31 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 13.0°C: Mild again. Clear early; cloud developing and one light shower. Moderate SSE breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:04 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:44 – 09:12

(236th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Of the c.935 Wood Pigeons noted flying over c.865 of these were in 13 groups all flying South or south-west. Small groups started c.08:00 with the first large party of c.250 at 08:15.
- The Starlings left the West end reeds in thirteen mainly small groups (c.30 birds) making counting somewhat easier. Much later a group of 31 flew over.
- Fewer Pied Wagtails flying over this morning most likely because of increased traffic noise.
- In addition to the eleven Reed Buntings seen leaving the West end roost I heard and then saw two birds leaving the vegetation on the dam face. Whether these were two of the roost birds? Or additional birds?

Birds noted flying over here:
- >935 Wood Pigeons: see notes
- 63 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 64 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 31 Starling: one group
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Mistle Thrush
- 7 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin again

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: noisy again

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake (also affected by poor visibility):
- >400 Starlings: see notes
- 3 Redwings
- 11 Reed Buntings: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 90 Canada Geese: at least
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 21 (13♂) Mallard
- 13 (>3♂) Tufted Duck: six of these unsexed birds flew off East 06:35
- 9 Moorhens again
- 207 Coots
- 9 Great Crested Grebes
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- *9 Herring Gulls
- *37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 63 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- *1 Cormorant: arrived; departed?
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived; departed?

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- 1 plumed midge
- *1 blackfly aphid
- *many small springtails, some possibly Dicyrtomidae globular springtails
- 1 Mitostoma chrysomelas harvestman

Later:

Nothing noted

The distant bank of cloud rolled in spoiling what looked to be a fine morning.

The two pairs of Gadwall went for a fly around together. Their pale bellies are evident here. Birds #1 and #4 are the ducks. The all dark bills of the drakes is just about discernible, especially on bird #2 where the white area on the upper wing is just about visible.

The two drakes are the middle birds here, both calling.

A very 'busy' background as they fly around but this does show how the white in the wing of both sexes can be seen at great distance. Here the drakes are the front two birds with an area of chestnut in front of that white and a paler tail pattern.

A first winter Herring Gull with some missing primaries on the right wing. At this date I doubt this bird is still in moult, especially as the left wing is complete. Perhaps been in a scrap and lost a few feathers. They should regrow even outside the normal moulting period.

Here an adult winter Herring Gull site between an adult winter and a first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Ghostly grey in comparison.

Compare that with the individual behind the adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull in this photo, The tone made me wonder about Yellow-legged Gull. But that species is normally very white headed and lacks the head streaking shown by this individual which therefore must be an argentatus race Herring Gull wintering from its Scandinavian breeding grounds.

This morning's Cormorant arriving. An immature with much white on the breast and the belly. It takes four to five years for all the white to be lost.

The relatively long wings on this small insect suggests it is a species of blackfly aphid.

Top left in this photo is what I believe to be one of the Dicyrtomidae globular springtails. If that is so then what is the even smaller creature trying to escape bottom right? It could be one of the female barkflies. But then again....

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:08

(229th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- None of the white feral/Greylag Geese noted.
- At least one of the cygnets was seen landing from looked as if had been a very successful flight. Another had already landed some distance behind it. The other two were with their parents partaking of proffered food. The parents do not seem interested in teaching them to fly.

Birds noted flying over here:
- c.150 Wood Pigeons: single large group
- 2 Jackdaws
- 6 Redwings

Noted on / around the water
- 29 Canada Geese: nine of these arrived together
- 33 Greylag Geese: 20 of these arrived together
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 45 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *14 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 52 (3♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Cormorants again
- 3 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) again

Noted later around the Ivy bank:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) again, So long as it not raining the wasps will be here.

A small group of Tufted Duck. The bird in the middle is obviously moulting to become a drake. The bill of the bird back right suggests it too will moult in to drake plumage though the flanks show little sign of doing so as yet. I would not like to be drawn on the sex of the other two.

