31st October, Tuesday (17:05 - 17:15) - Evening update. Couldn't quite get away from work early enough to watch the corvids heading off to roost. The Buzzard was on cue though and at exactly the same time as yesterday evening (17:05) it soared very low over the dam before heading west alongside the M54, which was the opposite direction from last night!.

Other highlights were:
- 28 Mallard that I could see, unfortunately too dark to view any others.
- 8 Tufted were just visible
- 1 Buzzard as mentioned above
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls took of from the lake as I arrived and split up into two parties. 11 headed east and the remaining party flew north.
- 1 Pied Wagtail flew west

Totals then:
28 Mallard; 8 Tufted Duck; 1 Buzzard; 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 1 Pied Wagtail

(Martin Adlam)

30th October, Monday (16:55 - 17:10) - Evening update. A bit to dark to do a duck count, but the clear skies made it fairly easy to do a corvid count, as they headed north across the lake. Also just managed to spot a flock of Golden Plover to the east.

Highlights then:
- Two main parties of Jackdaw logged. 80 and 20 plus a few stragglers.
- Two groups of Rooks 10 and 120.
- 1 Buzzard that came down low over the dam before heading east
- A Kestrel flew purposefully north at 17:10
- c.60 Golden Plover just the other side of Castle Farm Way which were heading south
- A solitary Song Thrush that came into roost in the northeast wood.

Totals then:
1 Buzzard; 1 Kestrel; c.60 Golden Plover; c.150 Rook; c.100 Jackdaw; 1 Song Thrush

(Martin Adlam)

29th October, Sunday (06:20 - 08:30) - A clear bright morning, but despite it being 11 degrees centigrade, it felt quite chilly with a slight northwesterly wind.

Main highlights today were:
- C.200 Golden Plover flying north, just east of the lake.
- a Male Blackcapbeside Wesley Brook
- and a Chiffchaff calling by the motorway footbridge in the southeast corner of the lake.

Other highlights were:
- Three Great Crested Grebes the resident pair at the Weslely end and another adult by the dam. Still no sign of the juvenile.
- There were 2 Herons when I arrived this morning. They had a bit of a dispute on the southbank and then took off and landed either side of the Wesley Brook outlet.
- Resident adult Mute Swans with cygnet, which looks larger than the adults.
- After not seeing or hearing a single Canada Goose yesterday, there flocks of them today, with 20 by the slipway when I arrived and another 10 joined them at 7:50. Overhead there were several groups 2, 5, 6, 22 and 50, which were all heading northwest across the lake, presumably to the Flash.
- Mallard totals today were down to 40
- There were 2 parties of Pochard totalling 8 drakes and 1 duck.
- Tufted Duck were back up slightly to 52
- 5 Moorhens around the lake, didn't see the one in Wesley Brook this morning.
- Coot numbers still low with 34 on the water.
- Several fly-overs by Gulls this this morning, with a lot of the larger Gulls quite high which made identification very difficult.
- - 10 Black-headed Gulls logged at 06:44. Then smaller groups totalling 30
- - 4 groups of large Gulls flew south presumably Lesser Black-backed Gulls. First was 11 at 06:45, followed by 14 at 06:50 then 4 and 29 later in the morning
- A Kestrel flew over the lake at 06:41, hovered briefly then flew south. It reappeared again at 08:00, a little further east along the southbank, before heading south again.
- 2 individual Feral Pigeons flew south over the lake
- Quite a few Wood Pigeons recoded this morning with several flocks heading south. Largest was C.100 with other flocks of 50, 36, 30, 30, 25, and 17 logged, plus a lot of smaller flocks.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew north across the dam and landed in the woods on the northeast bank.
- a solitary Skylark flew north over the lake at 08:25
- 6 Meadow Pipits which today were all heading north
- 2 Grey Wagtails around the lake
- 23 Pied Wagtails flew east with none recorded flying west this morning. With the wind from the northeast and the fact that the clocks had gone back it was quite easy to hear them coming overhead, without all that traffic noise.
- Plenty of Wrens around the lake
- Lots of Thrushes about with a few Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush and Blackbirds. However what a difference a day makes when it comes to the Winter Thrushes. The large numbers of Redwing from yesterday dwindled down to one large flock of 47 this morning and there was only one flock of 9 Fieldfare.
-- 12 Song Thrushes calling from just about every corner of the lake.
- - Fewer Redwing overhead this morning
- - 1 Mistle Thrush seen by the sailing club gate
-- Blackbird numbers still remaing high
-- one flock Fieldfare seen
- Still a few Goldcrest about, mainly along the north bank
- At 07:29 a large roost of Long-tailed Tits sprang to life in the trees just on the edge of Wesley Reedbeds. About 20 birds flew up and over the west bank and started foraging in the silver birches by the top path. Quite a few Tits around with Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Willow Tit all logged.
- A Treecreeper was heard calling in Wesley Wood
- The corvid passage started at 06:25. Again it was the Rooks first with 63 birds followed by counts of 45, 15, 3, 1, 50, 17, 10, 4 and 2. The Jackdaws were in two waves the first around 06:30 with small groups of 7, 3, 4, 8, and then 59, 30 and 23. The next wave then came along at 07:15 with 20, 13 and 27. Quite a few Carrion Crow with 5 seen around the Lake. Still plenty of Magpies.
- No Starling seen at all today
- Several Dunnock seen this morning
- Lots of finches about with
- 10 Chaffinches
- 31 Greenfinches
- 9 Goldfinches with one charm of 5
- 4 Bullfinch
- Unlike yesterday when I saw a Repoll as I was leaving, this morning I had an early one at 06:50, followed by 3 at 07:00 which flew west.
- logged 10 Reed Buntings coming out of the Wesley Reedbeds first was at 06:30 with ones and twos up until 07:30. A single bird was calling from the reedbeds on the northbank.

Birds logged today were:
2 (1) Grey Heron; 3 (2) Great Crested Grebe; Still 2 adult Mute Swans and 1 cygnet; 115 (0) Canada Geese; 40 (62) Mallard; 9 (14) Pochard; 52 (62) Tufted Ducks; 1 (1) Kestrel; 0 (1) Buzzard; c.200 (0) Golden Plover; 5 (7) Moorhens; 34 (25) Coots; 40 (110) Black-headed Gulls; 58 (11) possibly Lesser Black-backed Gull; 2 (1) Feral Pigeon; c.350 (80) Wood Pigeons; 1 (0) Great Spotted Woodpecker; 1 (0) Skylark; 6 (3) Meadow Pipits; 2 (2) Grey Wagtails; 23 (14) Pied Wagtails; 10 (16) Wrens; 9 (3) Dunnocks; 17 (16) Robins; 18 (13) Blackbirds; 12 (11) Song Thrushes; 70 (c.400) Redwing; 1 (1) Mistle Thrush; 9 (20) Fieldfare; 1 (0) Chiffchaff; 1 (0) Blackcap; 4 (4) Goldcrests; 30 (3) Long-tailed; 3 (0) Coal Tit; 1 (0) Willow Tit; 6 (6) Blue Tits; 6 (2) Great Tits; 1 (0) Tree Creeper; 5 (5) Magpies; 195 (202) Jackdaws; 206 (212) Rooks; 5 (1) Carrion Crow; 0 (29) Starlings; 10 (12) Chaffinch; 31 (11) Greenfinches; 9 (8) Goldfinches; 4 (3) Bullfinch; 4 (1) Redpoll; 10 (3) Reed Buntings; (Yesterday's figures in brackets)

Mammals
- Fresh Mole hills
- 2 Grey Squirrels

(Martin Adlam)

28th October, Saturday (07:20 - 09:30) - A mild morning at 12 degrees centigrade. Cloudy, with a slight southwesterly wind, which was unfortunate because at 07:50 somebody lit a huge fire in Stafford Park, which covered the western section of the lake in acrid smoke. At times there was ash and burnt bits of paper fluttering down onto the lake.

Main highlights today were:
- the large flocks of Redwing that appeared in single figures at daybreak, then amounted to huge flocks of up to c.100. Certainly one flock of 25 birds, had been roosting in the woods on the northbank. If you are out and about they must be everywhere!
- With such large numbers of Redwing then it came as no surprise to see my first Fieldfare of the autumn, with two fairly large flocks of 15 and 40, and a smaller group of 5

Other highlights were:
- Just the pair of Great Crested Grebes at the Weslely end and no sign of the juvenile.
- A single Heron started off on the southbank flew across to the dam for 30 minutes, then flew back over the lake and stayed in the Wesley Brook for over an hour. It was probably attracted by the large numbers of Perch Fry that are in the brook at the moment.
- Resident adult Mute Swans with the cygnet today, two adults thought about landing and decided against it when they saw the resident pair ruffle their feathers.
- Not a single Canada Goose logged today, didn't see or hear one!
- Mallard totals today were up to 62.
- There were 3 parties of Pochard totalling 8 drakes and 6 ducks
- Tufted Duck were well down today with only 42 birds logged, however 20 birds flew over but didn't stop.
- 6 Moorhens around the lake with a single bird in Wesley Brook .
- Coot numbers seem to be dropping off with only 25 birds on the water.
- Several fly-overs by Black-headed Gulls this morning with a few stopping over. Not too many larger gulls
- - 10 Black-headed Gulls logged at 07:20. Then parties of 10, 40, 50, 30 and 20 came in for a quick bathe from 07:20 through to 09:00.
- - 11 immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged.
- A Kestrel flew over the lake at 08:50
- and a Buzzard flew west along the northbank.
- 1 Feral Pigeon flew west along the northbank
- Not many Wood Pigeons recoded with mainly small groups, the largest being 50 birds in the fields to north of the lake. The rest were in very small flocks.
- Only 3 Meadow Pipits which flew south
- 2 Grey Wagtails around the lake
- 14 Pied Wagtails logged, with 4 birds coming from the east, as opposed from the Town Centre roost..
- Plenty of Wrens around the lake
- Lots of Thrushes about with a few Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Blackbird and now finally some Fieldfare.
-- 11 Song Thrushes calling from just about every corner of the lake.
- - Still plenty of Redwing overhead see note above.
- - 1 Mistle Thrush seen in the Celestica grounds.
-- Blackbird numbers still remaing high
-- Great to see the Fieldfare back. See note above
- Still a few Goldcrest about, mainly along the north bank
- Not many Long-tailed Tits which was surprising and very few Great Tit and Blue Tits around.
- The corvid passage started at 07:30. First off it was the Rooks with several flocks heading south over the lake until 07:40. The next passage started 5 minutes later and carried on until 07:50 when the numbers went back to single figures. The largest flock was 40 birds. The Jackdaw flocks started as the larger passage of Rooks stopped, with the largest flock of 65 birds logged. Only 1 Carrion Crow seen around the Lake, but plenty of Magpies.
- No Starling roost at the lake today and the only birds I saw were two in two seperate flocks at 09:15, consisting of 7 and 22 birds. The large flock of 300 plus birds which were on the wires to the east of the lake, last week have now moved on.
- Lots of finches about with
- 12 Chaffinches
- 11 Greenfinches
- 8 Goldfinches
- 3 Bullfinch
- Just as I was leaving at 09:25 a Repoll flew west along the northbank
- a total of 8 unidentified finches were noted with quite a few mixed in with the Redwing flocks. Perhaps a Brambling could be on the cards soon.
- logged 3 Reed Buntings coming out of the Wesley Reedbeds

