The Flash: 07:10 – 07:20; 09:40 –10:05
Location
Sunrise: 07:05 GMT
9°C: Very foggy start; began to clear after 08:30 though still unable to see the whole length of the lake when I left. Flat calm. Very poor visibility, improved only a little
My first morning after the clocks changed: would have been brighter if were not for the fog
(100th visit of the year)
Too foggy for any logs on first pass: cleared later when ...
Notes
- very low number of Tufted Ducks this morning
and
- a November Moth agg. on one of he lamps
- still a few wasp sp. around the ivy
Birds noted flying over
- 2 Goldfinches as ever!
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 53 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 26 (19♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Ducks only
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 9 Coots only
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
Between the lake and The Flash
A ‘golden rain’ here.
My favourite trees have lost many leaves but still look great.
With some detail.
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Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:30
Location
(137th visit of the year)
All numbers affected by the very poor visibility
Notes from today
- Saturday’s extra drake Gadwall gone again
- 5 Skylarks over as logged: probably more as the birds were too high to locate and often this species passes in small groups rather than the singles as logged
- House Sparrow had ventured away from the estate area and were alongside the Academy this morning
- 2 Siskins over with another 10 birds briefly looking at the Alder cones
and
- 7 November Moth agg. moths on the lamps today
- 1 crane-fly sp. likely Limonia nubeculosa
- a harvestman sp., perhaps Paroligolophus agrestis
- noted today that there are in fact two different species of umbellifer in flower – Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) as well as the previously reported Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 Skylarks (see notes)
- 3 Jackdaws
- 10 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Greenfinch again
- 4 Goldfinches
- 2 Siskins
Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
*** all gone before I arrived ***
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (4♂) Mallard
- 66 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens again
- [Coots not counted]
- c.90 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Even once the mist started to clear the visibility was not good.
These two moths will have to go down as November Moth agg. It might seem obvious that they are different species but in fact the smaller specimen with slightly more curved outline to the wings is ‘just’ a female of the group and no easier to specifically identify.
Some more ‘Autumn colour’ shots: about all that was available this morning.
Some bramble leaves.
And I think Sycamore (I forgot to look at the tree!).
These Oak leaves are showing little sign of colouring: many oak leaves stay on the trees all winter.
In a few areas most of the leaves are on the ground.
This umbellifer with the many small umbels is Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris).
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in ...........
2015Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Candles Landfill Site
2nd winter Caspian Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Chiffchaff
Mistle Thrush
29 Fieldfares
32 Redwings
13 Siskins
3 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
5 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
2005
Trench Pool
2 Goosander
10 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)