Location
11°C > 17°C: Some thin high cloud mainly to the E, otherwise fine. Light E breeze. Very good visibility
Best today was the juvenile Spotted Flycatcher in the front garden of one of the houses along Teece Drive hopping from the garage roof to the lawn and back (I know it is stretching the recording area a tad!). Only my 3rd record at the lake and my first for at least 7 years. With some sort of premonition on my Woodhouse Lane visit I spent a while around the sluice exit where the sun-trap and shelter always seemed to me to be a likely place for migrants to feed. With the wind in the E this area was not sheltered at all and was very quiet whereas the Ricoh trees were sheltering the gardens
(78th visit of the year)
Notes
- at least one of he Mallards looked like a (very well grown) juvenile: perhaps more?
- the 2 juvenile Tufted Duck still together and independent from any of the adults
- the juvenile Great Crested Grebe, for he second day, in close company with one of adults and the other adult at the other end of the water
- 1 Barn Swallow flying through SW may have been a migrant
- some of the House Martins were newly fledged juveniles begging in flight
- the same(?) Willow Warbler in song again
- at least 2 Nuthatches at the top end
also
- an adult and juvenile Moorhen were on the grass outside the upper pool between The Flash and Priorslee Avenue. Both pools are now so overgrown that it is almost impossible to see whether these birds are nesting here
Birds noted flying over
- 1 Starling
Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 15 House Martins
Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds, though song very sporadic now
- 2 (1) Chiffchaff
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 1 (0) Blackcap
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans]
- 32 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 30 (?♂) + 1 duckling Mallard
- 24 (14?♂) + 2 duckling Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes still
- 5 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 20 + 6 (4 broods) Coots
- 35 Black-headed Gulls (4 juveniles)
(Ed Wilson)
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Priorslee Lake: 07:30 – 09:55
Location
(113th visit of the year)
Notes from today
- 3 Buzzards seen circling over. Another one or two different (?) birds flushed from around the lake
- numbers of Chiffchaffs ‘best effort’: with adults no longer on territory; juveniles exploring their surroundings; and likely a few migrants keeping track to avoid duplication is difficult
- no 100% sure about the Reed Warbler. Could get no response from main reed bed along the N side. Calls around the Wesley Brook bridge seemed likely this species but calls can easily be confused with other warblers
- 8 Pied Wagtails over and I thought initially this might be the start of an autumn roost dispersal. Later a new juvenile on the yacht club landing area suggested these were more likely second-brood family parties on the move
and
- no moths on the lamps this morning
- several Speckled Wood butterflies seen
- still rather few insects
- a single Common Blue Damselfly
- >10 Common Darter dragonflies
- a Helophilus pendulus hoverfly
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 1 Grey Heron
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 2 Stock Doves (singles)
- 96 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 7 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 8 Pied Wagtails
Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 4 Swallows
- 14 House Martins
Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds, though song very sporadic now
- 11 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 3 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Reed Warblers (see notes)
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 24 (?♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 5 (1♂) Tufted Ducks again
- 8 + 6 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 44 + 11 (9 broods) Coots
- 31 Black-headed Gulls (>5 juveniles)
- 87 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
Same bird showing that it can do anti-clockwise rotations as well.
A Robin of course: this one slightly scruffy around the head and yet to complete its moult.
Rather tidier this side.
A Common Darter: adult males are red-toned so this could be a female or immature.
Side-view of a different specimen.