Today's November Moth (Epirrita sp.). A particularly dark specimen photographed in dull light in the gloom of squirrel alley. Photo editor partly to the rescue!

(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

Candles Landfill Site

2nd winter Caspian Gull

8 Yellow-legged Gulls

Great Black-backed Gull

c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Tom Lowe)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Chiffchaff

Mistle Thrush

29 Fieldfares

32 Redwings

13 Siskins

3 Linnets

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Shoveler

5 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

2005

Trench Pool

2 Goosander

10 Shoveler

(John Isherwood)

30 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 14.0°C: Still mild. Low cloud beginning to lift with signs of clearance from the West. Light southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:02 GMT: clocks changed last night

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:52 – 08:40

(235th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Greylag Goose party was distance away at 06:50 when it was too dark to see more than the silhouettes of the calling birds. I was unable to see whether any of the mainly white feral birds were among them.
- One of the Mute Swan cygnets is definitely flying less strongly. They did two circuits of the lake and on the final legs of the second lap it was pattering across the water much of the time. It has previously 'cut the corners' so it did not have to fly so far.
- Three brownhead Goosanders circled low over the water once before carrying on West.
- A Water Rail called in the north-west area at 06:25. What was presumably the same bird called several times around 07:05. Nothing seen.
- After eventually managing to see 15 Great Crested Grebes on Friday I could find no more than eight today despite numerous sweeps of the water.
- A male Cetti's Warbler was very vocal and very mobile around the West end. I am fairly certain that a bird I heard calling was a different individual.
- I did not see any Rooks on roost dispersal flights. One distant group of c.160 Jackdaws was followed by, much later, two quartets.
- c.600 Starlings left the West end reeds in three large swirls at 07:00. 25 more followed about five minutes later. Then just three about ten minutes after that. Much later a lone bird flew over.
- As usual the number of Pied Wagtails flying over is somewhat suspect. These sound to be flying generally North but are too high to be seen. There could be fewer birds just flying around. Or, more likely, these are small groups on roost dispersal of which I hear only a few.
- Almost a rarity these days: three Chaffinches flew out of trees near the Teece Drive gate. Once the three males holding territory around the area stopped singing in July I have rarely seen or heard this species.

Birds noted flying over here:
- c.35 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 3 (0♂) Goosander
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 9 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 1 Common Buzzard
- >160 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 5 Fieldfare: together
- >14 Pied Wagtails: see notes
- 1 Siskin

Warblers noted:
- 1 or 2 Cetti's Warblers: see notes

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake (also affected by poor visibility):
- >600 Starlings: see notes
- 4 Reed Buntings: more heard

Counts from the lake area:
- 98 Canada Geese: at least
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 6 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail
- 9 Moorhens
- 202 Coots
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- c.250 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 45 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed after less than five minutes
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived and departed

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *2 flies of different species
- *1 Common Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum)
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 Mitostoma chrysomelas harvestman

Later:

Nothing noted

One of the fly species I see less often around the lamps. This one is sitting with its wings apart: perhaps this species always does. It is robust-enough and hairy-enough to be a Muscid fly. I think the tint on the wings is an effect of the camera flash rather than a feature.

This may be another individual of the fly I have provisionally identified as a Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). I cannot be certain whether the visible marks are on the abdomen or are shadows of the marks on the wings. Looking at the wing tip then those marks seem to match the marks at the tip of the abdomen which suggests they are shadows.

Just over half the size of the usual Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber) is this Common Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum).

