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
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)