Birds logged today were:
1 (1) Grey Heron; 2 (2A + 1J) Great Crested Grebe; 0 (1) Cormorant; Still 2 adult Mute Swans and 1 cygnet; 0 (34) Canada Geese; 62 (42) Mallard; 14 (25) Pochard; 42 + 20 in flight (72) Tufted Ducks; 1 (1) Kestrel; 1 (0) Buzzard; 7 (8) Moorhens; 25 (31) Coots; 110 (260) Black-headed Gulls; 11 (6) Lesser Black-backed Gull; (1) 1 Feral Pigeon; 80 (57) Wood Pigeons; 0 (1) Kingfisher; 0 (1) Great Spotted Woodpecker; 3 (9) Meadow Pipits; 2 (2) Grey Wagtails; 14 (12) Pied Wagtails; 16 (11) Wrens; 3 (6) Dunnocks; 16 (20) Robins; 13 (17) Blackbirds; 11 (15) Song Thrushes; c.400 (59) Redwing; 1 (3) Mistle Thrushes; 20 (0) Fieldfare; 0 (1possible) Chiffchaff; 0 (1) Blackcap; 4 (5) Goldcrests; 3 (20) Long-tailed; 0 (1) Coal Tit; 6 (9) Blue Tits; 2 (8) Great Tits; 0 (1) Tree Creeper; 0 (1) Jay; 5 (7) Magpies; 212 (245) Jackdaws; 202 (180) Rooks; 1 (3) Carrion Crow; 29 (3) Starlings; 12 (4) Chaffinch; 11 (9) Greenfinches; 8 (8) Goldfinches; 3 (3) Bullfinch; 1 (0) Redpoll; 3 (5) Reed Buntings; 8 (4) unidentified finches (Last Saturdays figures in brackets)

Mammals
- Fresh Mole hills

(Martin Adlam / John Isherwood)

23rd October, Monday (08:15) - Female Blackcap in the Northeast Wood. (John Isherwood)

21st October, Saturday (07:00 - 09:00) - A mild morning at 13 degrees centigrade. Very cloudy though, with a fresh southerly wind that made the traffic noise from the M54 sound even louder.

Didn't see the Goldeneye that Ed saw on Wednesday but best birds of the day were:
- a male Blackcap in the copse at the southern tip of the dam. If I hadn't walked around to path on top of the dam so quickly, I think it would have carried on singing its subsong. But at least I got a good look at it before vanished into the thicket.
- Also a possible Chiffchaff in the Northeast wood. Had a quick glimpse and there was a single call, but I didn't see or hear it again.
- Also 10 parties of Redwing flying overhead in all directions with one party of 5 coming out of the Wesley Woods.

Other highlights were:
- Only saw 1 pair of Great Crested Grebes at the Weslely end and 1 juvenile by the dam.
- Just as I was leaving a single Cormorant landed on the water at the west end.
- A single Heron flew across the lake at 07:20 and started feeding along the shoreline on the northwest bank
- Resident adult Mute Swans with the cygnet today, with the Cob giving a pair Canada Geese a good chasing across the lake
- Mallard totals today were 42
- There were 3 parties of Pochard on the lake 5, 10 and 10
- Counted 72 Tufted Duck today
- 7 Moorhens around the lake with a single bird in Wesley Brook
- only 31 Coots
- Several fly-overs by Black-headed Gulls this morning with a few stopping over. Not too many larger gulls
- - 30 Black-headed Gulls logged at 07:15. Then parties of 100, 15, 60, 30, 5 and 20 came in for a quick bathe from 07:20 through to 09:00.
- - Only 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged
- A Kestrel was an early riser at it flew northeast over the lake at 07:10
- 1 Feral Pigeon flew west along the northbank
- Not many Wood Pigeons recoded with mainly small groups, the largest being 35 birds over the Northwood at 08:30 The rest were small flocks of 9, 4, 5 and a lot of 3's.
- A Kingfisher was heard calling along Wesley Brook, but I didn't manage to see it in the gloom
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker spotted me as I approached the copse to the south of the dam and shot across the M54.
- A small party of Meadow Pipits flew north with singles also seen
- 2 Grey Wagtails around the lake
- 12 Pied Wagtails logged. Like Ed was saying, the numbers are disappointing. A majority of local birds are roosting in the Telford Town Centre, but fewer are moving east when they leave their roost.
- Plenty of Wrens around the lake
- Lots of Thrushes about with Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing and Blackbird all logged. No Fieldfare yet.
-- 15 Song Thrushes calling from just about every corner of the lake.
- - Still plenty of Redwing overhead see note above.
- - 3 Mistle Thrush seen; all individuals
-- And Blackbird numbers still remaing high
- Still plenty of Goldcrest with individual birds in amongst the Tit flocks
- Had a good count of Long-tailed Tits with 3 groups roving around the lake. Largest flock of 15 in the northeast wood, was mixed with Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldcrest and possibly a Chiffchaff. I caught a quick glimpse and there was one clear "Wheet" but it didn't call again.
- The corvid passage almost caught me out as the first flock to fly over the lake were the Rooks at 07:20. This was the largest count of 158 birds followed by smaller flocks. The larger Jackdaw flocks followed a little later with 70 the highest logged. Also 3 Carrion Crow around the Lake with one bird being mobbed several times by a Black-headed Gull. In total there were 180 Rooks and 245 Jackdaw.
- Not sure if it counts as a roost but one Starling came out of the Wesley Reedbeds and there were just 3 sitting on the wires to the east of the Lake.
- Not too many finches about with
- 4 Chaffinches
- 9 Greenfinches
- 8 Goldfinches
- 3 Bullfinch seen
- 4 unidentified finches flew West over the RICOH
- logged 5 Reed Buntings coming out of the Wesley Reedbeds and a single bird in the reeds on the northbank

Birds logged today were:
1 Grey Heron; 2 Great Crested Grebe and 1 juvenile; 1 Cormorant; Still 2 adult Mute Swans and 1 cygnet; 34 Canada Geese (2 on the south bank); 42 Mallards; 25 Pochard; 72 Tufted Ducks; 1 Kestrel; 8 Moorhens; 31 Coots; 260 Black-headed Gulls; 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull; 1 Feral Pigeon; 57 Wood Pigeons; 1 Kingfisher; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; 9 Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 12 Pied Wagtails; 11 Wrens; 6 Dunnocks; 20 Robins; 17 Blackbirds; 15 Song Thrushes; 59 Redwing; 3 Mistle Thrushes; 1 (possible) Chiffchaff; 1 Blackcap; 5 Goldcrests; 20 Long-tailed; 1 Coal Tit; 9 Blue Tits; 8 Great Tits; 1 Tree Creeper; 1 Jay; 7 Magpies again; 245 Jackdaws; 180 Rooks; 3 Crows; 3 Starlings; 4 Chaffinch; 9 Greenfinches; 8 Goldfinches; 3 Bullfinch; 5 Reed Buntings; 4 unidentified finches

No Mammals or Insects noted today.

(Martin Adlam)

18th October, Wednesday (06:22 - 09:57) - Another depressing morning at the lake with the low cloud descending for most of the time and making it very misty at times again

I chose to repeat yesterday's experiment along the N side and thus today's totals are comparable to those taken yesterday

The highlights today were
- the duck Goldeneye lurking amongst all the other ducks in the NE area
- the Chiffchaff heard calling along the N side
- the rather strange calls from the reed beds that I assumed were Reed Buntings (they were certainly Buntings). But then 'real' Buntings started up and I was left confused as they were clearly not Yellowhammers, so what might they be? Have to listen to some tapes
- a good 'crop' of Shaggy Ink Caps is growing just W of the Teece Drive entrance gate, already some of them going 'inky' around the caps
- a interesting new species of fungus found along the N side

The more detailed notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are counts from an equally misty yesterday for comparison]
- the Great Crested Grebes were as 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles. The begging juvenile started at 06:40 this morning
- 1 Heron heard calling in the mist
- the 2 resident adult Swans had at least one visiting adult to deal with: the cygnet present of course
- 1 Greylag Geese flew in from the W at 09:10, but had gone by 09:20
- at least 2 Canada Geese were heard calling from the W end, but not visible in the mist and gone by 09:00
- while it was again hard to be certain as both ends were not visible at the same time, my count was 51 [76]
- 18 [16] Pochard seemed to be 12 adult males; and 6 ducks
- 98 [84] Tufted Duck counted today. Still impossible to get accurate count as they were distributed all around the lake in the mist and being dive-bombed by the Black-headed Gulls. My highest-count of the year
- 1 duck Goldeneye diving amongst one of the active rafts of Tufted Ducks was new in
- 1 [1] eclipse drake Ruddy Duck again
- a Buzzard was heard calling as it flew near-by in the mist
- 10 [8] Moorhens an excellent count in the circumstances
- only 37 [32] Coots
- gull numbers obviously low again today with no overflying birds:
- - 71 [35] Black-headed Gulls logged. The first birds were heard and then seen as a raft of at least 38 birds at 07:09. Another 36 arrived while I was checking that there was nothing more exciting with them. And then a few more drifted in from the N
- - 2 [0] Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged: both immatures on buoys at 09:10
- - no [0] Herring Gulls specifically identified
- no [0] Feral Pigeons again
- despite the few birds seen flying over, a Stock Dove flew E over the dam
- another low count of Wood Pigeons today: but there was a groups of at least 46 birds that I flushed out of the trees in the N / NW area as well as a few elsewhere: for the record 6 [6] logged flying E; 3 [1] flying W; 56 [12] more in the trees etc. around the lake; none [0] visible on the wires to the E again. So the total for the day was 65 [19]
- the Kingfisher was heard again at 07:25
- 1 Sky Lark heard over
- at least 4 Meadow Pipits heard over
- 3 Grey Wagtails seen flying in the dam again, and also flying off along the N shore, so probably the same as the birds seen in the Teece Drive area
- 20 [17] Pied Wagtails logged
- yet again the first Wren was calling before 06:30, but it was after 07:00 before the next bird was heard
- 6 [9] Song Thrushes today
- 42 [139] Redwings at least: I saw 27 flying over and heard at least 15 more
- no Mistle Thrush
- a Chiffchaff called once along the N side at 07:32: what I assume was the same bird called in a similar location at 08:24
- at least 6 [6] Goldcrests again this morning
- 2 parties of Long-tailed Tits heard
- the corvids were lost in the mist again. The totals today were 51 [81] Jackdaws; and 44 [28] Rooks
- no Starlings seen flying out of the N-side reeds today. 1 was seen flying E and then much later there were 11 on the wires to the E when the mist began to lift
- in the N area of the lake there were rather fewer finches than yesterday, but some reasonable totals
- 6 [8] Chaffinches
- 52 [109] Greenfinches (44 from the roost)
- 9 [1] Goldfinches
- 2 [2] Bullfinch heard again (briefly at 07:18 and then more confidently at 07:25); and then seen later
- 2 single Siskins heard over
- 4 [4] Reed Buntings: 3 along the N side; 1 female at the W end
- also 4 'buntings' heard from the N-side reed-bed area that sounded too hoarse to be Reed Buntings, but what were they?

