12.0°C > 15.0°C: Initially clear to E and N. After sunrise medium-high overcast. Calm start with light WSW breeze later. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:26 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 05:00 – 06:45 // 07:50 – 09:32
(182nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Again two Greylag and ten Canada Geese stopped off whilst inbound.
- Seems I was mistaken on Wednesday: the pair of Great Crested Grebes in the SE are still present with their single juvenile.
- A Peregrine flew high W at 07:50.
- Only four Black-headed Gulls came in early (06:10). I assume most went straight to the football and academy fields. Later a better than recent number of birds on the water and the boating platforms – 104 counted.
- No early passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with just five seen, four of which stopped off at the lake briefly. After 09:00 a party of 18 large gulls flew S with six Lesser Black-backed, one apparent Yellow-legged Gull and two Herring Gulls peeling off to come in for a drink and bathe.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 10 Canada Geese (two groups outbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard
- *1 Peregrine
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 31 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 3 Barn Swallows
- c.65 House Martins: presumed same group as seen from The Flash.
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 11 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 10 Canada Geese: arrived
- 18 (?♂) Mallard: one departed
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived and departed separately
- 17+ 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 81 Coots
- 104 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all briefly; at least three immatures; not all ages determined
- 1 presumed Yellow-legged Gull: first-winter
- 2 Herring Gulls: first-winters, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher
Birds on the football and academy playing fields c.06:35:
- 62 Black-headed Gulls on the football field.
- 146 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing field.
possibly some double-counting here as birds were being flushed off the football field by dog-walkers as I was counting those on the academy playing field.
Also here
- 1 Common Buzzard on the academy playing field.
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moth:
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
Other things:
- 1 male Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- >6 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris): on 4 different lamp poles today – hitherto they have all been at the same lamp.
- 1 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Overcast again:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea) fungus
- another fungus, perhaps a species of Hygrocybe
- 8 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- 1 male Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- >6 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris): on 4 different lamp poles today – hitherto they have all been at the same lamp.
- 1 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Overcast again:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea) fungus
- another fungus, perhaps a species of Hygrocybe
- 8 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
None
Another good sunrise. Clear skies to N and E but soon clouded from the W.
The two adult Mute Swans and their five cygnets show little interest in the sunrise.
Not spectacularly colourful but enhanced by the cloud patterns.
The long view.
The swans eventually woke up.
I think these are Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea), though they were not especially 'giant'. Someone or something has been having a good chomp.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:50 – 07:45
(167th visit of the year)
Best today was the first Meadow Pipit of the Autumn, flying S. An earlier date than usual according to my logs.
Bird notes:
- The geese again arrived at an inconvenient time and I was not able to get an accurate total.
- Certainly five different Greylag x Canada Geese located.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Meadow Pipit
Hirundines etc. logged:
- c.65 House Martins high to the S
Presumed estate birds and the same as seen later over the main lake.
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- c.200 Greylag Geese: all of these arrived
- 5 Greylag x Canada Geese: all arrived
- c.110 Canada Geese: all but six of these arrived
- 32 (17♂) Mallard
- 24 (3?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 7 Moorhens
- 57 Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
Nothing found on any of the lamp poles and nothing else of note.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(167th visit of the year)
Best today was the first Meadow Pipit of the Autumn, flying S. An earlier date than usual according to my logs.
Bird notes:
- The geese again arrived at an inconvenient time and I was not able to get an accurate total.
- Certainly five different Greylag x Canada Geese located.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Meadow Pipit
Hirundines etc. logged:
- c.65 House Martins high to the S
Presumed estate birds and the same as seen later over the main lake.
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- c.200 Greylag Geese: all of these arrived
- 5 Greylag x Canada Geese: all arrived
- c.110 Canada Geese: all but six of these arrived
- 32 (17♂) Mallard
- 24 (3?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 7 Moorhens
- 57 Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
Nothing found on any of the lamp poles and nothing else of note.
These three Mute Swans seem to have come to a truce for the moment at least.
More aerobatics by arriving Greylag Geese.
It gets crowded at times.
This one is distinctly different with a Greylag orange bill with small black tip. It also has a clear white eye-ring.
Is this one the same individual. The tone looks different but that may be a lighting effect.
This one meanwhile has an all-black bill.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's News Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2012
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson/ John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
2 Hobby's chasing Swallows and martins
1 Common Redstart
2 Meadow Pipits - first autumn birds
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Teal
14 Cormorants
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
Hobby chasing Swallows
1 Wheatear
2 Raven
(John Isherwood)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Egret
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
2 Swifts
1 Meadow Pipit - first autumn bird
(Ed Wilson)
