29 Oct 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 10.0°C: Some thin high, otherwise clear start. Patchy very low cloud for a while. Light south-south-easterly breeze. Mostly good visibility but poor for a short while when cloud descended.

Sunrise: 07:01 GMT

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 08:50

(223rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Mute Swan cygnets took themselves for a flight down the length of the lake.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- *2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- c.955 Wood Pigeons: of these c.880 in 15 migrant flocks heading South
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 79 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 63 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 5 Starlings: two singles and a trio
- 8 Fieldfare: together
- 1 Redwing
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 5 Siskins: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 18 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 127 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls
- *8 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants: arrived together; one departed

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- 3 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Other things:
- 1 Girdled Snail (Hygromia cinctella)
- 2 spiders Clubiona sp.
- *1 male spider Neriene montana
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.

Noted later:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni) on the fence alongside Teece Drive.
- *Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) in flower

Just about 10 hours after the Hunter Moon was full. At such time there is no cross-lighting to pick out the craters but anyway the moon was partially obscured by thin high cloud preventing details being seen.

Low cloud, often rather thin, rolled in later. Low over the trees, more or less in the centre of the photo the setting full moon is just about visible.

It is only a few days ago I remarked how little sign there was of Autumn colour. Things have changed in just a few days.

For many years anything up to 150 Canada Geese used to go outbound past the lake pre- or around dawn. They would return after c.08:30 in large groups. Recently there has been no early passage and numbers have been in single figures. These two outbound well after dawn typify the current state.

This a second winter Herring Gull with the black of the wing tips extending along the front of the wing. Note the darkish bill with a pale tip.

The same bird. Apart from the bill the age is harder to judge from this view, the head-streaking could just as well be seen on a full adult in winter plumage. Just about discernable are dark smudges on the second tail-feather from each end. Another sure sign of immaturity.

Four Cormorants appeared overhead together. Two carried on South while two dropped in to the lake. This is one – an immature with pale markings on the belly.

And this is the other, also an immature but an older bird with only a hint of pale.

Jays are busy flying to and fro collecting acorns. This shows the distinctive rounded wings of the species.

The bushes at the West end were full of thrushes and finches feeding on the berries. The only bird that popped out 'my side' of the bushes was this Robin. So I took its photo.

Take note. Not that the male Pied Wagtail is likely to eat any fish.

A male spider Neriene montana.

Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) coming in to flower. Not something I expected to see on the cusp of November.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:55 – 10:05

(209th visit of the year)

Martin Adlam has reminded me that a trio of mostly white geese were present for several days here in October 2022. The current group seem very likely to be the same birds. But where have they been meantime? And where did they go today? They were on the island when I started out but later neither they, nor their accompanying Greylag Geese, were to be seen. I did not hear them leave.

Bird notes:
- Probably more Goosander than I managed to count. They were all actively fishing and hence being harried by the Black-headed Gulls trying to steal their catch and thus were spending much of the time submerged..

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- c.150 Wood Pigeons in single migrant group flying South
- 4 Skylarks: singles
- 7 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 12 Greylag Geese: departed?
- 3 mostly-white feral geese: departed?
- *2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 33 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (1♂) Common Teal
- *35 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- *>33 (2♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- *29 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: third winter
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: third winter
- 1 Grey Heron

On / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): >100!

Hoverflies:
- *Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)

Flies:
- very many of the usual suspects not investigated

The Mute Swan cygnets went for a fly. One here.

And two here. They are looking very white now.

Not to be left out the pen Mute Swan follows. A duck and two drake Tufted Ducks together with a Coot look on.

A drake Tufted Duck powers by.

As does a duck Tufted Duck.

Tufted Duck touch-down time.

My what big feet you have.

Seems to be a dispute between these two brownhead Goosanders.

The Black-headed Gulls were harassing the Tufted Ducks and Goosanders, trying to steal any food they brought to the surface. One of the guilty party flies by.

An alert-looking Herring Gull. An immature bird showing rather more extensive markings on the folded wings than I would expect of a third winter bird. However the pale eye and pale tip to the bill that do not fit with a second winter bird. Probably therefore a third winter bird.

A grumpy-looking Lesser Black-backed Gull flies by. I am not sure of its age either. The pale eye suggests a third winter. The extensive dark on the bill suggests a second winter.

This helps slightly in that there seems to be no remnant dark tail band. Like the Herring Gull it is probably therefore a third winter.

A Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) is always worth a photo, especially at this late date.

I've spared you more photos of hairy Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) and mainly unidentified flies. Here is a Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) feeding on the Ivy (Helix) nectar.

And another.

And yet another. Note how the angle of light causes the compound eyes to change tone.

(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
Priorslee Lake
7 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
Location
1 Pochard
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow legged Gull
2 Gadwall
1 Shoveler
1 Wigeon
Chiffchaff
10+ Fieldfare
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
Location
3 Pochard
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
34 Pochard a high count
500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
432 Jackdaws
228 Rooks
171 Fieldfare
5 Redwings
2 Siskins
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
115 Canada Geese
9 Pochard
52 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
c.200 Golden Plover
23 Pied Wagtails
17 Robins
18 Blackbirds
12 Song Thrushes
70 Redwing
1 Mistle Thrush
9 Fieldfare
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Tit
195 Jackdaws
206 Rooks
31 Greenfinches
4 Redpoll
10 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Buzzard feeding on earthworms, mobbed by Black-headed Gulls
1 Raven
7 Pied Wagtails
3 Grey Wagtail
11 Meadow Pipits
Kingfisher
1700+ Wood Pigeon
192 Redwing
111 Fieldfare
(Martin Adlam)