0°C: Early very low cloud and spells of drizzle. Clearing after 08:30 with sun c.09:30 before more cloud. Light W wind. Poor visibility in drizzle, otherwise good.
Sunrise: 07:31 BST
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 05:50 – 09:10
(229th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- After a count of 18 Mallard yesterday just three today.
- c.475 Black-headed Gulls were on the football field at 07:25 with one immature Herring Gull and single immature and adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. At that time there were no gulls on the academy playing field. A few more Black-headed Gulls were drifting in and c.20 were on the lake.
- Rather few large gulls seen arriving but they did so during the heaviest of the drizzle and they were difficult to see anyway.
- In addition to the 181 Redwings noted flying W in the nine groups there had been at least two singles heard calling as they passed overhead c.06:00 in the dark. At least three more left trees at the W end where they seemed to have been roosting.
Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 63 Wood Pigeons: no passage groups passing S today
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 373 Jackdaws
- 13 Rooks only
- 5 Skylarks
- 2 Starlings: singles
- 183 Redwing: 181 of these in nine groups flying W
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin
Warblers noted:
None
Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 12 (>9♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 68 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 71 large gulls only
- 1 Grey Heron
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota): same lamp as yesterday: different position
with:
- 2 Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 2 cranefly Tipula confusa
- *1 Mayfly sp., probably a Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum)
- *1 Common or European Earwig (Forficula dentata)
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- *2 beetles: mating
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 Metellina sp. spider
- 1 Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
An update from yesterday. The micro-moth that I failed to ID yesterday was a male Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana). My first of this species here this year.
In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn
- 17 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
All the other spiders had gone and hidden by the time I finished counting this species.
Nothing noted later:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 12 (>9♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 68 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 71 large gulls only
- 1 Grey Heron
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota): same lamp as yesterday: different position
with:
- 2 Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 2 cranefly Tipula confusa
- *1 Mayfly sp., probably a Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum)
- *1 Common or European Earwig (Forficula dentata)
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- *2 beetles: mating
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 Metellina sp. spider
- 1 Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
An update from yesterday. The micro-moth that I failed to ID yesterday was a male Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana). My first of this species here this year.
In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn
- 17 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
All the other spiders had gone and hidden by the time I finished counting this species.
Nothing noted later:
Despite Nigel's tuition I still find spiders a challenge. This one fooled me since despite apparently being against a lamp pole it isn't. We are looking at the underside as it sits in its web close up against the lamp post. It is one of the Metellina sp. spiders but further identification would require a microscope.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
- 2 Plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus?)
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- also the usual midges and unidentified spiders
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
- 2 Plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus?)
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- also the usual midges and unidentified spiders
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:00
(206th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Both drake and duck Teal seen with the drake rapidly acquiring breeding plumage.
- The usual confusion with the Great Crested Grebes: there seemed to be three adults and two juveniles today.
- Three Chiffchaffs were chasing around tree-tops at the top end. No calls heard.
- The small Redwing passage noted at the lake continued here for a while.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws
- 4 Skylarks
- 45 Redwings: three groups
Warblers noted:
- 3 Chiffchaffs: no song
On /around the water:
- 58 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 29 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) Teal
- 17 (1+♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 (0♂) Goosander again
- 12 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- *3 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Heron
On the lamp poles:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:00
(206th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Both drake and duck Teal seen with the drake rapidly acquiring breeding plumage.
- The usual confusion with the Great Crested Grebes: there seemed to be three adults and two juveniles today.
- Three Chiffchaffs were chasing around tree-tops at the top end. No calls heard.
- The small Redwing passage noted at the lake continued here for a while.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws
- 4 Skylarks
- 45 Redwings: three groups
Warblers noted:
- 3 Chiffchaffs: no song
On /around the water:
- 58 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 29 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) Teal
- 17 (1+♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 (0♂) Goosander again
- 12 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- *3 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Heron
On the lamp poles:
Nothing on any of them
Noted elsewhere:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Grey Squirrel
Noted elsewhere:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Grey Squirrel
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
2011
Nedge Hill
1 Fieldfare
100+ Redwing
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Cormorants
3 Wigeon
15 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
Snipe
Kingfisher
8 Redwings
5 Jays
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
7 Wigeon
500+ Lesser Black-backed Gull
52 Mute Swan
1 Little Grebe
(Mike Cooper)
2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
42 Tufted Duck
Treecreepers
19 Blackbirds
57 Robins
7 Song Thrushes
5 Redwings
2 Chiffchaffs
Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Skylarks
Several Redwings
3 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
50 Robins
9 Song Thrushes
8 Redwings
1 Treecreeper
(Ed Wilson)