2 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 4.0°C: Early mist over the water and frost on the grass. Otherwise just a few patches of high cloud. Calm / light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:08 GMT

No photos today – busy doing other thing. Watch out tomorrow

Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 09:25

(248th visit of the year)

The main feature of the morning was very the large passage of Wood Pigeons heading S. This started by 07:05, petering out somewhat after 07:45. Several groups contained at least 500 birds and on occasions groups were passing to both the E and W of the lake simultaneously. When I totted up my 'best effort' at logging these my total came to just shy of 5400 birds. Add about 100 moving locally. The most interesting flock was a distant view of c.150 birds at 08:55 which overtook a late passing group of 18 Rooks: the pigeons were in turn overtaken by a group of c.75 Golden Plover. The comparison in flight formation – the plover in very typical wavy lines - and wing rate was enough to clinch the identity of my 112th species here this year.

Other bird notes:
- The erstwhile resident cob and his three cygnets spent the night here but left to the NE at 08:15. Within 10 minutes two other adults arrived: one bird was certainly not ringed - both may have been: I could only see this as they upended in the distance.
- A Great Crested Grebe: the first for some days. It is unusual for none to be present.
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 06:25 and by 06:35 at least 500 were present. An unusually early and an unusually large arrival.
- A single Jackdaw flew over at 06:15. The next were the first big group at 06:45.
- About 550 Starlings burst out of the reeds almost together. About 30 more left a few minutes behind these. Five small groups flew over much later.
- At least two Siskins seemed to leave trees at the W end very early, as if they might have roosted there overnight.

Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: flushed out of fields to the E
- 3 Greylag Geese: one outbound; duo inbound
- 2 Stock Doves, at least in with....
- c.5500 Wood Pigeons: c.5400 in 46 migrant groups, heading between S: see also highlight
- c.75 Golden Plover: see highlight
- 36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 unidentified large gulls'
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk again
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- c.400 Jackdaws
- 47 Rooks
- 3 Skylarks
- 59 Starlings: five groups
- 19 Redwings
- 13 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Siskin

Birds leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.580 Starlings
- 2+ Siskins: see notes

Warblers noted:

None

Count from the lake area:
- 3 + 3 Mute Swans again: see notes
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 19 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 2 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- >500 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 13 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
with:
- 2 spiders: photos still to be examined
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen

Noted later:
- Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Grey Squirrel

It was a misty (and frosty) start yesterday

Cleared to give some great views of of the Autumn tints.

The cob Mute Swan and his three cygnets leaving.

One of the cygnets circling overhead before finally flying away.

 The other two (near) adult Mute Swans fly in.

For a change a flight shot in focus! The Grey Heron departs. I am sure this species has finished its annual moult. I have never noticed how much longer the primary wing feathers are than the secondaries.

It is even more apparent here but what is strange is that it appears only to apply to the right wing. Can't explain!

A Dunnock. Understated plumage on this species.

Here it is again.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:25

(224th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Many Mallard had done a vanishing trick.
- Bumper number of Moorhens.
- The only fly-overs noted was a loose group of Jackdaws and Rooks. Rooks not too common here.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 16 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks

On /around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 13 (9♂) Mallard
- 31 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 (1?♂) Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Herons

On the same lamp pole as yesterday:
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman.

Noted elsewhere:
- Many Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 2 Common Drone Flies (Eristalis tenax)
- 1 Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- Hundreds of flies of at least four species

When I checked the photos of the 'small wasps' I had tried to capture I found this Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus). Not a small wasp though it tries to convince predators it is.

(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

2012

Priorslee Lake

2 Gadwall

7 Pochard

Kestrel

Little Grebe

Sparrowhawk

(John Isherwood)

2011

Priorslee Lake

4 Yellow legged Gulls

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

36 Pochard

85 Tufted Ducks

4 Lapwings over 

c.200 Starlings roosted at W end 

53 Wood Pigeons

249 Fieldfare

14 Redwings

7 Siskins

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

Little Grebes

17 Pochard

57 Tufted Ducks

1 drake Ruddy Duck

c.170 Golden Plover

1175 Wood Pigeons

1 Kingfisher

16 Pied Wagtails

22 Wrens

10 Dunnocks

27 Robins

22 Blackbirds

298 Fieldfares

8 Song Thrushes

24 Redwings

1 Mistle Thrush

69 Starlings

12 Chaffinches

33 Greenfinches

11 Goldfinches

1 Redpoll

5 Bullfinches

9 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Adult Arctic Tern

172 Redwing

9 Pochard

47 Tufted Duck

Siskin

Redpolls

7 Reed Buntings

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)