And
- more new mole-hills
- the street lights gave me
- - 1 Epirrita sp. moth
- - 2 plumed midges
- - a rather small and dark shield-bug (I assume an early instar, though it seems a late date?)
- - several spiders of at least 2 species
- [sadly too dark / misty to photograph any of these to aid specific identification]
- the yacht club-house gave me
- - several very small snails with black-bodies
- - a crane fly (Tipula sp.)
- the 'new', but rapidly fading, Shaggy Ink Caps near the Teece Drive gate (those in the Celestica grounds are mostly sad, wilted stems only)
- several very different, short-stemmed and twisted ochre-coloured clusters of fungus with very prominent gills

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was [apologies for the cut-and-paste error that caused all the corvids and finch totals
for the 17 October to be those from the 16 October] no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 1 Heron; 3 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; 1 Greylag Goose; 2 Canada Geese; 51 Mallard (not sexed); 18 Pochard (12 drakes); 98 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); 1 duck Goldeneye; 1 drake Ruddy Duck; no Sparrowhawks; 1 Buzzard; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 10 Moorhens; 37 Coots; no waders; 71 Black-headed Gulls; 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gull; no Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 65 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 1 Kingfisher; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Sky Lark; no Swallows; 4 Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 20 Pied Wagtails; 18 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 46 Robins; 20 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 6 Song Thrushes; 42 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 1 Chiffchaff; 6 Goldcrests; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 14 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits again; no Tree Creepers; 1 Jay; 14 Magpies; 51 Jackdaws; 44 Rooks; 5 Crows; no Ravens; 12 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 6 Chaffinches; 52 Greenfinches; 9 Goldfinches; 2 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; 4 unidentified buntings

Also recorded
Mammals:
- more new molehills

Insects:
1 species of moth
- 1 Epirrita sp. [?}

other 'insect'
- 1 shield-bug instar
- 2 midge sps. on the lamps
- 2 spider sps. on the lamps
- 1 Crane-fly sp.

Fungi:
- Shaggy Ink Caps (Caprimus comatus, also known as Lawyer's Wig) in 2 different locations
- some new as yet unidentified fungus

Also see local bird news from today...................................

(Ed Wilson)

17th October, Tuesday (06:24 - 09:30) - Yet more depressing weather at the lake this morning with very low cloud and mist making it hard to see across the water. And there was a moderate SE wind bringing lots of road-noise from the M54 and Castle Farm Way. As a result I decamped to the N side where the traffic noise is least. The view of the sky is more restricted there, but that would not be much of a problem as with all the mist and cloud there would be little to see flying over and I would still be able to see the Jackdaws and Rooks that flew directly over the lake

It turned out not to be a bad decision as
- the Kingfisher seemed to have been roosting in the N side reeds and was seen in flight several times
- I could at least find some of the Redwings that I could hear - I saw 131 birds in 8 parties with a few singles; and heard at least 8 more singles / groups
- there were very few Starlings but the 7 that I saw seemed to be flying out of a small reed-bed roost along the N side
- I found a sizeable roost of Greenfinches in the bushes behind the N shore: after 5, apparently this species, shot off at 07:40 into the mist without any pre-flight calling there was then lots of noise from the area and I logged exactly 100 more birds flying out of the roost in 21 small groups of no more than 11 birds
- I was able to hear a pair of Bullfinches start their dawn-calls: rather different from normal calls, though instantly recognisable as this species
- a number of Reed Buntings heard and then seen moving around near the N-side reeds. Hard to know how many individuals involved - I would judge at least 4

Other highlights
- another drake Pochard
- an eclipse drake Ruddy Duck was my first here since July (when there were juveniles that I did not report for fear that the 'executioners' would want to seek them out)
- Jays being murdered in the NW area
- examination of the lights produced 4 moths; the most unusual-looking midge; and a species of spider that looked very different to most of the Garden Spider-like specimens seen feasting on unlucky moths
- Of the moths, 2 were probable November Moths but are best listed as Epirrita sp. (in an email on a UK Moths yahoo group an expert commented on this troublesome group just this week: "Unfortunately the Epirrita's [sic] cannot be determined in the field (despite some journals claiming they can) and [you] have to resort to examination of the tips to the underside of the abdomen. This is a process that does NOT have to be fatal to the moth, i.e., you don't have to kill. They can be weakly anaesthetised with Ethyl Acetate then placed under a microscope, the scales to the tips of the underside of the abdomen are then lightly brushed off with a paint brush to reveal two prongs, it is these prongs that will reveal the identity of the moth. This can only be performed with males, ....females, even with a full dissection can not be determined". Not practical on moths 15' up a light-pole at the lake!
- the other 2 moths were from the almost equally troublesome Tortrix group. Once again the light conditions were not good-enough for me to get a viable photograph to assist with identification. Seems likely that they were different species, though some of this group are highly variable. With the continuing mild weather many species are still flying when most reference books suggest that they should have ceased in September. Indeed some species are having additional broods and flying well outside normal dates

But
- no Sky Larks, Meadow Pipits or unusual finches seen or heard overhead, though a puzzling party of 6 silent finches flew E

Dave Ash, one of the fishermen reported
- a pair of Tawny Owls in the trees along the N shore over the weekend
Another fisherman reported he had caught
- 2 Carp
- 1 Tench

The more detailed notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday counts for comparison] note that with the mist and fog then some counts will be significantly lower today
- I think the Great Crested Grebes were as 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles. The begging juvenile started at 06:41 this morning; and I think it was the 'other' juvenile that I saw later
- no Herons seen or heard
- just the 2 resident adult Swans with the cygnet today
- no geese
- while it is hard to be certain as both ends were not visible at the same time, there seemed to be more Mallard today - 76 [42]
- 16 [15] Pochard seemed to be 11 adult males; and 5 ducks
- 84 [87] Tufted Duck counted today, but hard to get accurate count as they were distributed all around the lake in the mist
- 1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck was new in
- 8 [8] Moorhens again reasonable in the circumstances: 6 on the dam-face today
- only 32 [38] Coots
- gull numbers low today with no overflying birds:
- - 35 [152] Black-headed Gulls logged at 09:00. The first bird flew, unusually, in from the Nat 07:09. Although I could not see birds arriving from the W (the Ricoh area) this morning there were only 6 birds on the lake at 07:45 and few after that either. Because of my position I could see birds arriving only from the N - which at last 9 more did
- - no [14] Lesser Black-backed-type Gull logged: nothing much could be seen flying over
- - no [0] Herring Gulls specifically identified
- no [0] Feral Pigeons again
- low count of Wood Pigeons today: while I expected not to see fly-overs there were no parties in the trees around the lake either: for the record 6 [31] logged flying E; 1 [23] flying W; 12 [73] more in the trees etc. around the lake; none [2] visibly on the wires to the E. So the total for the day was just 19 [129]
- the Kingfisher was calling and then heard in flight early at 07:10: and then presumed the same bird seen at 07:25
- no Sky Larks or Meadow Pipits seen or heard
- 3 Grey Wagtails seen flying away from the dam again
- 17 [14] Pied Wagtails logged: rather disappointing as away from the muffling traffic noise and with roost-dispersal birds forced to fly low I had hoped for a better count
- the first Wren yet again calling before 06:30
- 9 [8] Song Thrushes today: again 4 together in the N-side hedges. again one was sub-singing for long periods
- 139 [9] Redwings at least - see above
- no Mistle Thrush
- at least 6 [5] Goldcrests this morning; the first at 07:29 (this was a different bird to the early-riser noted previously)
- Long-tailed Tits started up at 07:16 [07:38]: as with Goldcrests these were different birds to those noted previously. 2 more parties noted again
- recording the corvids passage was difficult in the mist and only birds flying directly overhead could be seen, briefly. Some were clearly using the lake to orientate themselves, with arrival from strange directions. The totals today were 81 [190] Jackdaws; and 28 [155] Rooks
- the only Starlings were the 7 that appeared to fly out of the N-side reeds. There was limited visibility of the wires to the E, but none was seen there even though that part that could be seen was their usual area for resting between feeding forays
- in the N area of the lake I encountered more finches that when I have been along the S or W side recently
- 8 [1] Chaffinches
- 109 [9] Greenfinches (105 from the roost)
- but only 1 [6] Goldfinches
- 2 [1] Bullfinch heard
- 6 unidentified and uncharacteristically silent finches flew E (or might they have been buntings?)
- 4 [1] Reed Buntings along the N side

And
- lots of new mole-hills along the N side and the W end (but no other mammals)
- the moths identified above
- a crane-fly sp. on the yacht club-house again

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; no Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 76 Mallard (not sexed); 16 Pochard (11 drakes); 84 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); 1 Ruddy Duck; no Sparrowhawks; no Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 8 Moorhens; 32 Coots; no waders; 35 Black-headed Gulls; no Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gull; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 19 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 1 Kingfisher; no Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Swallows; no Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 17 Pied Wagtails; 21 Wrens for the 3rd day! 11 Dunnocks; 38 Robins; 22 Blackbirds again; no Fieldfares; 9 Song Thrushes again; 139 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Chiffchaffs; 6 Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 12 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 2 Jays; 17 Magpies again; 190 Jackdaws; 155 Rooks; 11 Crows; no Ravens; 30 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 1 Chaffinch; 9 Greenfinches; 6
Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; 3 Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; 1 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Mammals:
- no Rabbits
- no Grey Squirrels
- many new molehills
- no bat sp.

Insects:
species of moth
- 2 different Tortrix species [?]
- 2 Epirrita sp. [?}
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

other 'insect'
- 1 midge sp. on the lamps
- 1 spider sp. on the lamps
- 1 Crane-fly sp.

(Ed Wilson)

16th October, Monday (06:21 - 09:53) - Another disappointing day weather-wise with the waning moon and stars soon disappearing behind some low cloud, once again making it rather dark. Hazy too

Today's highlights
- party of 9 Cormorants appeared from the N, circled the lake and flew off SW: later another from the E
- a juvenile Swan (all white but dull bill) flew in and was chased on to the grass by the resident cob, who proceeded to jump on it and hold it down. The pen soon joined in and the cygnet stood by hissing its approval. I went and 'interfered' separating the interloper that after some 10 minutes recovery flew off - it was blue ringed 7DSC. Blow me but some 10 minutes later 2 full adults arrived and were also chased all around the lake
- a few more Pochard again
- same number of Tufted Ducks (87), though some of them flew off (more at The Flash today)
- a Sparrowhawk was being chased this morning - by the local Crows (do Rooks ever chase birds of prey?)
- 2 Skylarks and 1 Meadow Pipit heard overhead
- best bird of the day was the calling Swallow overhead: sadly it coincided with a passing Pied Wagtail and I connected with the wrong bird!
- a few Redwings
- another small 'charm' of Goldfinches
- 3 Redpolls flew W together
- no moths again on the lights, probably due to the clear night. Just 1 plumed midge

