19 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.0°C: Mainly cloudy at medium/low level. A sunny spell between 09:00 and 10:00 but then clouded again. Light SW wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:39 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:15

(265th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Five Goosanders flew SW together: they were too high to determine their sex.
- The Cetti's Warbler exploded in to song very close to where I was standing, alongside the main N side reed bed at 07:00. It gave three notes and then went to an extended spluttering call. Shortly after it flew past me towards the W end. I then heard it some 10 minutes later singing twice from the S side – I assume the same bird.
- I was again at a different vantage point first thing and did not see or hear any Starlings at or leaving any of the usual roost sites.
- *The Mistle Thrush was in full song again. I think I was mistaken yesterday in suspecting it was coming from a small shelter belt of retained old trees around the housing development. Its song was being reflected off the Holy Trinity Academy buildings giving that impression. It was seen today.
- A larger number of Pied Wagtails heard overhead from my different vantage point. Mostly too dark to see any of them

Overhead:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 5 Goosander: together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 24 Wood Pigeons only: eight of these in a loose group heading NW
- c.25 Golden Plover to far E
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 28 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 73 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Starling
- 9 Redwings: three small groups
- >35 Pied Wagtails heard only again

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- nothing seen: see notes

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 21 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- >200 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria)
- 1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)
NB: yesterday's Winter Moth was misidentified: it was a November Moth type (Epirrita sp.)
And:
- *1 red fly sp.
- *1 bug #1, probably Sage Leafhopper (Eupteryx melissae)
- *1 bug #2, probably Eupteryx aurata
- *2 ichneumons: male and female
- *1 springtail sp.
- 1 mayfly sp., presumed Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum)

Spiders and Harvestman:
- 1 Clubiona sp.
- 2 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spiders
- 6 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Later:

Nothing noted

Well now! At extreme range and overly enlarged is a singing Mistle Thrush deep in the Ricoh copse. One feature that is obvious is the pale fringes on the flight feathers. This species, with country name of Storm Cock, usually sings from the top of tall trees around its territory. It is not uncommon for this bird to start singing before the turn of the year. The current mild weather has probably induced it to start singing.

A slightly better photo of a male Siskin than yesterday. Today they changed from hanging upside down to get at Alder cones and were mostly buried in Alder keys.

Yesterday's Feathered Thorn moth (Colotois pennaria) was still present in the same place. I was able to get this side-on view to show the feathered antennae tucked under the folded wings. This is a male: females have simple antennae.

This rather slim red fly is a common sight pre-dawn at the moment. It seems too slim to be either Thricops diaphanus or Phaonia pallida which are the only two examples I can find on the web so I have no idea.

Amazing what I can find on the lamp poles pre-dawn. Very few such things are visible later. I think this little critter is a Sage Leafhopper (Eupteryx melissae)

Whereas I think this is Eupteryx aurata sometimes called Potato Leafhopper though that is a misnomer as it can be found on many plants – and, apparently, lamp poles!

And here is an example of the mixture possible. Below the Eupteryx aurata is a tiny springtail; a small fly is above it. [the black splodges are part of the faded serial number of the lamp pole]

One of two ichneumon flies on the lamps this morning. This orange-legged male has long antennae

The other ichneumon shows an ovipositor so must be a female. It was high up on a pole so the photo is not too clear. I would judge the legs are darker and the antennae are shorter than the male. No idea as to the species of either.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(240th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All four Teal visible.
- A Song Thrush singing quietly from inside a hedge at the top end.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

On /around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (24♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Teal
- 59 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Nothing on any lamp pole:

On / around the Ivy:
- *1+ Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- >15 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)

Of note:

Nothing else

This very busy bee was hard to photo. A panic - could it be an Ivy Bee? Sadly not. It seems to be a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). The very full pollen baskets on its hind legs were what drew my attention to this insect. I am not sure whether I was chasing the same individual or whether there were several. It seems a very late date for this species to be flying, especially as it has been many weeks since I have seen one.

(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

26 Greylag Geese

5 Wigeon 

5 Gadwall 

134 Tufted Duck

2 Goosander

2 Water Rails 

229 Coots

>400 Wood Pigeon

302 Fieldfare

88 Redwings 

309 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall 

7 Pochard 

17 Tufted Ducks

146 Coots 

244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

7 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow-legged

c.145 Wood Pigeons

47 Redwings

82 Fieldfares

238 Jackdaws

2 Siskins

11 Bullfinches

(Ed Wilson)

2008

The Flash

10 Goosanders

c.30 Tufted Ducks

c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gull

c.200 Black-headed Gull

1 Buzzard

(Mike Cooper)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Gadwall

8 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

The Flash

4 Goosander

4 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Woodcock

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

25 Greylag Geese

1 drake Teal

34 Pochard

48 Tufted Ducks

drake Ruddy Duck

11 Lapwings

>1080 Black-headed Gulls

1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

202 Wood Pigeons

28 Robins

16 Blackbirds

142 Fieldfares

15 Redwings

158 Jackdaws

100 Rooks

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

c.3000 Black-headed Gull

c.2000 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls

12 Pochard

55 Tufted Duck

1 Wigeon

2 Ruddy Duck

3 Water Rail

1 Snipe

5 Redwing

23 Fieldfare

13 Reed Bunting

8 Siskin

170 Rooks

220 Jackdaws

c.500 Starlings in roost

c.500 Wood Pigeon

(Martin Adlam)