Not much to show on another very dull morning so here is a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:42 – 09:46

(228th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No Greylag Geese. I was told that last week when the three mainly white geese arrived within a party of Greylags the usual group of Greylags already inside the island seemed to be very upset as if objecting to newcomers on their safe territory.
- The fishermen reported that c.40 Goosanders had flown off soon after dawn.
- An unusual sighting was 10, possibly 12, Collared Doves flushed from the ground near the Wordsworth Way junction. Two pairs usually breed in the area but outside breeding season I do not always see any and if I do it is only one or two.
- One Kingfisher was seen flying around the island. The other flew up the Wesley Brook as I was walking down squirrel alley. The fishermen reported seeing three together yesterday.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Stock Dove
- c.25 Wood Pigeons: together; non-local birds
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- c.15 Siskins

Noted on / around the water
- 20 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 13 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: see notes
- 12 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Kingfishers

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Noted later around the Ivy bank:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

(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

2010

Priorslee Lake

10 Swans

c.60 Golden Plover

c.200 Starlings left a roost in the reeds at the W end

763 Wood Pigeons

3 Sky Larks

7 Meadow Pipits

165 Fieldfare

9 Redwings

4 Siskins

3 Linnets

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

8 Wigeon

20 Pochard

(John Isherwood)

The Flash

1 Goosander

1 Teal

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

100 Jackdaw

130 Rooks

1 Buzzard

Kestrel

c.60 Golden Plover

(Martin Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake

450 to 500 Starlings left the roost

11 Pochard

47 Tufted Duck

Pair of Ruddy Duck

200+ Coot

1 Dunlin

104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

100 Black-headed Gulls

Kingfisher

A Buzzard was seen feeding on earthworms and possibly beetles

2000+ Wood Pigeon

62 Redwing

54 Fieldfare

3 Song Thrushes

(Martin Adlam)

29 Oct 22

No Sightings in today.

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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

7 Gadwall

1 Teal

1 Raven

(John Isherwood)

The Flash

Location

1 Pochard

1 Teal

(John Isherwood)

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Yellow legged Gull

2 Gadwall

1 Shoveler

1 Wigeon

Chiffchaff

10+ Fieldfare

Siskin

Willow Tit

(John Isherwood)

The Flash

Location

3 Pochard

Sparrowhawk

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

34 Pochard a high count 

500+  Lesser Black-backed Gulls

432 Jackdaws

228 Rooks

171 Fieldfare

5 Redwings

2 Siskins

4 Linnets

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

115 Canada Geese

9 Pochard

52 Tufted Ducks

1 Kestrel

c.200 Golden Plover

23 Pied Wagtails

17 Robins

18 Blackbirds

12 Song Thrushes

70 Redwing

1 Mistle Thrush

9 Fieldfare

1 Chiffchaff

1 Blackcap

1 Willow Tit

195 Jackdaws

206 Rooks

31 Greenfinches

4 Redpoll

10 Reed Buntings

(Martin Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Buzzard feeding on earthworms, mobbed by Black-headed Gulls

1 Raven

7 Pied Wagtails

3 Grey Wagtail

11 Meadow Pipits

Kingfisher

1700+ Wood Pigeon

192 Redwing

111 Fieldfare

(Martin Adlam)

28 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C: Mild again. Clearing after earlier heavy rain. A light shower. Moderate / fresh westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:58 BST]

No photos today.

A rain-delayed short visit.

Priorslee Lake: 10:20 – 10:50

(234th visit of the year)

Only viewing from the dam-top again.

Bird notes:
- on about my fifth sweep to try and finally determine whether there were 11 or 12 Great Crested Grebes I located 15!

Birds noted flying over here:
- 10 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 78 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 223 Coots
- 15 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:15

(227th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was informed that the three mainly white feral geese have been around for about a week and are often flying with the Greylag Geese.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 4 Jackdaws
- 2 Starlings
- 4 Redwings
- 1 Chaffinch
- 2 Siskins

Noted on / around the water
- 22 Canada Geese
- >23 Greylag Geese again: more inside the island
- 3 mainly white feral geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 14 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 45 (3♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 17 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants again
- 3 Grey Herons

On / around the street lamp poles:
Nothing noted

Noted later around the Ivy bank:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

