10 Mar 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 09:10
Location

Sunrise: 06:33

c.2°C: clear night just frosted but soon clouded. Calm start becoming light N. Moderate visibility, becoming good

(36th visit of the year)

Notes
- one of the drake Gadwall seems to have gone
- no matter how many recounts I did I could still only find 11 Great Crested Grebes
- 19 of the Moorhens on the SW grass
- rather few Wood Pigeons overhead, but at least 250 birds seen flushed from Ward’s Rough to the NE
- Greenfinch doing its display flight this morning – first time this year for me

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Canada Goose
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 15 Wood Pigeons (but seen notes)
- 5 Jackdaws only
- [no Rooks]
- 1 Sky Lark
- 5 Starlings
- 4 Goldfinches
- 3 Siskins

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 16 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 4 Cormorants- 11 Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Moorhens
- 67 Coots again
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls

Here are the contractors clearing the scrub encroaching the N end of the dam – at least I hope that is all they are doing.

And these are their colleagues at work on the S end of the dam.

(Ed Wilson)

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 Priorslee Flash: 09:20 – 10:00
Location

(24th visit of the year)

Notes
- good to see the, typically rather shy, Goosanders
- Cormorant sitting on the island

Birds noted flying over
- 2 Black-headed Gulls

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 14 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 14 (8♂) Mallard
- 18 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

One advantage of The Flash is that the birds become more tolerant of humans and closer photos are possible – as with this Great Crested Grebe.

Even the Goosanders can sometimes be approached – actually better, as I did here, stand still and hope they come to you. A ‘brownhead’, though by this date I think we are safe in assuming it is a duck rather than an immature drake.

A pair of Tufted Duck of course. There is no difficulty in separating drakes and ducks at this date. The duck still shows extensive white around the base of the bill, though it beginning to ‘grow out’.

A closer look at the duck. The bill has almost a blue tinge.

Here we see just a hint of white at the tail. We also see the rather ‘flat’ looking tail, used as a rudder and paddle under water.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebe
11 Tufted Duck
3 Cormorant
7 Great Black-backed Gulls
465 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
48 Herring Gulls
37 Black-headed Gulls
1 Chiffchaff
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)

2013
Priorslee Lake
35 Tufted Duck
27 Wigeon
(Tony Beckett)

The Flash
36 Tufted Duck
6 Mute Swan
9 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

2011
Priorslee Lake
7 Pochard
18 Tufted Ducks
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Cormorants
3 Grey Heron
24 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
497 Wood Pigeon
32 Wren
30 Robin
21 Blackbird
7 Redwing
31 Magpie
198 Jackdaw
5 Greenfinch
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
2 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
109 Coots
1 Water Rail heard
2 Lapwings
295 Wood Pigeons
245 Jackdaws
12 Greenfinches
6 Reed Buntings.
(Ed Wilson)