9 Oct 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 14.0°C: Both mist and low cloud early though less misty and the cloud somewhat higher than yesterday. Calm. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 07:24 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:45 – 09:15

(225th visit of the year)

Best today was the male Blackcap heard calling and then seen along the S side. Seems to be my latest recorded date, though I am aware that birds visit local gardens throughout the Winter. Then the bird are usually silent.

Other bird notes:
- All four Mute Swan cygnets were asleep with the adults by the dam before dawn. Later all four seen in flight. Then c.08:30 three cygnets and one adult made several laps of the lake. At this stage there was no sign of the fourth cygnet and it did not return while I was present.
- So where were the Mallard? Just one duck found.
- Five Tufted Duck (three drakes) flew in from the W – possibly from The Flash.
- 86 Black-headed Gulls were on the football field at 07:15 with another c.300 on the academy playing fields at the same time. No large gulls with them
- I counted 202 large gulls arriving though the conditions were not ideal.
- Two parties of Cormorants, each of four birds, arrived simultaneously from opposite directions. They joined up overhead with five leaving immediately; two circling for a while and then also heading off; and just one arriving.
- A group of 36 Jackdaws, much later than the early passing groups, circled over the W end and at least eight of these landed briefly on the SW grass. This behaviour is unusual.

Overhead:
- 6 Stock Doves: two singles and two duos
- 53 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 1 Herring Gull
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants: see notes
- 173 Jackdaws
- 16 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 13 Starlings: three groups
- 18 Pied Wagtails: mostly roost dispersal
- 7 Meadow Pipits
- 2 Chaffinches
- 6 Goldfinches

Warblers noted:
- 3 Chiffchaffs: no song
- 1 Blackcap: male

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- 1 (0♂) Mallard only
- 18 (>9♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 9 Moorhens
- 73 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.400 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls
- 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.200 large gulls: see notes
- 1 Cormorant: arrived: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Kingfisher

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Rhomboid Tortrix (Acleris rhombana)
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)

with:
- 2 Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperia carnea)
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 red ant sp.
- White-lipped Snails (Cepaea hortensis)
- Hairy Snails (Trochulus hispidus)
- 1 Large House Spider-type: Eratigena sp.
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- 1 male Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:
- *many Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later: only
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Compare and contrast time. Two immature Herring Gulls, a first-winter on the left and a second-winter on the right. The feathering on the back of the second-year bird has a higher percentage of pale grey and the base of the bill is also pale – the bill is usually all-dark on a first-winter until after the turn of the year. It took some while a many failed shots until both these birds briefly stopped preening and looked in the same direction.

I suspect this is one of the resident Jays which was diligently looking for food.

It stayed around long-enough for me to take this short video.

My first record of a Rhomboid Tortrix moth (Acleris rhombana) this year – a species I see most years. I was lucky with this. It flushed from the vegetation as I approached and briefly perched on a leaf for one photo and then it was away.

I seem to have seen many more of these springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis this year. I noted my first in September 2019 with none at all last year. I have logged at least 10 this year.

Specific identification of ants is not possible from photos. Makes a change to find a red ant on the lamp poles rather than a black ant.

It is a while since I photographed one of these Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius). There are usually at least ten in the sailing club shelter. Some days I also see them at the very top of the lamp poles.

A Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica).

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:

None

With
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus): the very large specimen again.
- plus usual midges and unidentified spiders

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(203rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The drake Teal was tucked up by the island among the seventeen Goosanders (though these drifted out later).
- Some Tufted Ducks have probably gone to the balancing lake (due to the number of fishermen? though the Goosanders seemed strangely unaffected)
- Only one juvenile Great Crested Grebes located.
- My first Lesser Redpoll of Autumn overhead.

One of the fishermen reported what seemed have been a Tawny Owl calling from the E side trees "all night".

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Skylark
- 5 Starling
- 3 Redwings
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Warblers noted:
- 2 Chiffchaffs: no song

On /around the water:
- 16 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal again
- 7 (1+♂) Tufted Duck
- 17 (0♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens again
- 25 Coots
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron again

On a lamp pole:
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman

Noted elsewhere:
- 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

2013
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Pochard
60 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
235 Coots
7 Song Thrushes
118 Fieldfare
30 Redwings
466 Jackdaws
139 Rooks
c.450 Starlings from roost
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.100 Greylag Geese
3 Gadwall
8 Pochard
18 Tufted Ducks
153 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
118 Wood Pigeons
103 Redwings
154 Fieldfares
809 Jackdaws
201 Rooks
7 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pink-footed Goose
c.100 Greylag Geese
41 Canada Geese
41 Tufted Duck
12 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Yellow legged Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
28 Pochard
65 Tufted Duck
46 Greenfinches
5 Fieldfares
11 Redwings
12 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Goosanders
1 Pochard
45 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
1 Gadwall
1 Shoveler
2 Wigeon
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
950+ Black-headed Gulls
1204+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
499 Wood Pigeons
11 Meadow Pipits
23 Robins
23 Blackbirds
13 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
18 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
321 Jackdaws
241 Rooks
22 Greenfinches
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)