(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

2010

Priorslee Lake

c.75 Starlings left roost at W end

118 Wood Pigeons

2 Skylarks

7 Meadow Pipits

478 Fieldfare

76 Redwings

9 Siskins

13 Linnets

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

2 Cormorants

26 Pochard

47 Tufted Ducks

1 drake Ruddy Duck

1 Water Rail

64 Coots

35 Fieldfares

3 Song Thrushes

24 Redwings

4 Mistle Thrushes

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebes

Wigeon

Cormorant

300 Black-headed Gulls

40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.75 Lapwings

2 Fieldfares

1 duck Pochard

34 Tufted Duck

200 Coot

(Ed Wilson)

27 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 16.0°C: Very mild again. Cloud beginning to break after earlier rain. Moderate / fresh southerly breeze. Good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:57 BST]

* = a photo from today.

A much later visit than usual to avoid the rain and the low light levels of the morning.

Priorslee Lake: 14:30 – 14:55

(233rd visit of the year)

A feedback from yesterday: the first of the two planthoppers has been re-identified by the Shropshire Bug Recorder as Eupteryx urticae and not E. florida as I had thought. The second is confirmed as Ribautiana tenerrima. Thanks to Keith.

Only viewing from the dam-top this afternoon. Nothing of note and indeed fewer of many species. The gull count was an 'instant' count with a few coming and going throughout my rather short visit.

Birds noted flying over here:
- c.35 Starlings flew SW

Counts from the lake area:
- 57 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- no Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 226 Coots
- 12 Great Crested Grebes again
- 48 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 13:20 – 14:25

(226th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- So where have the three strange geese come from? As far as I could see they were unringed.
- Three of the brownhead Goosanders were seen sitting just inside the island. There were possibly more.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Herring Gulls

Noted on / around the water
- 17 Canada Geese
- >23 Greylag Geese: more inside the island
- 3 mainly white feral geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 17 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 42 (3♂) Goosander: at least, see notes
- 11 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons again

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Noted later around the Ivy bank:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax).

So where have these three mostly white and presumable feral geese come from. They were all on the island and happy to be with the Greylag Geese as evidenced by the two on the right. None of these three seems to be ringed as they might be if they were from a wildfowl collection.

The bird on the left is very similar to a genuine wild white form of Snow Goose: perhaps the bill is a bit too large. Although a few genuine Snow Geese records are noted every year, these are mostly associated with other wild migrant geese and not 'resident' birds, like these Greylag Geese. That said over the years I have recorded at least three species of wild goose spending a few days hanging out with our residents.

This one looks a bit more like a hybrid escapee, the bill being rather too large and too red for any wild goose and the grey in the plumage would only match a first-year bird which should have a dark bill.

And the third bird looking more like a white Swan Goose but again the bill is too large and too red.

A duck Mallard spreads her wings showing the white-bordered blue area in each wing. This area present in most dabbling ducks (and hence not in Tufted Ducks which are diving ducks) is known as the speculum.

This shows how pale the underwing is.

This Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) was on the bank of Ivy near the academy.

Plane of the day: this is a Boeing 787 900 series Dreamliner of All Nippon Airways coming to the end of a 13 hour haul from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Heathrow. This and the similar Japan Airlines flight are recent additions to the local airspace as they now take a Polar route whilst boycotting Russian airspace following the Ukraine invasion. This is not associated with any threat from the war itself: the sanctions against Russia include not making the internationally agreed payments which would arise from using its controlled airspace.

This usual Flight Radar 24 data for the flight.

(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

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull

1000+ large gulls

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Great Black-backed Gull

11 Golden Plover

2 Kingfishers

16 Reed Buntings

5 Sky Larks

8 Meadow Pipits

71 Redwings

457 Fieldfare

31 Siskins

1 Linnet

4 Redpolls

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

40 Tufted Duck

16 Pochard

2 Ruddy Duck

Common Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Kingfisher

2 Goldcrest

42 Fieldfare

Willow Tit

14 Long-tailed Tits

(Martin Adlam)

26 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 16.0°C: Very mild. Early cloud with sprinkles of rain gave way to clearer skies after 09:00. Moderate / fresh southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:55 BST

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:15

(232nd visit of the year)

As happens at this time of year fireworks had been discharged from the dam-top area last evening and may help explain the slight drop in duck numbers.

