3 Oct 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

15.0°C > 16.0°C: Low overcast with light rain after 10:45. Light / moderate southerly breeze. Good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:15 BST]

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

I avoided a gloomy start and commenced at The Flash after the school run.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:20 – 11:35

(241st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the pair of Shoveler still here.
- I noted a single duck Common Teal being chased out of reeds by a Coot. The duck immediately went back inside the reeds. However...examining the photo I took at the time reveals two birds and the bill of a third. One of the bird looks to be an immature drake.
- gull numbers almost entirely relate to birds arriving for a wash and drink though many of the Black-headed Gulls seemed more settled.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 18 Starlings: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 19 (8♂) Mallard
- 3? (1?♂) Common Teal: see notes
- 11 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 218 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: one of these departed
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundine etc. noted:

None

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs

Noted elsewhere:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: still a few around the nest site

Fungus:
- possible $ Scurfy Twiglet Tubaria furfuracea.

Spot the Common Teal! Adjacent to the reeds on the left and right extremes. The left-most bird looks to have more than just a pale line along the side of the tail and I suspect it is a drake moulting to gain the yellow triangle in the area. On my original photo when I super-enlarged it there was the bill of a third bird poking between reeds.

One of two groups of Tufted Ducks here today. They were all immatures or ducks.

The rain is bringing on the fungus. A new collection I noted today.

After a bit of "gardening" this was the result. Obsidentify was not too confident about these being Scurfy Twiglet Tubaria furfuracea. I certainly cannot offer any better alternative.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:15

(241st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- back to 10 Mute Swans.
- where do the Collared Doves go at this time of year? During Summer I see and hear them at three different territories while I am walking around. At the moment I am almost never seeing or hearing a single bird.
- unusual for this date was a Blackbird heard singing quietly. My Merlin app. was confused and suggested Starling and while I could see where it was coming from no way was it a Starling.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 29 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- 10 Mute Swans
- 27 (17♂) Mallard
- 8 (0?♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 94 Coots
- 8 Great Crested Grebes: not aged
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron again

Warblers recorded:
- 1 Chiffchaff

Noted around the area:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris: still just the one

Fungus:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus: first of year at this site

Two of the arriving party of Greylag Geese.

And a trio showing various plumage features.

Also a sextet about to splash down.

Last year's strange Mallard with a mix of drake and duck plumages does not look much different after another annual moult. I will log it as a drake Mallard as I cannot think what else it might be.

A Moorhen looks on as an immature Cormorant prepares to dive for fish.

One of the adult Great Crested Grebes. The foot of this species is comprised mainly of three toes that have large lobes. Here it can be seen that the bird can close these toes and use the foot as a paddle.

Very smart.

My first Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig fungus Coprinus comatus of the year here.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
50+ Meadow Pipits
2 House Martin
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
29 Golden Plover
House Martin
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)