25 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 3.0°C: Wall to wall blue skies (well: black to start with). Light NW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:49 GMT

* = a photo today

Mostly rather quiet. Seems that Autumn passage is more or less complete

Priorslee Lake: 06:05 – 09:20

(271st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Two adult Mute Swans with three cygnets were asleep when I arrived. It was reported that these had flown in by 10:00 yesterday. I presume these are this year's remaining family though I was unable to read any rings to confirm this. At c.08:45 I noted the three cygnets in flight. From my position I could not see either adult. Later I could not see the cygnets either!
- A note about yesterday's adult Mute Swan 7JTJ. This was rescued by Cuan Wildlife Rescue as an orphan cygnet from a failed nest near Newport last July (2020). It was released on the River Severn at Hampton Loade last September. It was previously seen in January this year near Sutton Maddock. [Details thanks to Martin Grant.]
- An extra pair of Gadwall today and the 'spare' drake also seen.
- Another Woodcock sighting with one flying past me to roost at 07:00.
- Unusual gull behaviour this morning. c.200 Black-headed Gulls appeared circling high over the lake at 06:50, increasing to at least 300. By 07:05 numbers had reduced to just 36. It was almost 07:30 before the first few settled on the water and I counted no more than 10 settled at any one time. With almost no Black-heads on the water the large gulls were also reluctant to visit with most flying on.
- I am now fairly certain that there is more than Cetti's Warbler. On two occasions when I have been along the N side a Cetti's has called to the E of me; two small dark birds have together flown past me; and then a Cetti's has called or, as today, sang to the W of me shortly afterwards (indeed today two pairs of small dark birds flew past me today, but I suspect one pair were probably Wrens). To add to the puzzle much later a Cetti's was calling in the extreme SE area alongside the S end of the dam. Another?!
- The first outbound party of 58 Jackdaws flew past to the E of me against the dawn sky at 07:10 and were easy to count. At the same time a group was heard passing to the W of me where it was still too dark to even locate them. All the subsequent birds in my total were counted passing far to the E.
- In addition to a single fly-over *a lone Fieldfare perched in trees in the Ricoh grounds. The local Mistle Thrush was not amused and chased it away.
- It is very frustrating. There are often Siskins in the Alders by the Teece Drive gate, but apparently only on dull days when I cannot photograph them. Today the Alders were in full sun and there was not a Siskin to be seen.

Overhead:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 35 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >175 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 1 Fieldfare
- 18 Redwings: four groups
- >27 Pied Wagtails heard
- 4 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Warblers noted:
- 2? Cetti's Warblers: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- *3 + 2 Mute Swan: departed?
- *7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 49 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 47 Coots again
- >300 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 November Moth type. (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)

Spiders and Harvestman:
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 2 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spiders
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Later:

Nothing of note

A visible moon of four out of the last five mornings! As it wanes it gets more and more cross-lit with the craters now showing well.

The three cygnets return from a fly-around. By this time the adults seemed to have departed though I did not see them go.

Two on finals.

It seems that one is unringed. There is not quite enough resolution for me to read the ring on the other cygnet.

There seems to be no collective noun for a group of Gadwall. Ducks on the water are sometimes called 'a paddling of ducks'. Here I think 'a flotilla of Gadwall' sums it up best: two ducks and two drakes.

With the low winter sun on the reeds reflected in the water here is a pair of Gadwall, The male at the back.

This Fieldfare was a very long way away in the Ricoh grounds. The grey head is hard to discern. What we can see is that it has a boldly spotted breast and does not look small-headed as would a Mistle Thrush.

A dew / frost bespattered male Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria).

Nigel has confirmed for me this is as I suspected a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). I provisionally identified it as such on the basis of the stripe down the thorax and the way the front left two legs are held close together. The abdomen marking is very unlike any I have seen previously so I asked Nigel to confirm. That he has done noting that the abdomen is very variable in colour and pattern from almost plain grey to a bright orangey brown stripe.

Nigel has also provided an update on two spiders I noted on Monday (21st). Here are the photos again with updated text:

This tiny spider, less than half the size of my little fingernail is probably a Humbug Spider (Hypsosinga sp.), unusually without the humbug stripe.

My 'exciting looking spider' is an adult male Amaurobius sp. presumably out looking for a female. They would normally be found under bark or in crevices - natural or otherwise. Most commonly found in holes in the mortar between brickwork and with a lacy collar made of silk which is why the are often called lace web spiders. It is either A. fenestralis or A. similis

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15

(246th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A drake Pochard was new in: perhaps from the lake.
- Many of the Goosanders were resting on the edge of the island, probably blocking my view of any Teal present.
- Not sure where some of the Moorhens were today. Perhaps, like me, they don't like the cold.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

On /around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 37 (25♂) Mallard
- no Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 47 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- *13 (5♂) Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed
- 1 Grey Heron

On a lamp pole:
- *1 Scarce Umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria): same pole, same place as yesterday

Seen on / around the Ivy:
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) after much searching
- a few flies of various species

Of note:

Nothing else

Size comparison between a drake Goosander and its nemesis, a first-winter Black-headed Gull (a hint of brown in the folded wing = first-winter). The gulls were giving the Goosanders a hard time, trying to steal their fish.

As a result I had a lot of photos like this.

Another drake Goosander. Note the pale between the bill and the eyes. This might indicate it is a first-winter bird coming in to its first adult plumage. It is still blotchy along the flanks.

This 'brownhead' Goosander is most certainly a duck. Any drake still to moult its body feathers would have the white wing panel extending across the width of the wing.

This 'brownhead' is also likely to be a duck as there is no pale line between the bill and the eye. As far as I recall she was making no noise so why her bill is open is a mystery.

(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

6 Gadwall 

1 Teal 

2 Pochard 

99 Tufted Duck

225 Coots counted 

1 Woodcock 

6 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

Green Woodpecker

231 Fieldfare

66 Redwings 

c.375 Jackdaws

2 Redpolls

5 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

31 Greylag Geese

3 Gadwall 

8 Pochard 

23 Tufted Duck

Goosander

143 Coots

1 Yellow-legged Gull

19 Redwings

2 Fieldfares

259 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson / Allan Heath)

2005

Priorslee Lake

206 Starlings going to roost

C.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

10 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow legged Gull

1 Caspian Gull

c.700 Black-headed Gulls

(Martin Adlam)