12 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 9.0°C: A short spell of rain early. Gradually clearing and sunny for a while. More cloud developing later. Moderate south-west breeze fell light during the clearance with light West breeze later. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:30 BST

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:30

(222nd visit of the year)

The excitement this morning was the arrival of another pair of Mute Swans and their five cygnets.

Bird notes:
- I counted at least 82 Canada Geese on the water. At the same time 15 were low to the East and I suspect they had just left. Many over the others also departed. I did not note any arriving back. At least 25 remained on the water.
- The main group of at least 20 Greylag Geese flew inbound while I was in a wooded area and unable to count them. Later a group of five followed. Then 14 more as I was about to leave.
- Unusually a group of 31 Wood Pigeons was on the grass behind the dam c.08:30. Later at least 70 exploded out of the Ricoh copse: no obvious reason. These numbers suggest some migrants have arrived.
- The battling Mute Swans were forcing the Great Crested Grebes to spend even more time underwater than usual. So the number of Great Crested Grebes is tentative.
- The vast majority of the early arrival of large gulls seemed to be adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls though I have left them as unidentified.
- Two Starlings left a reed bed roost. This seems very early but I suppose they have to sleep somewhere.

Birds noted flying over here:
- >39 Greylag Geese: inbound in three groups: see notes
- 4 Feral Pigeons: together
- 69 Wood Pigeons
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 9 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 27 Jackdaws
- 175 Rooks
- 3 Redwings
- 4 Starlings: two duos
- 4 Siskins

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: singing at the West end pre-dawn
- no Chiffchaffs seen or heard

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Starlings
- 9 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- >97 Canada Geese again: see notes
- *4 + 9 (2 broods) Mute Swans: another pair with five cygnets arrived: chaos ensued
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall yet again
- 13 (9♂) Mallard
- 12 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 199 Coots
- 10 Great Crested Grebes only
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls: I did not visit the football field
- *13 Herring Gulls
- *47 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 106 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *3 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- 1 midge sp.
- 1 black ant
- *2 Clubiona sp. spiders

Later:

Nothing noted

I did not expect this as it had only just stopped raining and seemed wall-to-wall cloud.

As noted a pair of Mute Swans and their five cygnets arrived. Here it is possible to make out three adults and nine cygnets.

Here are all four adults and all the cygnets.

 The resident adults were not happy. Here the resident cob is on the warpath.

With little effect.

The cygnets seemed quite happy to mingle. The new birds were slightly paler: I think they are the three on the left and the two on the right.

Not much else to see. Here an adult winter Herring Gull sits in front of an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull.

There were three of these November-type moths (Epirrita sp.).on different street lamp poles. One was in exactly the same position as it had been yesterday. This is the second...

...and this is the third.

This illustrates the distinctive body shape of Clubiona spiders. It is not possible to be more specific from photos. There were two of these on the same street lamp pole this morning.

Plane of the day skimming under the clouds. This is a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage with the appropriate registration 2-MLBU. If you cannot read that too clearly then you need to see the aircraft's owner – Specsavers Aviation Ltd.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:30

(214th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Greylag Geese seemed to have turned up here and stayed in view along the edge of the island.
- Two immature and one adult Great Crested Grebes were all I could find.
- A Pied Wagtail flew over. Meanwhile a Grey Wagtail was briefly in the roadway in Derwent Drive.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Rooks: together
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Noted on / around the water
- 16 Canada Geese
- >62 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (20♂) Mallard only
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 9 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens only
- 28 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles:
Nothing noted

Noted later:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

(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

1 Shoveler

1 Wigeon

2 Raven

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

4 Wigeon

12 Song Thrushes

Chiffchaff

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Bittern

Redwing

Siskin

1 Chiffchaff

53 Swans

Wigeon

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Tawny Owl

Stonechat

Common Gull

29 Redwings

27 Fieldfare

6 Siskins

1 Redpoll

3 Chiffchaffs

29 Greenfinches

4 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

9 Pochard

18 Lapwings

17 Meadow Pipits

36 Robins

24 Blackbirds

8 Song Thrushes

9 Redwings

2 Chiffchaffs

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)