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)