The more detailed notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday counts for comparison]
- Great Crested Grebes as 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles. Begging started at 06:44
- 2 Herons: one heard calling in the dark at 06:55, but suspect was chasing off another: certainly it was at 07:13
- 5 adult Swans at the lake today at various times - see above: with the cygnet of course
- no geese
- I should have commented earlier that most of the Mallards are 'paired' already - won't stop the fighting in the Spring though! Today I logged only 42 [55]
- 15 [12] Pochard seemed to be 10 adult males; and 5 ducks
- 81 Tufted Duck counted at 09:00, but hard to get accurate count as they were distributed all around the lake; being dive-bombed by the Black-headed Gulls; and scattered by the fighting Swans! I had also seen 6 flying off high NW at 06:47 when still dark. So the total again 87 [87] Tufted Ducks (26 at The Flash this morning)
- the Sparrowhawk to the NE with the Crow as noted above
- 8 [5] Moorhens a better count
- 38 [34] Coots was a slightly better count, but I now think I know where they all are - see below, I logged 91 at Trench Lock Pool, easily my highest-ever total there
- gull numbers today:
- - 152 [204] Black-headed Gulls logged. The first 7 birds flew in at 07:02 with no more until 07:12. All 152 arrived prior to 08:20
- - 14 [90] Lesser Black-backed-type Gull logged: all but 3 of these were flying over
- - no [0] Herring Gulls specifically identified
- no [11] Feral Pigeons today
- reasonable count of Wood Pigeons again: 31 [5] logged flying E; 23 [26] flying W; 73 [31] more in the trees etc. around the lake, with at least 49 flushed out of the NW area; 2 [0] on the wires to the E. So the total for the day was 129 [120]
- 2 separate Sky Larks heard overhead
- the Swallow heard flying over at 08:15 was frustratingly not seen
- 1 Meadow Pipit also heard overhead
- 3 Grey Wagtails seen flying away from the dam: and one in the Teece Drive area seemed likely to be a different bird
- just 14 [23] Pied Wagtails logged, all flying over
- the first Wren again calling before 06:30
- 8 [8] Song Thrushes today, with 4 together (with 5 Blackbirds) in the N-side hedges
- 9 [11] Redwings logged, though some heard only and could have been part of larger flocks
- a Mistle Thrush called as it flew S
- at least 5 [7] Goldcrests this morning; slept-in until 07:34 [06:47] this morning!
- Long-tailed Tits also slept-in and did not start up until 07:38 [07:29]. 2 more parties noted
- recording the corvids passage was again hampered by the haze and the dark low clouds and only birds passing more or less directly overhead could be seen. The totals today were 190 [218] Jackdaws; and 155 [103] Rooks
- the first Starlings appeared over at 07:32 heading for the wires to the E. Today there were just 18 as the highest count on the wires. At the same time there were 12 around the bushes alongside the M54
- 1 [2] Chaffinch only
- 9 [8] Greenfinches again unremarkable
- 6 [24] Goldfinches all in a single party flying S
- 1 [1] Bullfinch heard
- 3 Redpolls were nice to see (as well as hear!)
- 1 [1] Reed Bunting again today: today heard along the S side where they are also rather unusual

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today was again disappointing. After what was probably a moonlight night
- - 1 plumed midge sp.
- there are now just 2 Shaggy Ink caps remaining. and both of those will be gone within a day or so. But there are now 3 tight clusters of small toadstools. This species also seems to have a very short life-span and the 4-day old cluster is now looking decidedly slimy, though the bodies have so far retained their shape

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; 10 Cormorants; 2 Herons; 5 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 42 Mallard (not sexed); 15 Pochard (10 drakes); 87 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); no Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; no Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 8 Moorhens; 38 Coots; no waders; 152 Black-headed Gulls; 14 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gull; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 129 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Swallows; 1 Meadow Pipit; 4 Grey Wagtails; 14 Pied Wagtails; 21 Wrens again; 9 Dunnocks; 34 Robins; 22 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 8 Song Thrushes again; 9 Redwings; 1 Mistle Thrush; no Chiffchaffs; 5 Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; 1 Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 13 Blue Tits again; 9 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 17 Magpies again; 190 Jackdaws; 155 Rooks; 11 Crows; no Ravens; 30 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 1 Chaffinch; 9 Greenfinches; 6 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; 3 Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; 1 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Iinsects:
- 1 plumed midge on the lamps

Fungi:
- 2 Shaggy Ink-caps
- 3 clusters of brown, but rapidly deliquescing, toadstools

(Ed Wilson)

15th October, Sunday (06:23 - 09:25) - A dull and rather dispiriting morning at the lake with a brisk SE wind making it feel rather cooler than the 12C recorded by the car thermometer suggested: what are we going to do when winter comes?

Also struggled to find any real highlights, but there is always something

Today's highlights
- at last there were some Canada Geese over the lake - but not the usual early departures
- there were more Pochard and Tufted Ducks today at the lake today: the Tufted Duck might have come from The Flash where there were even fewer, but the Pochard had not come from there!
- a Sparrowhawk was chasing Starlings at The Flash today
- today it was a Buzzard that put the Starlings to flight from the wires to the E of the lake
- 2 Kestrels hovering together over the W end of the lake was unusual
- first sizeable count of Lesser Black-backed Gulls for a while - 90 logged, with only 4 of these on the lake
- Kingfisher heard at the lake and The Flash
- 3 Meadow Pipits over were the only real passage birds apart from a few Redwings
- I flushed a Pied Wagtail, apparently from the SW grass, at 06:30. Plenty of others heard over later, but no large groups today
- just one party of Redwings
- more groups of Goldfinches over both the lake and The Flash
- no moths on the lights that were exposed to the wind: but a rather different Caddis Fly

The more detailed notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday counts for comparison]
- Great Crested Grebes as 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles, with the begging juvenile already started up when I came within earshot at 06:33
- 1 Heron only: today it seemed to come in from the W
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- 24 Canada Geese over in 3 parties: first 2 at 07:09, but others after 09:00 when I would have expected them to be returning
- Mallards were all grouped off the dam at 06:30 and while it was rather dark to count / separate this species, I logged 51. Later 8 (more?) landed after flying around for a while. Later when I did the complete count of the lake (about 08:45) there were 55 [56]
- 12 [10] Pochard seemed to be 8 adult males; and 4 ducks. None appeared to be immature drakes
- now 87 [71] Tufted Ducks: another 'highest this autumn' count (but only 10 at The Flash this morning)
- a Buzzard seen circling to the E and flushing everything out of the fields to the E
- 5 [10] Moorhens a poor count. Once again 4 birds were on the grass on top of the dam mixing with the Magpies, Crows, gulls and ducks for the food-scraps. Another was heard waking at 06:52
- 34 [37] Coots was another low count
- gull numbers slightly higher today:
- - 204 [161] Black-headed Gulls logged. First bird flew in by 07:00 but no more until 07:13. I logged 76 arriving prior to 08:15, but at that time 125 were counted - 83 on the lake and another 42 on the lamps. After that I logged 79 more arriving
- - 90 [18] Lesser Black-backed-type Gull logged: all but 4 of these were flying over, mainly in small groups, the largest being 23 birds. This is my highest total for a while
- - no [1] Herring Gulls specifically identified
- 11 Feral Pigeons today: one party of 8 that were almost identically marked blue morphs; the other 3 were amongst a large group of Wood Pigeons seen to the E
- 1 Stock Doves flew E
- reasonable count of Wood Pigeons again: only 5 [50] logged flying E; 26 [17] flying W; 31 [30] more in the trees etc. around the lake; none [11] on the wires to the E; and a groups of at least 58 birds seen over the trees to the W, put up at 08:55. This boosted the total for the day to 120 [108]
- the Kingfisher was only heard, but seemed to be flying towards its favoured 'lurking' spot in the SE willows [later I heard it, or another, at The Flash]
- no Sky Larks logged
- after 2 separate Meadow Pipits heard overhead, another was seen flying E
- only 1 Grey Wagtails today with none noted at the W end
- 23 [25] Pied Wagtails logged, all flying over apart from the bird flushed from the SW grass at 06:30
- the first Wrens were calling at 06:23 when I arrived this morning: one was yesterday as well but I assumed it was an aberration. Today there were 3 calling at that time, some 30 minutes earlier than 'normal'
- 8 [6] Song Thrushes today, with one in rather more than sub-song today
- 11 [48] Redwings logged. Largest party of just 8 birds
- at least 7 Goldcrests this morning; with the first heard calling at the remarkably early time of 06:47, though it seemed to be 07:11 before it moved off
- Long-tailed Tits started up at 07:29 in the SE area again. Again no more logged
- no [1] Coal Tit today
- no [2] Jays today
- the corvids passage was hard to get to grips with in the dull weather - at least I assume that was why there were rather small numbers. The totals today were 218 [211] Jackdaws; and 103 [128] Rooks
- the first Starlings appeared on the wires to the E at 07:35 and there were eventually at least 130. After 08:50, and probably in response to the Buzzard, small parties were flying around the lake and pausing in the bushes alongside the M54
- 2 [4] Chaffinches unremarkable again
- 8 [15] Greenfinches also unremarkable
- 24 [30] Goldfinches included a party of 18 flying S (and later 17 over The Flash)
- 1 [3] Bullfinches seen in flight
- only 1 [2] Reed Buntings today and that heard in the SE area where they are unusual

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today was very disappointing. All the lamps were rather exposed to the wind and there were no moths at all but:
- - 1 well-marked caddis-fly, but a different species from that recorded yesterday
- no Rabbits again (are they hibernating?)
No update on the Noctuid moth from yesterday but I am inclined to the view that it was a faded Red-line Quaker

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 1 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 24 Canada Geese; 59 Mallard (not sexed); 12 Pochard (8 drakes); 87 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); no Ruddy Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; 1 Buzzard; 2 Kestrels; no Pheasants; 5 Moorhens; 32 Coots; no waders; 204 Black-headed Gulls; 90 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gull; 11 Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 120 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 1 Kingfisher; no Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Swallows; 3 Meadow Pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 23 Pied Wagtails; 21 Wrens; 8 Dunnocks; 32 Robins; 12 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 8 Song Thrushes; 11 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Chiffchaffs; 7 Goldcrests; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 12 Blue Tits again; 7 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 17 Magpies; 218 Jackdaws; 103 Rooks; 13 Crows; no Ravens; c.130 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 2 Chaffinches; 8 Greenfinches; 24 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; 1 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Insects:
(as a post-script to the suggestion that one of Friday's moths might be a Red-line Quaker, I had a specimen in my Newport garden moth-trap last night}
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

other insects
- 2 Crane-fly Tipula sp. on the wall of the yacht club hut

Fungi:
- did not check earlier fungus and did not note any new fruits

(Ed Wilson)

14th October, Saturday (06:22 - 09:43) - Unexpectedly clear and moonlight when I arrived at the lake this morning. The low cloud tended to fill in and by 8:30 it was dull again, but with none of yesterday's mist and moderate visibility at least. Light / moderate SE wind

Today's highlights
- Cormorants flew through
- Water Rail seems to be back - sounded like one, briefly
- 2 small parties of Lapwings over
- Sparrowhawk chasing the Starlings
- more Sky Larks on the move over both the lake and The Flash (and later in the day over my house in Newport)
- Meadow Pipits also over
- party of Pied Wagtails as well
- Redwings over in small groups today: also a few in the trees around the lake
- the first Fieldfare of the autumn heard
- more groups of Goldfinches over
- a Siskin over the lake and a Redpoll over The Flash
- 4 moths of 3 species on the lights

