4.0°C > 6.0°C: Overnight rain clearing away to far E. Mostly clear with a few puffy clouds later. Started with light W wind, increasing fresh. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:02 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:30 – 09:20
(279th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- One Mute Swan again. Apparently finally got lonely and flew off E at 08:00.
- The usual five Gadwall (three drakes) at the E end. Later a pair at the W end: another? one of the others relocated?
- c.100 Golden Plover were seen in typical formation flying N to E at 07:40. Then while I was checking over-flying gulls at 09:05 I noted 34 Goldies flying high W overhead – not visible to the naked eye.
- Very different behaviour by the gulls this morning. At 07:00 there were just c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the water. Only c.100 Black-headed Gulls flew in. Very many more large gulls both arrived (>135) and flew in a steady stream of birds SW (>435). The vast majority of these were Lesser Black-backed Gulls and very, very few of these were not adults.
- A Cetti's Warbler sang in the extreme NE area at the same time as another was calling along the N side. So there are two birds.
Overhead:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 86 Wood Pigeons: 58 of these flew low E in two groups
- >130 Golden Plover: see notes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Herring Gulls
- >435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 142 Jackdaws
- 3 Starlings: together
- 5 Redwing: two groups
- 3 Pied Wagtails only heard
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 6 Siskin
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 1 Starling
- 5 Redwings
Warblers noted:
- 2 Cetti's Warblers: see notes
Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Mute Swan: flew off
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall: see notes
- no Mallard unusually
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 25 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens again
- 43 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gulls
- >155 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn after another wet night:
Moths:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)
Also two moths I am still mulling over
Spiders or Harvestman:
None
Later:
This rather unmarked moth is a Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria). The dark spot in the wing is just about the only marking visible. Because of the base colour I did think about a poorly marked Scarce Umber but the forewing of that species is not as straight-edged as shown here.
Nothing noted
The Mute Swan leaving.
This small moth with well-rounded wing-tips is clearly a Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata).
And pondering this one also. Even larger. My best guess is that it is a rather late November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.). Had I seen it a month ago I would have had no hesitation in so naming it.
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30
(255th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Unusual these days to see so many geese. All the 55 arrivals came in together. The two Greylag Geese were buried in separate groups of Canadas rather than together.
- The Teal today were hiding in the top corner. I briefly saw the strange duck but thereafter it stayed hidden and only the two drakes were visible. Feedback suggests that this 'strange bird' is a first-winter drake slow to moult in to adult plumage. I will continue to try and get some better photos.
- After yesterday's glut of Moorhens a low number today. Too many dog-walkers at the weekend?
- The passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen earlier of the lake continued for only a short while after I arrived.
- A Great Tit was heard in song. Spring already? I fear not.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 2 Siskins
On /around the water:
- 60 Canada Geese: 53 of these flew in together
- 2 Greylag Geese: flew in with Canadas
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Teal
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 48 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 21 (14♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens: only
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 73 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults: both departed
- 2 Grey Herons
On / around street lamps:
- 1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)
Around the Ivy:
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): eventually found amongst...
- c.25 flies of at least three species.
Otherwise:
- A Grey Squirrel on the island.
Bird notes:
- Unusual these days to see so many geese. All the 55 arrivals came in together. The two Greylag Geese were buried in separate groups of Canadas rather than together.
- The Teal today were hiding in the top corner. I briefly saw the strange duck but thereafter it stayed hidden and only the two drakes were visible. Feedback suggests that this 'strange bird' is a first-winter drake slow to moult in to adult plumage. I will continue to try and get some better photos.
- After yesterday's glut of Moorhens a low number today. Too many dog-walkers at the weekend?
- The passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen earlier of the lake continued for only a short while after I arrived.
- A Great Tit was heard in song. Spring already? I fear not.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 2 Siskins
On /around the water:
- 60 Canada Geese: 53 of these flew in together
- 2 Greylag Geese: flew in with Canadas
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Teal
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 48 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 21 (14♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens: only
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 73 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults: both departed
- 2 Grey Herons
On / around street lamps:
- 1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)
Around the Ivy:
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): eventually found amongst...
- c.25 flies of at least three species.
Otherwise:
- A Grey Squirrel on the island.
The Teal were hiding away this morning. Here is one of the drakes that put in a brief appearance.
One of the local Common Buzzard's catches the low winter sun.
No mistaking this well-marked Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria).
It took a while but I managed to find just one Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) on the Ivy.
(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
3 Gadwall
9 Pochard
20 Tufted Ducks
1 (1) Goosander
155 Coots
28 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
14 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
c.368 Jackdaws
97 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorant
33 Mute Swans
Water Rail
13 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks
274 Coots
1000 Black-headed Gulls
2000 Lesser Black-backs
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Great Black-backed
5 Redwings
2 Willow Tit
c.325 Jackdaws
20 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
15 Pochard
45 Tufted Ducks
1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck
2 Sparrowhawks
2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>700 Black-headed Gulls
324 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
649 Wood Pigeons
25 Robins
22 Blackbirds
16 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
6 Redwings
322 Jackdaws
224 Rooks
2 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
140 Golden Plover
8 Cormorants
900 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
13 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
2 Little Grebes
225 Coot
371 Jackdaws
313 Rooks
6 Redwings
32 Fieldfares.
8 Reed Buntings
19 Robins
30 Blackbirds
16 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)