6 Oct 17

Priorslee Lake: then Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

8.5°C > 12.0°C: The promised clear start soon deteriorated with cloud and even several very light showers. Moderate NW. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:19 BST

Best today were:
- a first-winter Mediterranean Gull found at the lake
- two parties of brownhead Goosanders, each containing 11 birds, that flew in to Trench Pool at 09:50 but, predictably, did not stay. Must be my earliest ‘winter’ record of this species back on the pools

Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:30

(111th visit of the year)

Other notes from today:
- the cygnets are getting more daring in their flight-testing and arrived toward the end of the lake still 10’ up and with ‘turns’ yet to be explored. So it was a rather ungainly and dramatic splash-down to avoid crashing in to the reeds
- only 3 adult Great Crested Grebes seen today. From the older brood each adult was with a single juvenile, the other two juveniles not being seen. From the newer brood a single adult has three juveniles in tow with a 4th juvenile watching from a distance. Neither of the non-breeding adults was seen
- six very large, more-or-less concurrent, tight groups of Jackdaws I estimated to contain c.850 birds! Several more groups later including 37 that seemed to have come from a completely different starting point
- likely many more Skylarks than shown. While I was absorbed with the Mediterranean Gull and waving and shouting to try and get it to fly so I could I could photograph the wing-pattern I heard several different Skylarks overhead. When I gave up – the whole party of gulls refused to shift – another Skylark call was seen to comprise 10 birds
- still another late Blackcap record: a bird calling from the undergrowth
- a Willow Tit heard calling within a tit flock. My previous log from here was on 31 May when a male was heard singing, as it had been most of the Spring. Only a single bird seemed to be involved today, which probably means that for the 3rd year at least this lone male has been unsuccessful in finding a mate
- a Dunnock was heard in full song today. This species sings much of the year with a quiet period during the moult in August / September
and
- nothing on the lamps again today

On with today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 36 Canada Geese: 6 outbound; 30 inbound
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons (single and pair)
- 64 Wood Pigeons
- >1000 Jackdaws
- 26 Rooks
- >14 Skylarks (see notes)
- 9 Starlings (1 group)
- 8 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Greenfinch
- 8 Goldfinches
- 1 Linnet
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Hirundines etc. seen today
None

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap again

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon still
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall still
- 15 (9♂) Mallard
- 38 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 + 6 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 6 Moorhens
- 137 Coots
- c.230 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Mediterranean Gull
- 1 Kingfisher

Well the forecast was fine and clear: but it didn’t stay that way long.

Some of the Mute Swans against the sunrise.

The sunrise enhances the colours on the drake Wigeon.

I was shooting the jumpy Wigeon through the reeds – hence the cast at the edges.

A  portrait shot.

My first glimpse, again through reeds, of the first-winter Mediterranean Gull. What caught my attention was the dark smudge through the eye. I quickly checked the other features – the thicker, all-dark bill.

A first-winter Black-headed Gull behind our bird enables us to see the very differently marked secondaries – black rather than dark brown with much neater pale fringes.

Even when the head is turned the white ‘eye-lids’ are apparent.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 09:40 – 09:55 // 10:40 – 10:55

(25th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- only 1 adult Mute Swan seen
- a Sparrowhawk over was my first at this site this year
- also new, and not recorded here for at least 4 years, was a Treecreeper calling near the Blue Pig
- 1 Grey Wagtail
and

Birds noted flying over here [apart from the local Jackdaws coming and going]
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers logged
None

The counts from the water
- 1 + 8 Mute Swans
- 13 Canada Geese
- 7 (5) Mallards [no ‘feral’ bird seen]
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 22 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron flew in
- 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes: different broods?
- 4 Moorhens
- 118 Coots
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Plants not checked here today.

Here is the Grey Wagtail here. Note it has both a BTO-style metal ring and a red ring which may even be possible to read in the field.

Blown up this looks like ‘10’ (it almost looks as if we could almost read the metal ring).

Blown up here it looks like ‘BT’.

As it does also blown up here.

Here are 10 of the first group of 11 brownhead Goosanders arriving (with a bit of a change of contrast for clarity).

And here are the other group of 11.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:00 – 10:35

(21st visit of the year)

Notes
- I confirmed that the Mute Swans at this site have not been ringed
- strange that there were, again, many more Tufted Duck here than on Trench Lock Pool
- Grey Heron over as well on one bank of the water
- first Black-headed Gulls of the season here today – and, as with Tufted Duck, more than on Trench Lock Pool
- 2 Song Thrushes seen here was rather unusual. Perhaps mirrors the increase in numbers at the lake recently and suggests arrival of migrants from Europe
- 1 Grey Wagtail here also
and
- Field Mushrooms (Agaricus campestris) again

Birds noted flying over here
- 1 Grey Heron

Warblers noted
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 84 Canada Geese
- 17 (8♂) Mallard [no ‘feral’ birds noted]
- 20 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 12 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 38 Black-headed Gulls

Plants not checked here

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter Caspian Gull.
(Observer Unknown)

2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard 
100 Tufted Duck
Water Rail heard
39 Lapwings
Kingfisher
3 Redwings
Redpoll
Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
49 Tufted Duck
1 Chiffchaff
Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)

6 Oct 06 - Wesley Bridge under water  (Ed Wilson)

NB Not unlike today's weather with torrential rain - 6 Oct 15