The more detailed notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday / Thursday's counts for comparison - many of yesterday's totals were mist affected and atypical]
- Great Crested Grebes as 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles, with the begging juvenile starting up still earlier at 06:39!
- 2 Cormorants (1 a pale-bellied immature) flew in from the W: had a look at the lake: but moved off without stopping
- 2 Herons at least today: 1 seen flying in from the E; and then some 7 minutes later one came in very high from the N. One seen later in the NW reed-beds was presumably one of these
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- no geese again
- Mallards were seen and heard flying around from before 06:30, but when I did the complete count of the lake about 09:00 there were 42 [56 / 54]
- the 10 [3 / 9] Pochard seemed to be 6 adult male; 2 immature males, and 2 ducks
- 71 [46 / 68]Tufted Ducks the highest this autumn (but only 17 at The Flash this morning)
- a male Sparrowhawk spent some while chasing the Starling flocks around the lake, apparently without success
- a Buzzard was heard calling well before daylight from the W, but not seen
- a probable Water Rail called from the NW reeds at 06:27. Not 100% positive as there was just one brief call and the local Coots can make some strange noises!
- 10 Moorhens a good count
- 37 [23 / 43] Coots was rather lower than I expected
- there were 2 Lapwings overhead at 07:43; presumably the same 2 again [still?] 08:25. But then a flock of 20 just as I was leaving at 09:40
- gull numbers back to previous values, but still seem low for the date:
- - 161 [31 / 171] Black-headed Gulls only logged. First birds flew in at 06:39, with no more until after 07:15. All but 3 of the birds (which flew N) arrived from the W
- - 18 [1 / 2 ] Lesser Black-backed-type Gull logged flying over: apart from a group of 9 birds flying W these were all singles flying in a variety of directions
- - 1 [0 / 0] Herring Gull specifically identified
- 4 Feral Pigeons today, one of which was in with a small group of 8 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Stock Doves on the wires to the NE again
- much better count of Wood Pigeons today: exactly 50 logged flying E; 17 flying W; 30 more in the trees etc. around the lake; and at least 11 more on the wires to the E. So the total for the day was 108 [23 / 125]
- 10 Sky Larks logged overhead including a party of 7
- 2 single Meadow Pipits both flew S
- at least 3 Grey Wagtails today with 2 together on the dam and one in the Wesley Brook area
- 25 [12 / 27] Pied Wagtails logged, all flying over, including a party of 8 together flying S
- a Fieldfare heard calling in flight at 06:54 but too dark to find it
- 6 [9 / 8] Song Thrushes today
- at least 48 [8 / 9] Redwings logged with 45 of these seen. Largest party of 19 birds
- 1 Mistle Thrush seen in the Ricoh hedge again
- no Chiffchaff seen or heard again today
- yet again 3 Goldcrests heard; with the first heard calling soon after 07:00 and before any of the tits were calling
- Long-tailed Tits started up at 07:24 in the SE area. Unusually thereafter I logged none
- 1 [1 / 3] Coal Tit today
- 2 Jays seen and heard in the NW area, where they usually are
- the corvids passage was more back to normal today, but rather disappointing in totals in the clear conditions. A slightly different track this morning with some of the Jackdaws passing to the W. There were also several Rooks that were flying in 'unusual' directions and one party of 7 birds included one rather optimistically carrying a stick! The totals today were 211 [27 / 236] Jackdaws; and 128 [18 / 222] Rooks
- the first Starlings appeared on the wires to the E at 07:25 and there were eventually at least 300. After 09:00 small parties were flying around the lake and pausing in the bushes alongside the M54, though they did not stay, especially when the male Sparrowhawk appeared. All manner of singles were also seen flying about, but most / all were likely from or to the main group feeding in the ploughed field conveniently under the wires
- 4 [7 / 5] Chaffinches unremarkable
- 15 [3 / 17] Greenfinches also unremarkable
- 30 [2 / 33] Goldfinches included parties of 13 and 9 flying SE
- 3 [0 / 1] Bullfinches logged
- at least 1 Siskin heard overhead
- 2 [4 / 3] Reed Buntings today

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today produced 4 moths of 3 species:
- - 1 Tortrix moth, apparently the same as the (still) unidentified specimen from yesterday, on the same light. I went back later when the light was better to get a better photo for the ID and it had gone!
- - 2 November Moth types again
- - 1 female Feathered Thorn
- no Rabbits again (are they hibernating?)
No update on the Noctuid moth from yesterday but I am inclined to the view that it was a faded Red-line Quaker

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; 2 Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 42 Mallard (not sexed); 10 Pochard (see above); 71 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); no Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; 1 Buzzard; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 10 Moorhens; 37 Coots; 22 Lapwings; no other waders; 161 Black-headed Gulls; 18 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; 1 specifically identified Herring Gull; 4 Feral Pigeons; 2 Stock Dove; 108 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 10 Sky Larks; no Swallows; 2 Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 25 Pied Wagtails; 22 Wrens; 12 Dunnocks; 37 Robins; 21 Blackbirds; 1 Fieldfare; 6 Song Thrushes; 48 Redwings; 1 Mistle Thrush; no Chiffchaffs; 3 Goldcrests; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 12 Blue Tits; 12 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 2 Jays; 14 Magpies; 211 Jackdaws; 128 Rooks; 12 Crows; no Ravens; c.300 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 4 Chaffinches; 15 Greenfinches; 30 Goldfinches; 1 Siskin; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 3 Bullfinches; 2 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Insects:
up to 6 species of moth
- 1 unidentified Tortrix moth
- 2 probable November Moths (Eppirata dilutata) [1795]
- 1 female Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) [1923]

yesterday's noctuid moth might be
- 1 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) [2263]
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

other insects
- 1 non-biting plumed moth on the lamps
- 1 Crane-fly Tipula sp. on the wall of the yacht club hut
- 2 small snails also on the wall of the yacht club hut

Fungi:
- c.5 extant Shaggy Ink Cap fruits
- cluster of fruits of still unidentified species

(Ed Wilson)

13th October, Friday (06:21 - 10:08) - Another weather-affected day at the lake with low cloud and mist. An extended stay while I took advantage of the heavy mist and dew as well as the 'flat' light for some photographic effects, but the number of birds affected in several way - unable to see all the lake; and fly-overs, when heard - and there were few enough of these

As usual a few highlights
- Sky Larks on the move again
- several Redwings over and in the trees around the lake
- 7 moths of at least 5 species
- more fungi fruits
- late flowering Ragwort and Valerian

The more detailed notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]
- Great Crested Grebes as 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles, with the begging juvenile starting up even earlier at 06:47, though it soon stopped and later was seen well away from its parent
- no Heron seen or heard
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- no geese again
- only 3 Pochard seen in the murk, but not all the lake visible
- 46 Tufted Ducks logged: but also likely to be an incomplete count
- 5 Moorhens logged
- just 29 Coots in the mist
- gull numbers also affected by the weather as well:
- - 31 [171] Black-headed Gulls only logged. First heard at late time of 07:15. 13 of these were again circling low over the water in the NW area, but I could not see why
- - 1 [2 ] single Lesser Black-backed-type Gull logged flying over
- - no [0] Herring Gull specifically identified when it briefly visited the lake
- no Feral Pigeons
- 1 Stock Doves flew low E
- in the conditions the few Wood Pigeons that were visible may have all been from around the lake or fly-overs - I could not tell. Just 23 [125] was the day's tally
- Grey Wagtails active again and seen and heard in flight: 2 birds again today
- 12 [27] Pied Wagtails logged, all heard flying over
- the count of Robins today reached (a record?) total of 50 - helped by the weather I walked all the way around while these were still singing
- at least 9 Song Thrushes today with two different birds noted sub-singing
- at least 8 Redwings heard with at least 4 of these in trees around the lake: none seen
- no Chiffchaff seen or heard today - the first 'blank' day of the season
- once again 3 Goldcrests heard; and again the first heard calling around 07:00
- Long-tailed Tits were heard along the S side again starting up at 07:20
- a few minutes later on this dull morning. 2 other parties again
- just 1 Coal Tits today
- 1 Tree Creeper calling along the N side
- no Jays seen and heard
- the corvids were all 'lost in the mist' today and I heard or saw just 27 Jackdaws and 18 Rooks. Unfair to compare these figures with earlier days. Unusual was 10 Rooks together on the small part of the wire to the E that I could see in the mist. Several of the Jackdaws were travelling in unusual directions - truly lost in the mist?
- a flock of at least 180 Starlings was noted swirling around in the SW area though I am still mystified as to what the attraction for these birds is here - the M-way verge seems unlikely! (the wires to the E were hardly visible today)
- finches in very low numbers
- - 7 [5] Chaffinches
- - 3 [17] Greenfinches
- - 2 [33] Goldfinches
- - no [1] Bullfinches
- Reed Buntings were flushed out of the N-side reeds / scrub area: none was heard or seen at the W end

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today produced a bumper crop of 7 moths from at least 5 species:
- - 2 Tortrix moths, one the very distinctive shape of Acleris emargana: the other possibly this species as well as not all the specimens show the notch in the wing that gives the species its (only) scientific name
- - 1 Winter Moth: smaller than ..
- - 2 November Moth types on different lights / lamp-posts from yesterday
- - 1 splendid male Feathered Thorn
- - 1 rather plain-looking Noctuid moth that requires more research
- and a very well-marked Caddis Fly that I have not been able to identify
- no Rabbits again, but
- a Grey Squirrel heard 'calling' (is that the word?) from the trees along the N side
- while most of the Shaggy Ink Caps have now 'dripped-away' there was a cluster of a completely different species this morning!
- it is normal for Ragwort and valerian (and a hawkbit sp.) to be in flower at this date?

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
[Note that the counts for most water-birds is likely to be incomplete / inaccurate due to the limited visibility]
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; no Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 56 Mallard (not sexed); 3 Pochard (1 drake); 46 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); no Ruddy Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; no Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 5 Moorhens; 29 Coots; no waders; 24 Black-headed Gulls; 1 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 23 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Sky Larks; no Swallows; no Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 12 Pied Wagtails; 24 Wrens; 11 Dunnocks; 50 Robins; 27 Blackbirds; 9 Song Thrushes; 8 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Chiffchaffs; 3 Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 8 Blue Tits; 9 Great Tits; 1 Tree Creeper; no Jays; 8 Magpies; 27 Jackdaws; 18 Rooks; 3 Crows; no Ravens; 180 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 7 Chaffinches; 3 Greenfinches; 2 Goldfinches; no Linnets; no Redpolls; no Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Mammals:
- no Rabbits
- 1 Grey Squirrel heard
- recent molehills at E end
- no bat sp.

Insects:
up to 6 species of moth
- 1 Acleris emargana [1062]
- 1 unidentified Tortrix moth, possibly also Acleris emargana [1062]
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) [1799]
- 2 probable November Moths (Eppirata dilutata) [1795]
- 1 male Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) [1923]
- 1 rather plain-looking Noctuid moth that requires more research
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of Caddis Fly
- 1 unidentified large and well-marked specimen

Fungi:
- 10+ Shaggy Ink Cap fruits
- cluster of new fruits of unidentified species

(Ed Wilson)

12th October, Thursday evening (17:45 - 18:15) - In the late afternoon I was on my way out and stopped at the lake again, observing from the E end lay-by / dam-top

Here are the notes from that period
- 44 Canada Geese flew over: oddly they were going E - a late feed?
- still 9 Pochard
- only 51 Tufted Duck now
- there were 155 Black-headed Gulls on the lake at 17:45: birds were coming (from the E / SE) and going (to the W, mainly). By 18:00 there were c.190 on the lake, though they started to leave and by 08:12 all these birds had gone,
- 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls present throughout until just after the last Black-headed Gulls had left when these 2 left to the W as well
- at least 7 Pied Wagtails flew over, presumably to roost, though I would expect the largest numbers were yet to pass
- during the period I counted the Jackdaws and Rooks returning - just 6 of each! So where were they?
- at 17:45 there were at least 300 Starlings on the wires to the E, though they soon left

12th October, Thursday - (06:20 - 09:52) - [After walk around the Lake I visited The Flash see Local Bird News]

At last a fine day with the weather affecting the birds in a more positive way (though there were no 'unusual' ducks around today). The street-lights went out a full 16 minutes earlier than yesterday after a (half) moonlight night and a good sunrise as some high cloud spread in for a while

Passage birds over the lake (and during another quick visit to The Flash) included Sky Lark, Meadow Pipit, Redwing and Redpoll

