21 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 13.0°C: A real mixture. Early broken cloud after overnight heavy rain in calm conditions. Soon replaced by low cloud (lifted local mist) until c.08:30. Increasing south-east breeze and breaks in the cloud to the East for a while before light showery rain developed. Mostly very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:46 BST

* = a photo from today.

A typically very busy Autumn morning with birds on the move all the while.

Priorslee Lake: 06:21 – 09:32

(229th visit of the year)

Amazingly a Lesser Redpoll that flew over was my first record of this species, and my 100th bird species, here this year.

A big day for the Cetti's Warbler. It is one year to the day since I first heard a bird calling along the North side. Since then I have heard a bird calling and / or singing most days. During late winter I saw two birds on several occasions. I never had any indication of breeding, successful or otherwise, even though one was singing throughout. Previous records of this species overwintering in 2015/2016 and in Autumn 2020 were much short-lived visits.

Other bird notes:
- After four Canada Geese had flown in I counted 93 on the lake. Then seven more arrived; 15 departed; a single arrived; 30 arrived together. All very confusing!
- Two Eurasian Wigeon were seen once in the middle of the lake. I did not see them arrive or depart.
- The duck Common Teal was noted again. I probably overlooked it yesterday.
- Redwings were heard calling almost continuously when it was too dark to see them. Later 45 were noted flying over in three groups.
- Reed Buntings were calling in their roost again. I never saw any sign of them leaving.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 135 Greylag Geese: 35 outbound in three groups; 100, exactly, inbound in five groups
- 52 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 94 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 152 Jackdaws
- 218 Rooks
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Sky Larks
- >45 Redwings: see notes
- 8 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 5 Siskins

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: singing at the West end pre-dawn again

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.70 Starlings
- >10 Redwings
- no Reed Buntings: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- *c.120 Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall again
- *2 (1?♂) Eurasian Wigeon: see notes
- *1 (0♂) Common Teal
- *16 (11♂) Mallard
- 25 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- *210 Coots
- 11 Great Crested Grebes
- c.90 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Herring Gulls
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *85 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 113 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- *2 Cormorants: arrived together; one departed
- 1 Grey Heron: briefly
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn

Another miscellaneous collection.

- 3 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- several unidentified flies of different species
- several unidentified gnats and midges of different species
- *1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- *2 Pogonognathellus-type springtails
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- *1 spider sp., perhaps a Common Fox-spider (Alopecosa pulverulenta)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Noted later:

Nothing

The sunrise did look promising. This is a one second exposure just as it was beginning to get light.

In the event this was as good as it got with low cloud soon obliterating the sunrise – and the sun for a while.

 There are 30 Canada Geese here if you look carefully.

A grab-shot of the duck Common Teal repositioning.

And settled on the water.

A pair of Mallard arrive. Note the different tail pattern between the sexes.

Not all the Coots are at peace. Here is one chasing after another that came too close. I saw one bird taking material to a nest site. Early or late?

A first winter Yellow-legged Gull showing the diagnostic limited pale inner primaries (absent on Lesser Black-backed Gulls and more extensive on Herring Gulls at this age); and the barring on the upper tail (cleaner on Lesser Black-backed Gull).

A first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull comes in for a drink. To my surprise the two Eurasian Wigeon that I only found on one search of the lake appear as background to this shot, the left-hand bird obviously a drake.

A first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull posing on a buoy.

For comparison a second winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. The plumage is 'smoother' than the first winter.

An exceptionally pale adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. I ruled out Herring Gull on the basis of the wide white trailing edge to the secondaries and the yellow legs. The head-streaking is too strong for a Yellow-legged Gull. I wish I had a better photo of the gull at the bottom right. Its weak bill and dark eye suggest it might be a first-winter Common Gull but that should show a wide dark band on the tail that this seems to lack.

This is a more typical adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull though it may not quite be a full adult. There is some black on the lower mandible. Also the bird is still moulting with two short outer secondaries. The two outer primaries are still to be replaced and the primary next to them is still regrowing.

A rather gruesome sight is this tail-less adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull with blood where its tail should be. The dusky trailing edge to the whole underwing identify the species with the yellow legs as a supplementary characteristic.

And well might it complain!

Two Cormorants arrived together. Only this one departed. An immature with pale on the belly.

I think another of the winter cranefly group but which I cannot say more.

What I believe to be a Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea) acquiring its brown winter colouration. No point being bright green in winter and getting eaten!

Another five-legged Pogonognathellus-type springtail. The antennae perhaps too short for P. longicornis.

A White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger) looking almost snake-like, albeit rather small.

The spider and the fly! It would seem unusual to see these so close together. The spider, with its eight eyes, must be able to see the fly. Likewise the fly with its compound eyes must be aware of the spider. I think the spider is one of the group known as wolf spiders and may be a Common Fox-spider (Alopecosa pulverulenta). The fly looks to be one of the Muscid group.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:31

(221st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I only noted three of the four cygnets. These three were tucked up on the island: the other was quite probably further inside the island.
- Just one duck Common Teal seen.
- So where were all the Moorhens hiding? And why?
- I have logged all the Redwings as fly-overs. Some of them seemed to emerge from local gardens (after raiding the berries?).

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Jackdaws
- 52 Redwings

Noted on / around the water
- 17 Canada Geese: one of these departed
- 36 Greylag Geese: more inside island?
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 1 (0♂) Common Teal
- 7 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- *8 (0♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens only
- 26 Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes: one adult
- 11 Black-headed Gulls again
- 6 Cormorants yet again
- 2 Grey Herons

On / around the street lamp poles:

Nothing noted

Noted later:
- Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
- *yet another fungus, probably Tawny Funnel (Lepista flaccida)

There were eight 'brownhead' Goosanders today, so-called because immatures and ducks are not readily separable at this date.

One having a scratch. Unexpectedly large and colourful feet!

An immature Great Crested Grebe with remnants of its juvenile head-stripes swims in parallel to a winter plumed adult that has moulted most of last year's head plumes.

A large clump of fungus I noticed in squirrel alley this morning. Did I really walk past them yesterday (and the day before)? Or have they really sprung up overnight?

And a view of the stems and undersides. This species certainly has a collar around the stem. I think it is most likely Tawny Funnel (Lepista flaccida).

(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
14 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull, though it could have been Mew/Ring-billed Gull!
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper/Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
42 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
8 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
30 Robins
(Ed Wilson)