9.0°C > 11.5°C: Mainly cloudy with a very few spots of rain. Moderate ENE wind. Moderate visibility.
Sunrise: 05:00 BST
Priorslee Lake: 12:30
2 Common Tern and also > 50 Swift and dozens of hirundines
(John Isherwood)
Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 06:15 // 07:15 – 08:55
(58th visit of the year)
Notes from today:
- the same ‘resident’ 6 Mute Swans: the long-term pair have 5 cygnets (not 4 as I logged yesterday). The pair in the NE area are still sitting but the cob seemed very agitated today chasing the 3rd pair
- a pair of Tufted Ducks was first noted at 08:00: they left 08:20. The birds seen earlier at The Flash?
- two rather late Common Sandpipers, presumably on passage
- the same(?) two Common Terns first noted 05:55 and present until they disappeared at 08:15
- big party of at least 60 Swifts overhead with at least 5 House Martins amongst them
- 13 Starlings noted on the now less than pristinely kept ‘football field’. This is a most unusual sighting and suggests they are still finding nest holes around the estate
- Mistle Thrush singing near the Teece Drive gate for a while: new location
- 2 Linnets seen leaving the dam-face were unusual at this date
and
- nothing on the lamps again this morning
- a Common Roller (Ancylis badiana) [a Tortrix moth] flushed from the vegetation
- many Common stretch-spiders (Tetragnatha extensa)
- several Alder flies (likely Sialis lutaria) still on the sluice entrance
- also on the sluice entrance were several damselfly exuvia
- several Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea)
The following plants in flower are in addition to the list I provided yesterday (in no particular order)
- Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
- Yellow Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris)
- Birds foot-trefoil or Bacon and Eggs (Lotus corniculatus)
- Broom (perhaps Cytisus scoparius)
- Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
- Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)
- Common or Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Today’s bird totals
Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
Hirundines seen today
- >60 Common Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- >5 House Martins
Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds (not all the males seen might have been singing)
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 13 (13) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers
- 1 (1) (Common) Whitethroat
- 4 (4) Reed Warblers
The counts from the lake area
- 6 + 5 (1) Mute Swans
- 10 (9♂) Mallard
- 4 + ? Great Crested Grebes
- no Moorhens again
- 21 Coots
- 2 Common Sandpipers
- 2 Common Terns again
So the resident Mute Swans have 5 cygnets. Always possible they lost a few after hatching.
The rather unexpected Common Sandpiper – usually passed through by this date.
My best fly-by.
Or perhaps this one?
Eventually there were as many as 13 – here are 11 of them.
Not just in Autumn: here is a Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea).
A damselfly exuvia: no idea of the species.
This small micro moth is Common Roller (Ancylis badiana)
This is the very common Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata).
Likely planted or an escape – Broom (perhaps Cytisus scoparius though there are many cultivars).
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:05
(43rd visit of the year)
A Reed Warbler that sang briefly from the scrub alongside Derwent Drive near the new fishing platform that destroyed the reeds found here was new for my site year-list which now stands at 60. This bird was probably provoked to sing by a passing party of Long-tailed Tits. I record this species here about one year in every two. As far as I know none has stayed to breed
Less unexpected were my first Swifts of the year here: species 61
Notes from today
- the long-term Mute Swan Yellow 52F was standing on the island: I could not see whether there was another bird on a nest somewhere. The 4 other birds were clustered in the NW area
- new brood of Mallard ducklings: at least 6 ducklings
- just 1 pair of Tufted Ducks: they seemed to disappear – see notes for the lake above
- only 1 Great Crested Grebe seen: with one of the large willows having collapsed under the snow and now in full leaf there is plenty of scope for a hidden nest
- no juvenile Coots seen again
- numbers of Swifts and House Martins hard to determine with birds wheeling overhead
also
- I do not note all the plant species here as there are many exotic garden escapes: just to note that the Yellow Flag irises are much more advanced than at the lake
Birds noted flying over
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
Hirundines etc. seen today
- >25 Swifts
- > 5 House Martins
Warblers noted: figures in brackets is singing birds (not all the males seen might have been singing)
- no Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler
The counts from the water
- 5 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 13 Canada Geese
- 10 (9♂) + 6 (1 brood) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 20 Coots
Rather distant: the brood of 6 Mallard ducklings with Mum.
A Long-tailed Tit posed briefly.
Noted between the lake and The Flash
- a Moorhen heard calling from the upper pool
- 1 (1) Blackcap at the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2016Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2007
Priorslee Lake
Cuckoo
(Ed Wilson)