Specific highlights from the lake
- 9 Pochard, but instead of mostly drakes today there were 5 drakes and 4 ducks
- 68 Tufted Ducks an even higher count (and with another 59 at The Flash there had obviously been some movement in overnight)
- party of 18 Lapwings over the lake briefly, but did not see where they came from or where they went!
- at least 9 Sky Larks seen or heard over, all moving W and all singles / twos (and another 2 S over The Flash)
- Green Woodpecker heard along the N side again
- 17 Meadow Pipits over, all moving S
- the 27 Pied Wagtails included a party of 12 flying S
- 9 specifically identified Redwings over the lake with another 6 unidentified small thrushes seen in flight that were probably also this species (and 3 more Redwings flying over The Flash)
- at first-light my position at the S end of the dam seemed to be on some type of flight path and shortly after a Song Thrush nearly flew in my right ear a Blackbird did the same thing with my left ear!
- of the 33 Goldfinches logged, 24 were in a single party flying SE, confusingly at the same time as 8 Meadow Pipits and 12 Pied Wagtails were in two separate groups flying S across their path!
- the Redpoll flying W was a pleasant surprise

And
- 2 November Moths (or similar) on the lights with a mosquito as well

The more detailed avian notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]
- Great Crested Grebes back to 'normal': 3 adults and 2 juveniles, with the begging juvenile starting up at 07:09!
- no Heron seen or heard
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- no geese seen here again (but there were birds at The Flash today)
- the 9 Pochard as well as having different sex-ratios this morning were now in two separate parties
- the 68 Tufted Ducks scattered all around the lake again, though most are close to the dam
- Sparrowhawk glimpsed to the far E over Ward's Rough
- Kestrel seen briefly on the wire to the E
- 8 Moorhens logged in the better weather: at least 2 of these are juveniles
- only 43 Coots this morning
- gull numbers lower again: despite the better weather there were still few fly-overs :
- - 171 [324] Black-headed Gulls logged. There were 43 here by 06:35 and it is possible that these roosted here and that I flushed them. Another 125 logged arriving from the W. And just 5 birds flew N and seemed to have no interest in the lake at all
- - 2 [12] single Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls logged flew W
- - 1 [0] Herring Gull immature specifically identified when it briefly visited the lake
- 2 single Feral Pigeons over
- the usual 2 Stock Doves on the wires to the NE
- more Wood Pigeons flying in the better weather: 29 [5] logged flying E: and 51 [8] flying W. There were up to 14 [1] birds on the wires to the E: and 31 [22] birds around the lake. So the tally today was a much better 125 [36]
- Green Woodpecker made a lot of noise along the N side at the early time of 07:35, but failed to show
- the 17 Meadow Pipits already noted
- Grey Wagtails active again and seen and heard in flight: at least 2 birds today
- 27 [13] Pied Wagtails logged included the previously noted party of 12. None noted around the lake
- at least 8 Song Thrushes one of which seemed to give a very brief burst of sub-song
- the previously noted 9 Redwings and 6 small thrushes
- 2 Mistle Thrushes: 1 on the wires to the E; and then another seen in flight headed the same way
- probably 2 different Chiffchaff heard again today: one sang very briefly
- at least 3 Goldcrests heard yet again, with the first calling before 07:00 - only just beaten by the first Wren and before the first Dunnock
- Long-tailed Tits were heard along the S side again starting up at 07:16. 2 other parties again
- 3 Coal Tits at the W end seemed very 'bright', with the pronounced reddish-brown flanks confirming their sub-species as the British race
- Jays seen and heard again
- 19 Magpies logged with 9 of these on the dam eating the food put out for the ducks: another 7 seen having an energetic chase around a dead tree to the SE
- the corvids seemed a bit late leaving the roost today considering the brighter conditions. There were no large flocks of either Jackdaws or Rooks. And there were rather few noted to the E, most of those logged passing more or less over the lake. Both species had an extended 'tail' with passage continuing steadily for 30 minutes and thereafter sporadically. Today's totals were 236 [180 ] Jackdaws and 222 [161] Rooks
- lost of Starlings logged. A maximum of 52 on the wires etc. to the E. But also small groups flying both E and W that seemed unconnected, and these totalled 97 more
- other than the party of Goldfinches, in general finches in unremarkable numbers
- - 5 [0] Chaffinches
- - 17 [25] Greenfinches
- - 33 [1] Goldfinches
- - 1 [3] Bullfinches
- the Redpoll was unexpected - I reckon the second-half of the month before I log these
- 3 Reed Buntings again today with 1 calling in the SW area as well as 2 heard at the W end

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today produced
- - 1 mosquito!
- - 2 November Moth types: got rather poor digiscope photos of both but specific identity can only be confirmed by dissection of the genitalia, so ?
- no Rabbits again
- many of the Shaggy Ink Caps are 'dripping-away' though there are some new bodies as well

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake this morning is set out below:
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; no Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 54 Mallard (not sexed); 9 Pochard (5 drakes); 68 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); no Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; no Buzzards; 1 Kestrel; no Pheasants; 8 Moorhens; 43 Coots; 18 Lapwings; no other waders; 171 Black-headed Gulls; 2 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; 1 specifically identified Herring Gull; 2 Feral Pigeons; 2 Stock Doves; 125 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; 1 Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 9 Sky Larks; no Swallows; 17 Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 27 Pied Wagtails; 24 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 36 Robins; 24 Blackbirds; 8 Song Thrushes; 9 Redwings; 2 Mistle Thrushes; 2 Chiffchaffs; 3 Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; 3 Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 8 Blue Tits; 14 Great Tits; no Tree Creeper; 2 Jays; 19 Magpies; 236 Jackdaws; 222 Rooks; 15 Crows; no Ravens; 149 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 5 Chaffinches; 17 Greenfinches; 33 Goldfinch; no Linnets; 1 Redpoll; 1 Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Insects:
1 species of moth
- 2 probable November Moths (Eppirata dilutata) [1795]
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]
- 1 mosquito

(Ed Wilson)

11th October, Wednesday (06:20 - 09:15) - [After walk around the Lake I visited The Flash see Local Bird News]

Yet another weather-affected day at the lake and The Flash.

I made it, just, to the hut on the SW grass before the early thunderstorm hit - never like carrying the telescope in such conditions, though not sure that the
galvanised iron sheets of the hut would be much better! Reluctant to leave until I was sure the rain was over for a while. A very dark morning (the street-lights went out 10 minutes later than yesterday, which itself was a dark morning with the lights off 9 minutes later than Monday!). Rained again as I was checking from the dam-top, so got wet!

With the passage ducks on the lake I thought I ought to check The Flash, so I made a short detour on the way home and walked a small part of the shore to check all the water-birds only

There was nothing to highlight from The Flash, so straight on with specific highlights from the lake
- 4 drake Wigeon in the middle of the lake
- duck Shoveler with the Pochard
- now 8 Pochard (7 drakes)
- 64 Tufted Ducks another good count (but with only 25 at The Flash looks as if some of them moved here)
- very few over-flying birds again, but 2 Sky Larks: 1 heard just as the rain stopped at 06:45 while it was still dark; and 1 flying N much later
- 1 of the Starlings seen to the E was on its own on top of a pylon rather than on the wire. It was, it transpired, a rather unmarked juvenile but had a conspicuously long and slightly de-curved bit, accentuated by some mud clinging to the lower mandible. At first glance the silhouette reminded me of a Bee-eater! Took a few moments to sort out in the rain-spattered scope. Another lone Starling was, unusually, flushed out of the bushes along the N side

And
- I had expected any moths to have been washed off the lights by the storm, but I checked anyway and was rewarded with a fine Feathered Thorn

The more detailed avian notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]
- despite both juveniles being present and the 3rd adult being apparently absent last evening, it was back to yesterday morning's logging with 3 adult Great Crested Grebes only the still-begging juvenile
- no Heron seen or heard
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- no geese seen here again: one of the bird-feeders tells me that birds leave The Flash c.06:20 so clearly their feeding area is not to the east at the moment as they do not pass over / near the lake
- the 4 drake Wigeon were all alone in the middle of the lake
- the duck Shoveler was with the Pochard
- the 8 Pochard in a tight group in the NE area
- in contrast the 64 Tufted Ducks were scattered all around the lake
- 4 Moorhens all on the dam-top again
- 47 Coots this morning
- rather more gulls: only fly-overs in the murk:
- - 324 [105] Black-headed Gulls logged. The first flew in just as the storm was easing at 06:48 and revealed by the lightning flashes there seemed to be about 100 birds, but it was too dark to see where they came from or indeed where they went as there were none by 07:10! Thereafter 224 birds arrived from the W before 07:30. Later arrivals were likely some of these birds returning
- - One strange incident with the Black-headed Gulls saw c.50 birds circling over what seemed to be a large fishing thrashing around in the NW area - at first glance I thought it was Great Crested Grebe wrestling with a catch, but it never surfaced! Some gulls stayed flying around the area for over 15 minutes, but I saw nothing else
- - 12 [0] Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls logged in 2 small groups
- - no [0] Herring Gulls specifically identified
- no Feral Pigeons or Stock Doves
- few Wood Pigeons flying again: 5 [1] logged flying E: and 8 [2] flying W. There was 1 [0] bird on the wires to the E: and 22 [13] birds around the lake. So the tally today was 36 [16]
- no Meadow Pipits logged today
- Grey Wagtail very active and seen in flight at least 7 times - but probably the same bird
- 13 [28] Pied Wagtails logged
- there were at least 4 Song Thrushes with Blackbirds feeding on haws along the W side: would these be local birds or migrants? They seemed very flighty, but so too did the Blackbirds (though they too might be migrants!)
- 2 different Chiffchaff heard again today
- at least 3 Goldcrests heard again
- in the poor weather no Long-tailed Tits were heard along the S side, but there was a party in the NW area as usual
- no Jays seen or heard here
- with it being very dark. with low cloud and mist I did not expect much visible corvid passage and in the circumstances was pleased with today's totals were 180 [102] Jackdaws and 161 [121] Rooks
- 20 Starlings logged with a maximum of 14 on the wires etc. to the E
- other than Greens, the finches were in poor numbers
- - no [4] Chaffinches
- - 25 [4] Greenfinches
- - 1 [1] Goldfinches
- - 3 [0] Bullfinches
- most of the Greenfinches were flying out of the NW / W area where they seemed to have roosted
- 3 Reed Buntings today with 1 along the N side as well as 2 heard at the W end

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today produced
- - 1 plumed non-biting(?) midge
- - 1 Feathered Thorn moth
- no Rabbits again
- did not check the Shaggy Ink Caps in the rain

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 1 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; no Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 4 Wigeon (all drakes); 1 Shoveler (0 drakes); 47 Mallard (not sexed); 8 Pochard (7 drakes); 64 Tufted Ducks (not sexed); no Ruddy Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; no Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 4 Moorhens; 47 Coots; no waders; 324 Black-headed Gulls; 12 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 36 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Sky Larks; no Swallows; no House Martins; no Meadow Pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 13 Pied Wagtails; 18 Wrens; 8 Dunnocks; 30 Robins; 16 Blackbirds; 6 Song Thrushes; no Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 2 Chiffchaffs; 3 Goldcrests; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 8 Blue Tits; 7 Great Tits; no Tree Creeper; no Jays; 8 Magpies; 180 Jackdaws; 161 Rooks; 14 Crows; no Ravens; 20 Starlings; no House Sparrows; no Chaffinches; 25 Greenfinches; 1 Goldfinch; no Linnets; 3 Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Insects:
1 species of moth
- 1 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) [1923]
Note that having done some research I suspect that yesterday's totrix moth was
- 1 Strawberry Tortrix (Acleris comariana) [1039] (and not Acleris hyemana [1055] which is a moorland species)
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

no dragonfly species

- 1 plumed non-biting(?) midge
- 1 interesting-looking spider

(Ed Wilson)

10th October, Tuesday (06:20 - 08:00// 09:30 - 10:27// plus 18:03 - 18:49: view from E end) - [In between walked to and around The Flash see Local Bird News]

Another weather-affected day at both Priorslee Lake and The Flash. Started with low cloud and drizzle, but the cloud lowered further and it became very misty and hard to see across the water. Suppressed all the fly-overs as well - either because birds were not flying, but certainly I could not see them!

