10.0°C > 11.0°C: Mostly cloudy with a few blue bits. Also occasional light drizzle / rain, mainly early. Moderate W breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:28 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 05:50 – 09:20
(259th visit of the year)
Best this morning was a Common Snipe heard taking to flight at 06:40: nothing seen
Bird notes:
- Only one duck Gadwall located. Still three drakes.
- Another Woodcock sighting with a bird seen dropping in to cover at 06:50. It is rather strange that the three sightings this week have seen birds going to day-roosts apparently in three different locations.
- After yesterday's mass early arrival of >500 Black-headed Gulls from 06:15 onwards none appeared this morning until c.25 at 07:00. c.150 was my highest count at any one time though as usual birds were coming and going thereafter.
- As I was checking the lamp poles at the W end c.06:10 I heard numerous Redwings calling. I could not make out whether they were in the trees or were birds passing over. I did not see any leave trees after dawn and there were rather few passing over thereafter.
Overhead:
- 2 Canada Geese: single outbound; perhaps the same inbound c.45 minutes later
- 5 (1♂) Goosander
- 45 Wood Pigeons: just 12 of these in two possible migrant groups
- 2 Collared Doves: singles
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 62 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 97 Jackdaws
- 5 Starlings: single and quartet
- 13 Redwings: three groups
- c.25 Pied Wagtails heard only
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 5 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
->220 Starlings
- ?? Redwings: see notes
- 6 Reed Buntings
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler @ 06:50 only
Count from the lake area:
- 4 (3♂) Gadwall
- 16 (11♂) Mallard
- 12 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 38 Coots only
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Herring Gulls
- 62 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: same number as logged passing over.
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
With:
- 1 possible Phaonia pallida (Muscid fly)
- 1 other fly sp.
- 1 beetle sp.
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata) again
Black-headed Gulls with black hoods at this time of year are a puzzle [strictly speaking this species never has a black head]. Have they not moulted in to winter plumage? Or are they early coming in to breeding plumage? As I have not noted any such individuals for some weeks perhaps the latter. Then again with winter weather only just having reached Central Europe perhaps this is a late migrant arrival which is why I have not seen it previously.
Dreadful light this morning. Just about possible to make out that Mrs. Bullfinch is already tucking in to favourite food – next year's buds.
I don't recall having seen this fly at the lamps previously. Big eyes give it a rather square-headed look. I have no idea what species it is.
As well as giving this beetle reflective highlights, the camera flash has rendered it a mauve colour. Again I have no idea as to which species of beetle it might be.
I have been meaning to photograph this unusually-marked drake Mallard for some while. It, or one very similar, has been present for several years. Only the crown and nape goes bottle-green, the rest of the head looks more like that of a duck Mallard and its back is rather 'washed-out;. The yellow bill confirms it as a drake as does the curly tail feather that I have inadvertently cut-off in my haste to get a photo as it paddled away.
Duck Tufted Ducks always look angry from head on. Is it me or does she appear cross-eyed as well? These ducks will moult out most if not all of the white around the base of their bills.
None
With:
- 1 possible Phaonia pallida (Muscid fly)
- 1 other fly sp.
- 1 beetle sp.
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata) again
Spiders and Harvestman:
- 2 Neriene montana
- 5 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
Noted later:
- A bumblebee sp. that flew past me was all I could find!
- 2 Neriene montana
- 5 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
Noted later:
- A bumblebee sp. that flew past me was all I could find!
This is probably a Phaonia pallida (Muscid fly) though it seems rather small.
Credit to Nigel again for sorting this spider out. I thought it looked like a Neriene montana (the second of the morning) but was confused that the whole head and thorax looked dark whereas those I have seen before have a dark line down the centre of the head and thorax only. Nigel points out this is because this is a ventral view (i.e. of the underside) whereas I usually see the dorsal view (the upperside). So it is a Neriene montana; and with the large palps this is an adult male.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15
(234th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- No sign of any Teal today.
- Just two Great Crested Grebes located.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Redwings
On /around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 31 (18♂) Mallard
- 46 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On the same lamp pole:
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen
Around the Ivy:
- c.12 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) in dull conditions.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15
(234th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- No sign of any Teal today.
- Just two Great Crested Grebes located.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Redwings
On /around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 31 (18♂) Mallard
- 46 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On the same lamp pole:
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen
Around the Ivy:
- c.12 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) in dull conditions.
A drake Tufted Duck more or less in full breeding plumage. There are still a few brown-toned feathers in the flanks to be replaced and the 'tuft' (crest) will grow longer.
(Ed Wilson)
(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
1 Wigeon
7 Gadwall
2 Teal
67 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
25 Moorhens
230 Coots
290+ Black-headed Gulls
Female Peregrine
359 Wood Pigeons
308 Fieldfare
30 Redwings
517 Jackdaws
119 Rooks
22 Starlings from roost
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
40+ Fieldfare
34 Greylag Geese
46 Canada Geese
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
8 Tufted Ducks
148 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
294 Wood Pigeons
88 Redwings
149 Fieldfares
c.75 Starlings
c.779 Jackdaws
159 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
10 Great Crested Grebes
101 Canada Geese
8 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
124 Coots
31 Lapwings
Several Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
c.800 Fieldfare
c.425 Redwings
218 Jackdaws
146 Rooks
c.550 Starlings
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
39 Pochard
52 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Great Black-backed Gull
251 Wood Pigeons
20 Robins
293 Fieldfares
105 Redwings
145 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
Single female Ruddy Duck
400 Black-headed Gull
8 Redwing
1 Fieldfare
5 Reed Bunting
A few Redpoll
Siskin
1 Brambling
(Martin Adlam)
9 Reed Bunting
3 Redpoll
9 Siskin
(Martin Adlam)