Bird notes:
- A real bumper bundle of Black-headed Gulls with 12 large parties arriving fast and low from the West, the largest I estimated to contain 300 birds. There were small numbers later which I have assumed to be returning birds. Very few of the early arrivals stayed any length of time.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 12 Canada Geese; inbound together
- 20 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 67 Wood Pigeons: of these 36 flew high South in two groups (migrants?)
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 18 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- c.250 Jackdaws
- 13 Rooks only
- 2 Redwings
- 8 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: singing in north-west area at dawn

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake (also affected by poor visibility):
- 2 Redwings at least
- Reed Buntings heard only: dull and windy

Counts from the lake area:
- 102 Canada Geese: many of these departed later
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 23 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 229 Coots again
- 12 Great Crested Grebes
- c.800 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 108 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived separately a few minutes apart; departed together after c.15 minutes

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn

Another miscellaneous collection.

- *1 small flies, possibly Meiosimyza decempunctata
- *1 Phaonia pallida (orange Muscid fly)
- *1 larger orange fly
- *1 male Tipula pagana cranefly
- *2 leafhoppers, perhaps Eupteryx florida and Ribautiana tenerrima
- *1 Dicyrtomidae globular springtail
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Mitostoma chrysomelas harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Three that got away:
- 1 small moths that refused to settle for more than a split second: probably a Tortrix species.
- 2 spiders on different lamps that dropped to the ground as soon as they were caught in the beam of my torch.

Noted later:

Nothing

Between the early showery outbreaks there were a few breaks giving some colour to the sunrise.

At the time I thought I had managed to photo one of the male Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) flies and confirm the stripes on the abdomen. However ... looking critically at the photo enlarged on the computer screen I think these marks are in the wings. Also the dark area at each wing tip seems to be two distinct almost touching marks rather than a single dark area. I think it may be Meiosimyza decempunctata (decempunctata = 10 spots, five on each wing).

A 'regular' orange fly on the lamp poles that I believe to be Phaonia pallida, a Muscid fly.

Here is the larger of the mainly orange flies I noted. I do not recognise this as a 'regular' on the lamp poles.

I have no real idea about this presumed fly other than to note that flies with small black eyes are not what I usually find.

This I believe to be a male Tipula pagana cranefly. Unlike the female I photographed yesterday he is full-winged even if this one has lost one of its legs.

A planthopper. I think it is Eupteryx florida though there are several similar species.

Another planthopper. I think this one is Ribautiana tenerrima, associated with brambles.

A very different springtail from the recent Pogonognathellus-types. This is less than half the size and likely to be one of the Dicyrtomidae globular springtails. I am unlikely to be able to get enough detail with my camera to be able to identify these to species-level.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:30

(225th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I counted 30 Goosander (two ♂♂) at the top end. These all took off in two groups and at least some seemed to be leaving – I did not have a clear view between the trees. When I could next view most of the water there were 45 (two ♂♂) present. So did any of the earlier birds I saw in flight actually leave?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Starlings
- 1 Redwing

Noted on / around the water
- 15 Canada Geese
- 34 Greylag Geese: these all flew in: probably more were already inside the island
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 41 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *16 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- *45 (2♂) Goosander: at least, see notes
- 13 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Noted later around the Ivy bank:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)

Nine Goosanders (and if you look carefully one distant Wood Pigeon) in flight showing the slender long-necked outline of this species. At the time I thought these birds were leaving, and they may have been. Later there were still plenty on the water.

There were two obvious drake Goosanders today. Two brownheads in the background.