There were definite signs of autumn today
- 4 Teal on The Flash for a while - they seemed to move off, though with decreasing visibility it was hard to tell!
- 37 Meadow Pipits logged with a party of 26 seen heading S over the lake
- 36 Pied Wagtails seen or heard, a higher count than recently
- 1 Redwing heard over NE area of the lake
- still rather few Wood Pigeons, partly because it was dark and misty to see fly-overs; and partly because most of those logged seemed to be holed-up in the trees adjacent to Teece Drive
- 4 species of moth on the lights was a surprise
Generally in the poor conditions the counts were low and there were no geese anywhere, either in flight or at The Flash. Even the rather weak-looking Greylag Goose did not seem to be around, though I guess it could have been hiding on the island somewhere

Back at the lake in the late afternoon - I was going that way so set off early so I could look at the gull roost - there was none; and see what else was about. Few bits added to the main narrative in ( ) brackets

The specific highlights at the lake
- 55 Tufted Ducks a good count (there were 59 at 18:30; and the 4 Pochard had returned as well)
- the party of 26 Meadow Pipits seen flying S was supplemented by a small party of 4 birds heading E: and 1 heading NE At least 3 others heard may have also been unseen small flocks
- 28 Pied Wagtails were logged but likely an underestimate as most of them were unseen - I could not locate the 'path' being taken by most on roost dispersal. What sound like single calling birds often turn out to be small parties. Unusual was one bird that stopped off on top of the bushes in the SW area. Later there was another on the dam - 163 Starlings counted on the wires to the E of the lake - when I got close-enough to be able to see the wires!

And
- 3 of the 4 moth species logged were at the lake

The more detailed avian notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]
- the 3 adult Great Crested Grebes seen but only the begging juvenile. Probably the other juvenile not located in the mist (in the evening I noted both juveniles, together - i.e. neither of them was begging: probably because I could not see the adult from which it would be begging!)
- no Heron seen or heard
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- no geese here, there or anywhere
- 39 Mallard was today's lower count (but there was a higher number than usual at The Flash) (the total here at 18:30 was at least 51 birds)
- no Pochard noted (but 4 (3 drakes) at 18:30)
- at least 55 Tufted Ducks today counted in the mist (59 counted at 18:30)
- 5 Moorhens, 4 of which were mowing the grass on the dam-top again
- 43 Coots only logged in the mist - probably more tucked away. Note that 2 of these birds are still 'on territory' in the SE area, though they have long-since stopped sitting on their nest
- very few gulls: no fly-overs in the mist of course, but fewer local birds as well:
- - just 105 [238] Black-headed Gulls flew in: the first at the late time of 07:06 (at 18:30 the evening numbers had built up to at least 355 birds, but all left to the W by 18:45)
- - no [6] Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls logged
- - no [0] Herring Gulls specifically identified
- no Feral Pigeons or Stock Doves
- few Wood Pigeons flying and just a small party in the trees: 1 [28] logged flying E: and 2 [18] flying W. There were no [6] birds on the wires: and just 13 [29] birds around the lake. So the tally today was 16 [81]
- no Swallows or other hirundines logged today
- the 34 Meadow Pipits highlighted above
- 2 different Grey Wagtails again
- the 28 [9] Pied Wagtails highlighted above
- Green Woodpecker heard calling
- no Mistle Thrushes seen
- 2 different Chiffchaff heard today, one calling persistently
- at least 3 Goldcrests heard
- Long-tailed Tits were everywhere today, with birds first heard along the S side from 07:08. They seemed to be calling all the way along the S side; in the SW bushes and then what I take to be a different party was in the NW area as well. But later there was a party of at least 13 along the N shore (as well?) [and there were birds all the way along the path to The Flash and at least 2 parties as The Flash!]
- 2 Willow Tits helped me take some pictures of the Shaggy Ink-caps!
- no Jays seen or heard here
- there were never going to be large numbers of corvids in the conditions, though early-on the clouds were somewhat higher and I did see some partied. For the record today's totals were 102 [117] Jackdaws and 121 [210] Rooks - not bad! (the evening return passage is even more fragmented and drawn out and I did no more than note that it had started by 18:00 and continues until after 18:30)
- no Starlings seen other than the 163 counted on the wires by 09:45
- finches in predictably poor numbers
- - 4 [0] Chaffinches
- - 4 [7] Greenfinches
- - 1 [6] Goldfinches
- - no [0] Bullfinches
- no Reed Buntings today

And
- the usual examination of the street lights today was productive. One of the long-standing defective lights was alight this morning and produced a Tortrix moth
- - 3 moths
- --- 1 small Tortrix tentatively identified as Acleris hyemana (the digiscope picture in the murk was at 1/2 second and is rather fuzzy!)
- --- 1 probable November Moth (Eppirata dilutata) [1795] (on date - examining the genitalia of moths 12 feet up a pole is not for me, but necessary to eliminate the almost-identical Pale November Moth or Autumnal Moth)
- --- 1 Silver Y
- no Rabbits today again
- 1 Shaggy Ink Cap now sprouting on the lake-side of the Celestica fence, though those the other side are still more impressive, ranging from some new bodies without any 'shagginess' through full-bodied specimens to those melting away and even bare stalks

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
(*** evening counts *** where materially different))
no Little Grebes; 3 (*** 2 ***) adult and 1 (*** 2 ***) juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; no Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 39 (*** 51 ***) Mallard; no (*** 4 ***) Pochard; 55 (*** 59 ***) Tufted Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; no Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 5 Moorhens; 43 Coots; no waders; 105 (*** 355 ***) Black-headed Gulls; no Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 16 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; 1 Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Swallows; no House Martins; 34 Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 28 Pied Wagtails; 20 Wrens; 6 Dunnocks; 33 Robins; 7 Blackbirds; 3 Song Thrushes; 1 Redwing; no Mistle Thrushes; 2 Chiffchaffs; 3 Goldcrests; 3 (?) Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tit; 2 Willow Tits; 13 Blue Tits; 14 Great Tits; no Tree Creeper; no Jays; 8 Magpies; 102 Jackdaws; 121 Rooks; 3 Crows; no Ravens; 163 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 2 Chaffinches; 4 Greenfinches; 1 Goldfinch; no Linnets; no Bullfinches; no Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; no unidentified finches

Also recorded
Insects:
3 species of moth
- 1 possible Acleris hyemana [1055]
- 1 probable November Moth (Eppirata dilutata) [1795]
- 1 Silver Y(Autographa gamma) [2441]
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

Fungi:
Shaggy Ink-cap

(Ed Wilson)

9th October, Monday (06:24 - 09:16) - Unlike last Friday the clouds did have a silver-lining: I was near the SW hut when the rain started and was able to get out of the rain until it eased: and then I had a working camera to take pictures of the water once again

Started again at the E end in another failed attempt to get closer to the big Jackdaw parties - if there were any I did not see or hear them. And the rain thwarted attempts to get all the way around. Managed a duck count while taking shelter, so it may not be as accurate as usual as there are some 'hidden bits' that I had to add later

It had started so promisingly with 21 singing Robins as I walked from Teece Drive along the S side to the dam

On the way back from town later I stopped in the E end lay-by for a quick view: apart from 2 adult Swans being chased by the residents there was nothing to note other than the apparent departure of most of the Aythya ducks

No real highlights so straight on with the more detailed avian notes starting with the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]

The more detailed avian notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]:
- the 3 adult Great Crested Grebes and 2 juveniles, again one of the juveniles more or less independent: the other started its incessant begging at 06:46 before dawn
- a Heron heard over the lake but not seen
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans: at the later stop 2 more adults being chased
- no geese again today for the 3rd day
- now 4 Pochard - a duck with 3 drakes
- at least 47 Tufted Ducks today counted in the rain: later many seemed to have left
- 7 Moorhens, 4 of which were mowing the grass on the dam-top
- 50 Coots logged in the rain - perhaps a few more tucked away
- very similar numbers of gulls again:
- - at least 238 [231] Black-headed Gulls flew in, mostly from the W: the first 1 flew in at the early time of 06:42; there were none roosting last night; at 08:45 there were just 107 birds sitting out the pouring rain with many of them necks stretched out in to the rain to lower their profile
- - 6 [5] Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls logged flying over
- - no Herring Gulls specifically identified
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Stock Doves: 2 on the wires to the NE; another flew E
- after the rain started there were few Wood Pigeons flying: 28 [11] logged flying E: and 18 [60] flying W. There were up to 6 [5] birds on the wires: and there were 29 [17] birds around the lake - a party of 27 flew out of the N / NW area. So the tally today was 81 [93]
- no Swallows or other hirundines logged today
- no Meadow Pipits - or other migrants come to that - logged flying over
- 2 different Grey Wagtails on the dam today
- 9 [13] Pied Wagtails logged
- 1 Mistle Thrush seen at the W end again: but none on the wires [note that as I left Newport at 06:10 this morning there was a very distant Mistle Thrush in song - my earliest-ever record of a singing bird]
- no Chiffchaff today
- no Goldcrests either, but I did not walk all the way around and the weather did not help!
- Long-tailed Tits were not heard leaving any roost along the S side today, but 2 different parties seen again
- no Jays seen or heard
- Another day with no large parties of Jackdaws and the largest group was only 26 birds. The Rooks again preceded the Jackdaws, my first log being of a group of 112 birds. Thereafter a shorter and much smaller passage. Today's totals were 117 [135] Jackdaws and 210 [354] Rooks - 13 Magpies this morning: perhaps the high number on the dam yesterday was lack of traffic in Castle Farm Way or fewer cars in the lay-by - the first 4 Starlings were on the wires to the E by 07:28. 31 was the highest count: 2 more flew over
- finches in poor numbers, not surprisingly
- - no [1] Chaffinches
- - 7 [19] Greenfinches: none of these from the SW roost area
- - 6 [9] Goldfinches
- - no [4] Bullfinches
- party of 9 finches 'bouncing' away to the E were probably more Goldfinches as I guess Linnets would have been in a tighter group - 3 Reed Buntings today: 2 heard calling and 1 seen flying off after the rain stopped

With
- with no examination of the street lights today
- no Rabbits today again

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; no Herons; 4 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 54 Mallard; 4 Pochard (3 drakes); 47 Tufted Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; no Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Pheasants; 7 Moorhens (3 immatures); 50 Coots; no waders; 238 Black-headed Gulls; 6 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; 2 Feral Pigeons; 3 Stock Doves; 81 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; no Swallows; no House Martins; no Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 7 Pied Wagtails; 13 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 27 Robins; 9 Blackbirds; 1 Song Thrush; no Redwings; 1 Mistle Thrush; no Chiffchaff; no Goldcrests; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 8 Blue Tits; 5 Great Tits; no Tree Creeper; no Jays; 13 Magpies; 117 Jackdaws; 210 Rooks; 17 Crows; no Ravens; 33 Starlings; no House Sparrows; no Chaffinches; 7 Greenfinches; 6 Goldfinches; no Linnets; no Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers but flock of 9 unidentified finches

