16 Dec 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:20 – 09:25

Sunrise: 08:16 GMT

8°C > 9°C: Broken low cloud, clearer to the E and a few bright spells later. Light SSE breeze. Moderate visibility

(172nd visit of the year)

Other notes from today
- the Mute Swan cygnet was flying around strongly this morning and for the first time I noted that it mastered the ‘turn’ and was able to do as many circuits as it wanted
- Goosander rather caught me out this morning passing higher overhead than usual and arriving from the SSE rather than the ESE. Three groups
- Water Rail calling several times
- many fewer Black-headed Gulls: not all the birds logged as they arrived very low over the W end seemed to stop on the lake – some flew straight through?
- the first party of Jackdaws was c.100 in amongst the tree-tops to the W: all the other 68 birds were specifically counted
- 4 Song Thrushes in song
- in addition to the apparent daily 2 Linnets over flying I logged 4 birds leaving the W end
- 3 Reed Buntings heard calling – 2 at the W end; 1 along the N side. None of these seemed to be ‘roosting birds’ – I specifically watched to see whether they flew off and I did not see them do so
and
- 2 wingless female moths, apparently both Mottled Umber moths, had crawled up a different lamp

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 6 (1♂) Goosander
- 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 10 Wood Pigeon
- c.168 Jackdaws
- 9 Rooks
- 3 Fieldfare
- 3 Redwings
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Goldfinch
- 6 Siskins
- 2 Linnets yet again

Birds leaving roost around lake
- 57 Magpies
- 3 Redwings
- 4 Linnets

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Pochard
- 31 (14♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 5 Great Crested Grebes once more
- 2 Water Rails (heard only)
- 11 Moorhens
- 49 Coots
- >200 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

Here we see one of the completely wingless moths on one of the lamps. As the legs lack obvious spurs and are banded this must be a Mottled Umber female even though the body is rather darker than shown in many illustrations – perhaps an effect of the flash?

This is the other completely wingless moth and the same comment applies. There does seem to be a vestigial spur on the hindmost left leg but I am inclined to think this is in fact part of a spider’s web.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:30 – 10:05

 (129th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- what seems to have been my equal-highest count of Goosanders here – though it took a lot of recounts until I was confident there were not fewer. They were in several groups and the brownheads in particular were doing a lot of underwater movement. I am amazed there are enough fish left
- 3 concurrent Grey Herons is unusual

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Jackdaw!

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 31 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 75 (44♂) Tufted Ducks
- 48 (10♂) Goosander
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 9 Coots
- 27 Black-headed Gulls

This Canada Goose seemed to think it was a Goosander and joined one of the groups – here it is with a drake.

This ‘brownhead’ Goosander has enough white showing to suggest it is moulting in to drake plumage, probably from first-winter plumage.

Drake Goosander really are splendid.



One drake and five ‘brownhead’ Goosander. The bird in the middle is another / the same likely candidate to be moulting in to drake plumage.

The three Grey Herons were not entirely comfortable with each others presence: one makes a close fly-by as it repositions so that it cannot be seen.
(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall 
3 Pochard 
49 Tufted Ducks
238 Coots
6 Fieldfare
>256 Redwings
3 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Teal
2 Pochard 
167 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
2 Goosanders 
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebe
35 Tufted Ducks
4 Gadwall
7 Pochard
149 Coot
1 Water Rail
25 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
23 Swans
34 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
Snipe
273 Coots
25 Goldfinches
7 Linnets
50 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
9 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
Woodcock
70 Coots
c.220 Black-headed Gulls
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
5 Buzzards
20 Pied Wagtails
1 Willow Tits
561 Jackdaws
149 Rooks
c.190 Fieldfare
c.120 Redwings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)