A very shaggy hair-do on this brownhead swimming with its tail flat on the water making it look unusually elongated.

A quintet passing.

Two going 'the other way' with the wind causing a slight bad-hair day on the closer bird. Note on the more distant bird there is a white streak between the base of the bill and the eye. This suggests it is a first winter bird of, at this date, indeterminate sex.

Spot the interloper! An immature drake Tufted Duck in amongst the ten brownhead Goosanders.

Plane of the day. This is one of Aer Lingus' most recent acquisitions. It is and Airbus A320neo (neo = new engine option, now irrelevant as you cannot buy a new ceo = current engine option variant). This is one of two originally ordered by Russian airline Smartavia and not delivered due to sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both were snapped up, no doubt at a discount, by Ireland's Aer Lingus.

Here is the data of the 54 minute hop from Dublin to Heathrow taken from the Flight Radar 24 app. shortly after I took the photo.

(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

2011

Priorslee Lake

17 Tufted Ducks

c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Mike Cooper)

2005

Priorslee Lake

16 Pochard

41 Tufted Duck

212 Coot

778 Fieldfare

199 Redwings

800 Wood Pigeons

Chiffchaff

Possible Firecrest

3 Siskin

18 Redpoll

275 Starlings

(Ed Wilson)

25 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 12.0°C: Another mixture. Clear when I arrived with some low-level mist rolling off the football field. By 06:45 this replaced by thin low cloud which gradually descended until by 07:15 it was very misty as well. After 08:15 the cloud began to lift with a few breaks. Calm early with a light south-east breeze picking up. Very good visibility became poor for a while, then good if somewhat hazy.

Sunrise: 07:53 BST

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:30

(231st visit of the year)

All counts from here more or less affected by the low cloud, mist and resultant low light-levels.

Undoubted highlight of the morning was a Water Rail that flushed out of the vegetation on the north-east shore as I was trying to see whether the loudly singing Cetti's Warbler would pop out of the reeds and sedges in which it was hiding. I had thought that Water Rail was probably no longer possible here with the increased disturbance. My 2022 bird species total for here moves on to 101.

Also worth special mention was the first Pochard of the winter: though that species was present in the early part of the year.

Other bird notes:
- I suspect more than the 74 Canada Geese were present early because I was unable to see what was at the far end. Many birds departed and when the visibility improved to allow a complete count there were just 38 remaining.
- When a small party of presumed resident Mallard flew back in from the East a (the?) duck Common Teal was with them.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 16 Canada Geese; inbound together
- 77 Greylag Geese: 11 flew outbound together; 66 flew inbound together
- no gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 20 Jackdaws only
- 3 Rooks only
- 1 Skylark
- 9 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: in north-west area at dawn then singing loudly in north-east area later

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake (also affected by poor visibility):
- no Starlings
- Redwings heard only
- 4 Reed Buntings only: more calling

Counts from the lake area:
- >74 Canada Geese: see notes
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Common Teal
- *1 (?♂) Pochard
- 27 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail
- 10 Moorhens
- 218 Coots again
- 11 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn

Another miscellaneous collection:

- *6 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- *7 small flies, possibly Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
- *1 Tipula pagana cranefly
- 1 plumed midge sp.
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus-type
- *1 Mitostoma chrysomelas harvestman

Noted later:

Nothing

Mute Swans making one of today's sorties. The adults with orange bills flank two of the cygnets in this view. The cob (male) is on the left of the photo with the larger black bulge at base of his brighter bill.

All four cygnets with the pen (female). I have never noticed how 'white-faced' they look at this age.

I am not sure I can age or sex this Pochard. It was sitting in deep shade so getting any decent photo was difficult. The pale flanks extending on to the back suggest it is a drake. The extensive pale behind the bill and running back from the eye suggests a duck or perhaps a first winter bird. Recently drakes have typically well-outnumbered ducks so my best suggestion would be a first winter drake.

