13.0°C > 15.0°C: Early drizzle with breaks developing later. Fresh SSW wind. Very mild for the date. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 07:57 BST
*= a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:30
(242nd visit of the year)
Still quiet. Best was a high-flying Great White Egret going W at 08:30. By the time I had put the appropriate settings on the camera for what would have been, at best, a record shot I could relocate it.
Other bird notes:
- Two adult Mute Swans. I was not able to read any rings and I have mixed views as to whether they are 'our' pair. Once they awoke they positioned on the slipway suggesting they were 'ours'. However the bill colour of both of them looked rather paler than I recall. Time may tell.
- A second pair of Gadwall new in. Still an extra drake.
- First returning Pochard of the Winter – a duck.
- Tufted Duck especially tricky to count as many were being harassed by Black-headed Gulls and continually diving right at the edge of the water in the vegetation. Probably under recorded.
- After several days with rather few Black-headed Gulls a group of at least 250 arrived well before dawn at 07:15 and flew around and around for at least 20 minutes. They must have better eye-sight and quicker reactions than me to avoid crashing in to each other, though perhaps from inside the group it looks more organised than it does looking across at birds going in all directions.
- Rather more 'large gulls' with 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and eight Herring Gulls stopping off; and 21 unidentified gulls flying over.
- c.20 Starlings glimpsed probably leaving a roost in the W end reeds.
Overhead:
- 16 Wood Pigeons only: no migrant groups
- 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 21 unidentified large gulls only
- 1 Great White Egret (as highlighted)
- 1 female Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 219 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 5 Redwings: four of these heard overhead pre-dawn
- 10 Pied Wagtails
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: sang once from near the Wesley Brook bridge
Count from the lake area:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 6 (>2♂) Mallard: all but one pair flew off pre-dawn
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 38 (>21♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 61 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- >250 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Herring Gulls
- 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Rather draughty around the lamp poles!
Moths:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
with:
- *many small flies
- *2 craneflies: different species
- 1 male Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 froghopper sp.
- 4 Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 Pogonognathellus longicornis-type springtail
- *1 Neriene montana spider
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn
- *1 (Common) Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum)
- many Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius) as usual
Nothing of note later:
The daily spider. I thought the dark band across the carapace and the head meant it was a Neriene peltata. I read that species has unmarked legs which this hasn't. Over to Nigel – I was close: it is N. montana.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:35 – 10:15
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:15
(219th visit of the year)
Council contractor were out massacring some of the hedges today cutting off the berry crop that the winter thrushes might like. Perhaps the contractors will do some of the bushes that overhang the paths later. Perhaps.
Bird notes:
- Just the drake Teal found.
- Why so few Tufted Duck? Usually there are >50 at this time of year.
- Only three Great Crested Grebes seen. One adult; one a juvenile; others too far away.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 4 Jackdaws
On /around the water:
- 35 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 10 (3♂) Tufted Duck only
- 5 Moorhens only
- 21 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 46 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons
On a lamp pole:
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
Noted elsewhere:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) briefly on the Ivy.
- rather fewer Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) on the Ivy flowers despite the mild (but dull and breezy) conditions.
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Council contractor were out massacring some of the hedges today cutting off the berry crop that the winter thrushes might like. Perhaps the contractors will do some of the bushes that overhang the paths later. Perhaps.
Bird notes:
- Just the drake Teal found.
- Why so few Tufted Duck? Usually there are >50 at this time of year.
- Only three Great Crested Grebes seen. One adult; one a juvenile; others too far away.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 4 Jackdaws
On /around the water:
- 35 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 10 (3♂) Tufted Duck only
- 5 Moorhens only
- 21 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 46 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons
On a lamp pole:
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
Noted elsewhere:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) briefly on the Ivy.
- rather fewer Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) on the Ivy flowers despite the mild (but dull and breezy) conditions.
- 1 Grey Squirrel
(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
2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull
1000+ large gulls
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
11 Golden Plover
2 Kingfishers
16 Reed Buntings
5 Sky Larks
8 Meadow Pipits
71 Redwings
457 Fieldfare
31 Siskins
1 Linnet
4 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
40 Tufted Duck
16 Pochard
2 Ruddy Duck
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
2 Goldcrest
42 Fieldfare
Willow Tit
14 Long-tailed Tits
(Martin Adlam)
5 Goldcrests
(Martin Adlam)