3 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Very mixed. Started with medium-level cloud and a few breaks to the E. More breaks developed then c.09:00 low cloud descended, covering the tops for a while before clearing to mainly blue skies. Light NNW wind, becoming moderate at times. Mainly good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:09 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 09:15

(249th visit of the year)

Many fewer and smaller groups of Wood Pigeons with slight renewed activity later at The Flash when the skies cleared.

Other bird notes:
- No Mute Swans over-nighted. Two (near?) adults arrived low from the E at 07:30.
- About 430 Starlings came out of the reeds together: even more difficult to gauge the number as they left low to the W staying below the tree-line. It was over minutes later that another c.125 departed together. A few stragglers thereafter. Two groups flew over much later.
- The Cetti's Warbler gave one almost complete burst of song from the W end of the N side at 06:35. It gave several more spluttering notes shortly thereafter but was then silent. At 09:00 presumably the same bird was heard persistently calling and then seen in long grass behind the sailing club shelter.
- Siskins again heard in the W end trees very early, apparently flying off. More overhead. Then at least 15 in Alders by the Teece Drive gate, with Goldfinches, at 09:00.
- In the winter period I usually see Reed Buntings leaving the W end roost and flying far away. I heard one only in the roost area this morning but later I saw four together alongside the S side 'path'.

Overhead:
- Canada Geese: heard only outbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 363 Wood Pigeons: 307 of these in 15 migrant group
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 unidentified large gulls'
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 314 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks only
- 1 Skylark
- 67 Starlings: two groups
- 8 Redwings
- 1 Mistle Thrush
- 11 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Linnet
- 23 Siskins: four groups

Birds leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.570 Starlings

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler

Count from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: arrived
- 17 (12♂) Mallard: arrived in four groups
- *3 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 16 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 56 Coots
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- *9 Herring Gulls
- 95 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 45 unidentified large gulls
- no Grey Heron

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:

None

with:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- *1 froghopper sp.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spider
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen

Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

The sky was cloudy for the sunrise. The sun came out later and the early Autumn light again enhanced the colours.

Another view.

One day the Gadwall will come close-enough for a photo to shows the great vermiculations along the flanks of the drake. This was the closest I could get today with the pair appearing to have a slight tiff. Drake on the left.

A different drake Gadwall shown amongst a group of Mallard.

I am regretting photographing this gull. It is a second-winter Herring Gull-type but is it 'just' a Herring Gill? None of my books illustrate second-winter Yellow-legged or Caspian Gulls. Is the head too pale for a Herring Gull? Why has it got a pale tip on a bill that appears to droop? Pass!

I am very pleased with this male Siskin photo. The bird was high up in an Alder tree and I was shooting in to a bright sky. Note the black crown feathers have pale fringes so at this time of year the crown is not 'jet black' s it will be in the Spring when the fringes have worn off..

I found this froghopper on a lamp pole pre-dawn. I am taking advice, but this group is challenging to identify.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:30

(226th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Number of Mallard recovered but lower number of Tufted Duck, Goosander and Moorhens!

Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 64 Wood Pigeons in four migrant groups
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Skylark
- 26 Starlings (two groups)
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

On /around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese again
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- *34 (24♂) Mallard
- 23 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander only
- 6 Moorhens only
- 25 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: third winter
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult and first winter
- no Grey Herons

On a lamp pole:
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spider

Noted elsewhere:
- Only a few Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)

A first winter Great Crested Grebe. Whether this is one of those raised locally or not is hard to determine but...

..it was close to this adult. This bird is moulting its head-feathers. Its close proximity to the juvenile suggests they are both from the family that raised three juveniles here.

The Mallard formation flying team passes by. One of their number is not in 'team livery'!

Visually I had this logged as an adult Herring Gull but the photo shows otherwise with dark primary coverts and some dusky marks in the secondaries. So it is a third winter bird. Strangely at this age there should be some dark marks from a vestigial tail band.

A first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull showing several identification features: the broad dark tail band with a clean upper tail; dark secondaries with no pale on the inner primaries; and a rather hooded appearance.

Note how it twists its tail as it manoeuvres.

(Ed Wilson)

Also

Elsewhere

Not from 'around here' – indeed very much not from around here. I was at the Shropshire Wildlife Trust reserve at Wood Lane near Ellesmere yesterday and came across this rather distant puzzle. On the left is a drake Shoveler . The other bird is a drake Cape Shelduck. That's 'Cape' and in 'Cape of Good Hope' - South Africa. It is non-migratory so this bird has escaped from a wildlife collection.

(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

Shifnal, Lizard Wood

2 Hawfinch

(Arthur Harper)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Several Herons

>3800 Wood Pigeons

11 Skylarks

2 Meadow Pipits

199 Fieldfare

32 Redwings

9 Siskins

1 Linnet

Brambling 

(Ed Wilson)

Wrekin

Location

1 Crossbill

Several Redpolls

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

21 Pochard

58 Tufted Ducks

2 Buzzards

>900 Black-headed Gulls

176 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

807 Wood Pigeons

16 Pied Wagtails

26 Wrens

14 Dunnocks

34 Robins

24 Blackbirds

213 Fieldfares

6 Song Thrushes

150 Redwings

5 Mistle Thrushes

1 Blackcap

447 Starlings

2 Siskins

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)