(Ed Wilson)

8th October, Sunday (06:23 - 08:30//09:55 - 10:37) - [In between walked to and around The Flash see Local Bird News]

A mainly cloudy though dry morning at the lake, with the smoke from Stafford Park again. Calm initially, but a light / moderate wind sprang up

A quiet morning in many ways, though some highlights of course
- 51 Golden Plover far to the E of the lake
- 5 Collared Doves over the lake with 4 together perhaps my highest count!
- 3 Meadow Pipits: 2 over the lake and 1 over The Flash
- after a period with low counts of Blackbirds they have suddenly re-appeared both in good numbers (especially at The Flash where they seemed to have decided the haws are ready to eat before the Redwings scarf arrive and scarf them all) and with rather unusual behaviour in that I noted 5 different birds flying at c.100', most unusually. Would this suggest they were migrants?
- 2 Siskins flew S as I was walking back to the lake - my first of the autumn
- 8 Reed Buntings seen leaving the reeds at the lake

Also
- a Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) moth on one of the lights; a gnat and an usual spider with the front two pairs of legs very long and forward-pointing

So here we go with the more detailed avian notes starting with the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison] :

Highlights were
- took another hard look at the Great Crested Grebe juveniles to check that both mandibles on each bird were indeed OK. So what / why I saw on Thursday remains a mystery. I know that some birds (Snipe for instance) have flexible mandibles that can be opened at the ends, but not aware that this applies to grebes and certainly not along the whole length of a single mandible which is what it appeared to be. Whether this was another juvenile I rather doubt as the degree of head-striping that I recall suggested that the bird would not be fledged. Of the 2 juveniles currently present only 1 of them is incessantly begging the adult: the other was more or less independent this morning
- 2 Cormorants seen flying in from the E: they had a quick look at the lake and continued on SW
- now 2 drake Pochard after none seen yesterday
- only 6 Tufted Ducks when I did the count at 10:20 - had some left? If so they were not at The Flash
- Buzzard low over the W end put up all the Black-headed Gulls from the Ricoh grounds
- low count of Jackdaws on roost dispersal, but high number of Rooks But - no geese again

The more detailed avian notes from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]
- the 3 adult Great Crested Grebes and 2 juveniles (see also above)
- the 2 Cormorants noted above
- the Heron put in an appearance well before dawn, and chased off another
- the cygnet and resident adult Swans
- no geese today
- the 2 drake Pochard
- just 6 Tufted Ducks today
- 1 Buzzard flew low over W end / Ricoh grass putting up gulls and Wood Pigeons
- male Kestrel seen flying south over the lake
- 6 Moorhens when I did the count, but the yachts were out and some of these might have been hiding - 3 adults and 3 immatures
- 41 Coots logged
- 51 Golden Plover counted in flock to far E
- similar numbers of gulls to previous days:
- - at least 231 Black-headed Gulls flew in from the W: the first 5 flew in at 06:56; there were certainly none roosting last night; 116 flew in when the Buzzard flew over the Ricoh factory. By 10:20 there were just 73 birds remaining
- - 5 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls logged flying over
- - no Herring Gulls specifically identified
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Stock Dove on the wires to the NE today
- despite a flock of 43 Wood Pigeons put up to the E and flying over the lake, the totals were low again today: 11 [--] logged flying E: and 60 [--] flying W. There were up to 5 [-] birds on the wires: and there were 17 [--] birds around the lake. So the tally today was 93 [--]
- 5 Collared Doves noted, all flying S over the W end, with 4 together
- no Swallows or other hirundines logged today
- 2 single Meadow Pipits logged flying S
- another 2 sightings of probably the same Grey Wagtail today
- 13 [-] Pied Wagtails logged, all flying over: 3 of them unusually flew SW
- 2 Mistle Thrushes seen: 1 at the W end; and then much later 1 on the wires to the NE
- no Chiffchaff today [but one heard in Teece Drive while walking to The Flash]
- at least 4 Goldcrests heard with the first calling before 07:00!
- Long-tailed Tits heard waking up in the SE trees at the even earlier time of 06:57, and these seemed to join up with the birds roosting along the S side: another party at the W end
- Tree Creeper noisily calling in the NW area
- no Jays seen or heard
- with complete cloud-cover I decided to view from further E than usual to try and get a better view of the big flocks of Jackdaws. I failed! There seemed to be no large parties of Jackdaws at all and my largest group was just 36 birds. The Rooks again preceded the Jackdaws, my first log being of a group of exactly 100 birds! Thereafter a prolonged and steady passage. Today's totals were 135 [499] Jackdaws and 354 [148] Rooks - perhaps it was positioning, but there were many more Magpies this morning, with at least 15 birds arriving at the dam-top after 07:11 and today's total was 22
- the first Starling was on the wires to the E at the early time of 07:16. By 08:10 there were at least 55 there. After I got back from The Flash there were 31 flying around the trees in the SW area and these were joined by two more parties of 51 birds before all 82 flew off back towards the wires. Quite why they were around these trees was hard to figure out
- finches in slightly better numbers
- - 1 [4] Chaffinches
- - 19 [10] Greenfinches: none of these from the SW roost area
- - 9 [3] Goldfinches
- - 4 [1] Bullfinches all together
- the 8 Reed Bunting seen flying off in 4 pairs

Also
- the usual examination of the street lights produced
- - 1 midge
- - 1 spider
- - 1 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) moth [1048]
- no Rabbits today

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below :
no Little Grebes; 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes; 2 Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese; 60 Mallard; 2 Pochard; 6 Tufted Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; 1 Buzzard; 1 Kestrel; no Pheasants; 6 Moorhens (3 immatures); 41 Coots; 51 Golden Plover; no other waders; 231 Black-headed Gulls; 5 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; 3 Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 93 Wood Pigeons; 5 Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; no Swallows; no House Martins; 2 Meadow Pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 13 Pied Wagtails; 12 Wrens; 11 Dunnocks; 34 Robins; 13 Blackbirds; 3 Song Thrushes; no Redwings; 2 Mistle Thrushes; no Chiffchaff; 4 Goldcrests; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 11 Blue Tits; 8 Great Tits; 1 Tree Creeper; no Jays; 22 Magpies; 135 Jackdaws; 354 Rooks; 13 Crows; no Ravens; 82 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 1 Chaffinch; 19 Greenfinches; 9 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 4 Bullfinches; 8 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers.

Also recorded
Mammals:
- no Rabbits
- no Grey Squirrel
- recent molehills at the W end
- no bat sp.

Insects:
no species of butterfly

1 identified species of moth
- 1 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) moth [1048]
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

no dragonfly species

1 gnat sp.

1 spider sp. on lamps

Fungi:
sad, faded group of Shaggy Ink Caps

(Ed Wilson)

7th October, Saturday (06:16 - 08:30// 09:35 - 10:15) - [In between walk around the Lake I completed a circuit to the E/SE of the Lake - See Local Bird News]

A better morning this morning: fine and clear with a moonlight night and largely cloudless except for some remnants to the far E. Clear and fresher feeling than of late

The highlights were
- 2 Buzzards flushed out of the streamside woods to the SE: this is the 3rd 'winter' that I have logged birds here and I wonder whether this is used as a 'winter / post-dispersal' roost or whether they breed here. They are much harder to find while nesting, but well-grown juveniles are usually very noisy in begging for food and I have not noted this
- party of 39 large gulls over was the biggest group since July
- 2 Herring Gulls on the lake briefly, one an adult
- the rather odd sighting of a Swallow circling with swirling Starlings around the wires to the E at 08:15, but I suspect they just happened to be in the same area at the same time rather than any closer association! [the Swallow is rather late, but I saw 3 more later in the day over Chetwynd Airfield, N of Newport]
- a good year for Goldcrests: 5 seen heard at the lake and 2 more seen to the E

Also
- a total of 6 Red Admiral butterflies seen around the lake and to the E: return movement
- a hoverfly seen in the storm drain to the E identified from a digital picture as Helophilus pendulus

So here we go with the more detailed avian notes starting from the lake [figures in square brackets are yesterday's counts for comparison]. Note that I have included here over-flying birds (e.g. gulls) that I saw while I was around the lanes / fields etc., but have separately reported those, mainly passerines, that I logged away from the environs of Priorslee Lake itself
- usual 3 adult and 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes today: again unable to find any juvenile with a deformed bill
- the Heron put in an appearance before dawn again
- a Cormorant was seen climbing away to the W at 08:09 but unclear whether it had actually landed on the lake
- the surviving cygnet with the resident adult Swans
- no geese seen or heard either flying E at first light; or flying W back The Flash / Town Park later
- no Pochard seen today
- at least 50 Tufted Ducks today, though again hard to count as they were being harassed by the Black-headed Gulls again
- 1 Sparrowhawk seen far to the E swerving, diving and climbing as being harried by 2 Crows
- 6 Moorhens logged - 3 adults
- 44 Coots logged today
- higher number of gulls, especially Lesser Black-backs, today:
- - at least 208 Black-headed Gulls logged arriving but the count of 195 I made at 08:20 suggests that more would have passed through, as many of those that arrive from the W soon leave to the E / SE: the first arrived early again at 06:34 and there were 95 by 06:38
- - 98 Lesser Black-backed-type Gulls logged flying over with steady small groups after the first large group of 39. Only 5 of these seemed to stop-off at the lake. This was my largest day-total since mid-July
- - 2 Herring Gulls specifically identified and on the lake, one of them an adult
- no Feral Pigeons
- no Stock Doves today
- another low count of Wood Pigeons: 16 [18] logged flying E: and 20 [7] flying W. There were up to 5 [3] birds on the wires: and there were 42 [25] birds around the lake, with 26 of these flushed out of the Ricoh grounds. So the tally today was 83 [53]
- 2 Collared Doves flew N, as usual over the W end
- the Swallow in amongst the swirling Starlings was the only hirundine logged here today
- no Meadow Pipits logged over the lake
- 2 sightings of probably the same Grey Wagtail again today
- 23 [5] Pied Wagtails logged, all flying over with 9 of them seen
- 2 Song Thrushes: none singing, but 1 heard calling and 1 seen in flight
- 7 Mistle Thrushes logged with a loose party of 6 flying SE; and later a lone bird on the wires to the E
- 1 Chiffchaff called briefly again - in the NW area today
- at least 5 Goldcrests heard
- Long-tailed Tits heard waking up along the S side early again at 07:04
- no Jays seen or heard
- the corvid roost dispersal was strange this morning. If I identified them all correctly - many of the flocks were a long way to the E / NE today - there were only small groups of Rooks, but 3 large parties of Jackdaws, one containing almost 200 birds, and all flying at some height!. Today's totals were 499 [22] Jackdaws but only 148 [335] Rooks
- 11 Magpies was a slightly better count
- the Starlings were using the wires to the E to drop in to the recently ploughed field to the E, with the highest count being 73 birds. Another 5 seen flying over apparently nothing to do with the wire-birds. Small parties from the wires were flying about all the time and with one of the groups I noted the aforementioned Swallow, but it soon disappeared and I never saw it come or go
- finches still in low numbers
- - 4 [3] Chaffinches
- - 10 [10] Greenfinches (for the 3rd day!)
- - 3 [0] Goldfinches
- - 1 [0] Bullfinch