15 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 12.0°C: Clear early after overnight showers. Another shower at 07:45. Then clear again. Light wind after shower with moderate south-west breeze later. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:35 BST

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:15

(225th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All the Canada Geese seemed to stay throughout with two more flying in.
- A duck Common Teal was noted again. Did I overlook it yesterday?
- The Tufted Duck did a lot of flying around and it was hard to keep track of them as they mingled amongst the geese.
- When I arrived at least 100 mainly Black-headed Gulls were circling around and around. More large gulls joined them. None seemed to settle on the water, the Black-headed Gulls heading towards the football field and the larger gulls all flying off South. The Black-headed Gulls returned with others later.
- A large group of at least 80 large gulls flew South to the far East.
- Unexpectedly a Chiffchaff was singing strongly along the North side, albeit briefly. Much later it, or probably another, was heard calling near the Teece Drive gate. It in my experience it is most unusual for Chiffchaffs to sing after very early October. By this date they have usually stopped calling as well. A warm sunny day in February would be the next time I would expect to hear song from this species.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 72 Greylag Geese: eight outbound together; 64 inbound together
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 142 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn: see notes
- 127 Jackdaws
- 209 Rooks
- 8 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin yet again

Warblers noted:
- No Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs: see notes

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Reed Buntings: too little contrast against the clouds to see them at the time they would probably have been leaving the roost.

Counts from the lake area:
- *98 Canada Geese: of these two arrived; none apparently departed
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- *1 (0♂) Common Teal
- 18 (>5♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 211 Coots
- 11 Great Crested Grebes
- >150 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn

Dew on the lamp poles seemed to have reduced the numbers

- 2 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- *1 Yellow Swarming Fly (Thaumatomyia notata)
- *3 other different species of small fly
- *3 different species of spider

Noted later:
- *Shaggy Inkcap fungus (Coprinus comatus)

The Harvest Moon is on the wane.

A very contrasting sunrise with some cloud arriving from the West, behind me. Lots of Canada Geese are visible on the water.

As the cloud arrived a short spell of colour with the Mute Swan and their four cygnets providing a suitable foreground.

The duck Common Teal was evident again today. In this view the short white flash along the side of the tail is evident. This is often visible at long range.

It is some weeks since I last noted one of these Yellow Swarming Flies (Thaumatomyia notata).

Perhaps my best photo so far of this very small fly with the dark wing-tips.

I have surmised that this might be a female of the same species, lacking the dark wing-tips but otherwise similar.

Many of these Shaggy Inkcap fungi (Coprinus comatus) were noted today. I did some 'gardening' to show the whole fruiting body.

Here are two new fruits pushing up.

The lifespan of the fruits is very short. This is what they look like after one day.

This is probably two days old.

There were two of this species of spider on the street lamps this morning. This one is a male, evident by the 'boxing glove' palps.

Another species of spider was this small and rather long-legged spider. Again I cannot identify the species.

Not my best photos of a tiny spider on one of the street lamps. Yet another unidentified species.

Plane of the day. This 1993-build Airbus A300B4 has had a very colourful history. It was delivered as a passenger aircraft, spending its first four years with Garuda Indonesia before eight years with China Airlines. After just four months with Air Paradise International back in Indonesia it moved to Onur Air of Turkey who leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines for the 2007 Hadj pilgrimage. It was then converted to a freighter and then spent four years with Air Macau. After two years in storage it was acquired by its current operators ASL Airlines Ireland (known as Air Contractors at that time) who operate it on behalf of parcel operator DHL in whose livery it is painted.

And here is its current activity courtesy of Flight Radar 24.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:20

(216th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Nothing of particular interest.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Noted on / around the water
- 16 Canada Geese
- 25 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 7 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens only
- 27 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: adult and two immatures
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants again
- *1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles:
Nothing noted

Noted later:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Bizarre. This Grey Heron was being harassed by several Black-headed Gulls.

Another unusual view of the Grey Heron.

Regaining its composure in this view.

Still complaining though.

The bank of Ivy near the academy is an important nectar source at this time of year and it is home to many insects when the sun is out. There were two Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) this morning.

(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

Nedge Hill

2 Fieldfare

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

2 Common Gulls

Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

12 Pochard

87 Tufted Ducks

1 Kingfisher

23 Pied Wagtails

32 Robins

12 Blackbirds

8 Song Thrushes

11 Redwings

c.130 Starlings

(Ed Wilson)