One of those pesky November-type moths. I am showing this one because for once it was not fifteen or more feet up a street lamp pole but at head-height allowing for a photo with (ahem!) more detail.

These two November-type moths were upside down on the horizontal fitting of one of the street lamps. They would not be 'grounded' so the fact they cannot read the warning about electrocution matter little.

This is frustrating. There were six of these small flies with black wing tips on various street lamp poles this morning and one similar-looking fly with plain wings. A thorough search of the NatureSpot web site for the flies shown led me to Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) as being a species where the female (and a few males) have plain wings. The photos on that site are rather small: but then so is the fly as the spots of dew alongside it illustrates! A search on the web was rather inconclusive as it showed mounted dead specimens that allowed a banded abdomen to be seen. My photos, with the wings covering the abdomen, are therefore rather inconclusive. If correct it is an invasive species of fruit fly from Asia and a major pest of soft fruit. Not sure where the soft fruit is around here: blackberries perhaps.

Craneflies are rarely easy to identify but this female Tipula pagana, dusted in dew, is an exception. It is the only species where the female has very short wings and is flightless. The ovipositor confirms it as a female.

This is perplexing. It is a Mitostoma chrysomelas harvestman. Whenever I see it, which is not every morning, it is in more or less the same place half way up the same street lamp pole. I have never been able to find it after daybreak. It seems a long way for this tiny harvestman to climb.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:40

(224th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All four Mute Swan cygnets were present and correct.
- Yesterday's Eurasian Wigeon seems to have gone.
- One pair of Mallard was seen mating.
- Another bumper count of Goosanders.
- Only one Great Crested Grebe was located and that was lurking under overhanging vegetation. Were others there as well?
- A bird I do not see too often here is Great Spotted Woodpecker. One was calling from trees on the island.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water
- 21 Canada Geese
- 36 Greylag Geese: more uncounted inside island
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 49 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 18 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- *39 (1♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants again
- *2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 2 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- *1 Tipula pagana cranefly

Noted later around the Ivy bank:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Noted elsewhere:
- Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Stab! This Grey Heron is grabbing at something. One of the herons here is becoming very bold, as here, fishing right alongside the footbridges. At other times it stands on a handrail of a footbridge and dares people and dogs to come closer, only flying away at the last minute.

It caught something but it was too quick swallowing it for me to see what it was.

The Goosanders were unusually bold this morning. Normally I find they melt away as I approach and are always at the other end of the water. Here is one of the 38 (gulp) brownheads.

Another. A brief sunny moment improved the contrast on this individual.

And another.

Two together. The literature is not at all clear about separating ducks from immatures. The front bird has the crest of an adult duck. The back bird has a cleaner demarcation on the neck and a head-shape more reminiscent of a drake so perhaps it is a first winter drake.

In the foreground is a proper drake though the bottle-green head that it will acquire in full breeding condition is still rather sullied brown in places.

A quintet of brownheads. Nothing should be read in to the different tones to their heads: it very much depends upon how they are catching the light.

Not so easy to see as the one at the lake but another female Tipula pagana. Strangely I cannot recall ever having seen the short-winged female of this species previously.

(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

2010

Priorslee Lake

Little Grebe

5 Lapwings

1487 Fieldfare logged, mostly flying W. 7 of the flocks estimated at between 110 and 130 birds

25 Redwings

Raven

56 Goldfinch

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

62 Swans

5 Wigeon

14 Pochard

22 Tufted Ducks

231 Coots

Great Black-backed Gull

3 Buzzards

1 Kestrel

27 Redwings

Chiffchaff

c.250 Starlings

8 Siskins

c.15 Goldfinches

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Cormorant

25 Pochard

72 Tufted Ducks

1 Kestrel

1 Kingfisher

20 Robins

17 Blackbirds

15 Song Thrushes

59 Redwing

3 Mistle Thrushes

1 Chiffchaff

1 Blackcap

5 Goldcrests

(Martin Adlam)