25 Oct 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 12.0°C: Areas of cloud associated with showers. Some sunny spells. Light / moderate S wind. Mostly very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:53 BST

*= a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:25

(240th visit of the year)

A generally quiet morning for visual migration. However the highlight was a lone Brambling that flew W at 08:10. My 111th bird species here this year.

Numbers perhaps slightly affected by a discharge from somewhere in Stafford Park that was lingering in early light winds. As a result the W end very misty. Exactly what this discharge is - it happens most days c.06:30 - is unclear and might only be water vapour from industrial units being started. Only when the wind is in the S does it affect the lake (and the M54). This morning it seemed to be catching in my throat. As a result I was positioned non-optimally for watching roost departures.

Other bird notes:
- Only the pen Mute Swan was present early and she flew off NE at 08:25 (I am assuming its identity – I did not read any ring).
- All the early large gulls that stopped off were positively identified as Lesser Black-backed Gulls and are logged as such. The overflights were not specifically identified.
- A Chiffchaff was calling along the N side today.
- The only bird seen leaving a roost around the water was a lone Starling.

Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 27 Wood Pigeons only: nine of these in a single migrant group heading SSW
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 33 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 237 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks only
- 10 Skylark
- c.100 Starlings: three groups one of c.80 birds
- 1 Fieldfare
- 12? Redwings: all these heard overhead pre-dawn
- 11 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 5 Chaffinches
- 1 Brambling
- 1 Siskin again

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: no song
For anyone interested in Cetti's Warbler song then BBC Radio 4's 'Tweet of the Day' at 05:58 tomorrow (26th) will be featuring it.

Count from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 1 Mute Swan: departed
- 9 (>3♂) Mallard: all departed together
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 32 (>12♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens again
- 60 Coots
- no Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- >175 Black-headed Gulls again
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no large gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Probably too much dew on the lamps for many insects to settle.

Moths:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.) again
with:
- *1 springtail sp.
- 1 Clubiona sp. spider
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

In the sailing club shelter predawn:
- *2 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
plus the usual array of mainly Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

A near-by shower. Luckily it passed to the N and I stayed dry – this time.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker trying to hide from me. It has successfully hidden its nape so I can't tell whether it has the red patch of a male or whether this is a female.

Today's springtail sp. ploughing through the dew spots. I would judge a different species as the antennae look significantly shorter than those I have provisionally logged as Pogonognathellus longicornis-type.

A White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger) making its way underneath a dew-spattered spider's web. It is on the corrugated inside wall of the sailing club shelter.

You WILL all enjoy looking at spiders. A six-legged(?) male Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica). His left-side third leg may be tucked up: the left front legs looks to be missing.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:35

(217th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pair of Teal not located.
- No Goosanders again.
- At least one Skylark over – from calls only: too high for me to see.
- A Redwing flew out of trees on the island.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 10 Jackdaws
- 1+ Skylark
- 1 Siskin

On /around the water:
- 27 Canada Geese
- *3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 30 (20♂) Mallard
- no Teal
- 40 (1+♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 24 Coots still
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Grey Herons

On various lamp pole:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.).
- *1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- 1 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)
- *2 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spiders

Noted elsewhere:
- many Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) on the Ivy flowers.
- *several Common Droneflies (Eristalis tenax) also on the Ivy flowers.
- 1 Grey Squirrel

The Mute Swan cygnet seemed to be making overtures to the 'spare' adult female – or vice versa. As soon as the parents noticed they separated them.

I am now confused (not an uncommon experience). When I saw this hoverfly I assumed it would be a Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum). But no! The brown cloud and stigma in the wing rules out that species. Seems from photos on Steven Falk's web site that Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) also has a stripe down its face. Ho hum. This is a male with its eyes meeting.

Yesterday's Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) was still at the very top of its lamp pole. This Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) was at eye-level on a different lamp pole in squirrel alley giving much better views.

Right on the sun / shade divide on a lamp pole was what turned out to be one of the two Tetragnatha sp. of Stretch spiders. Not easy without the magic camera.

(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

2010
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
5 Lapwings
1487 Fieldfare logged, mostly flying W. 7 of the flocks estimated at between 110 and 130 birds
25 Redwings
Raven
56 Goldfinch
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
62 Swans
5 Wigeon
14 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
231 Coots
Great Black-backed Gull
3 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
27 Redwings
Chiffchaff
c.250 Starlings
8 Siskins
c.15 Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Cormorant
25 Pochard
72 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
1 Kingfisher
20 Robins
17 Blackbirds
15 Song Thrushes
59 Redwing
3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
5 Goldcrests
(Martin Adlam)