8.0°C: Medium / high overcast. Almost calm. Good visibility: rather hazy.
Sunrise: 07:52 GMT
* = a photo from today.
The mild conditions provoked some song. Four Song Thrushes were heard singing around the lake with two more at The Flash. More unusually a Mistle Thrush was singing from the Ricoh copse near the lake and *it, or another, was singing along the East side of The Flash. This is perhaps my earliest-ever song from this species.
Priorslee Lake: 06:44 – 09:08
(242nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A male Pheasant called once from the north-east area pre-dawn.
- Light-levels were rather too low for an accurate Coot count and my total is likely understated.
- In with what seems to be a much smaller than usual (but uncounted) Magpies roost I heard what sounded like a Jackdaw calling from the same trees. I cannot recall noting Jackdaws roosting around the lake.
- Today I spent the early part of my visit along the North side. This accounts for the higher than usual number of Redwings logged leaving roosts; and also for the smaller number of Reed Buntings seen – they had likely mostly departed before I was near their roost site at the West end. I may also have been ill-positioned to see any Starling roost departure.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 20 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 7 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 32 Fieldfare: two groups
- 47 Redwings: four groups
- no Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: calls and song
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 1 Fieldfare
- 23 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings: see notes
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 6 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 (1) Common Teal
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 66 (>33♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail again
- 14 Moorhens
- 164 Coots at least: see notes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >130 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 small fly with dark wing-tips
- 1 springtail Dicyrtomina sp.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 unidentified spider
Noted later.
- Grey Squirrels
There are still a few of these small flies with dark wing-tips.
I am sure I ought to be able to identify this rather dramatic-looking spider.
One spider that is easy-enough to identify is this Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). The 'blunt-faced' look and the way the front two pairs of legs are held together provide the clues. Not all specimens have such a clear orange stripe down the abdomen.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:11 – 09:59
(235th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Two Goldcrests were chasing around in the Ivy bank which in the overcast conditions was devoid of any insects: not even a fly.
Birds noted flying over here:
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:11 – 09:59
(235th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Two Goldcrests were chasing around in the Ivy bank which in the overcast conditions was devoid of any insects: not even a fly.
Birds noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water
- 7 Canada Geese: four of these arrived
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 50 (31♂) Mallard
- no all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck) seen
- 18 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Heron
Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- *1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
Later around the Ivy bank:
- 7 Canada Geese: four of these arrived
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 50 (31♂) Mallard
- no all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck) seen
- 18 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Heron
Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- *1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
Later around the Ivy bank:
Nothing noted
High up on one of the street lamps in squirrel alley was this November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.). Only when I looked at the photo did I see the lurking stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
(Ed Wilson)
Sightings from previous years without links are below
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
2013
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
930+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
95 Herring Gulls
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Goldeneye
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
8 Redwings
151 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)
2005
Priorslee Lake
50+ Golden Plover
4 Pochard
39 Tufted Duck
1 duck Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
2 Little Grebes
200+ Coot
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
12 Redwing
5 Fieldfare
8 Siskin
5 Reed Bunting
(Martin R Adlam)