25 Jan 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 5.5°C: Mainly clear with a few remnant showers in the distance. Just frosted in sheltered areas. Keen, moderate SSW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:03 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:50

(7th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- at least 6 visiting adult Mute Swans. Three seen to fly off seemed to have insufficient time to return before I counted the 6 visitors. Only the three presumed resident cygnets – only one of the rings read (7IVS)
- Gadwall are now proving troublesome to count: they are no longer grouped by the dam, being both scattered about as well as chasing and flying about
- c.140 Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W, though not entirely sure that all of these landed on the water. They mostly quickly left to the ESE. Later c.90 arrived from the NE – assumed to be the same birds
- 54 Magpies seen leaving the roost this morning. Later a bird noted attending and repairing a nest. Seems rather early in the season
- the first c.200 Jackdaws passed low over the fields to the E below the Castle Farm Way tree-tops from my view-point. 54 more birds counted – a larger number than I have recorded for some while following after from the main group
- Song Thrush song heard from 4 different locations at varying times: all different birds? One bird – another – not singing
and
- still nothing on any of the lamps

No additional species for my year total at this site: still 52

Today’s bird totals

 Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 5 Greylag Geese outbound
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 65 Wood Pigeons
- c.250 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks (singles)
- 2 Siskins

 Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 54 Magpies
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Reed Bunting

The counts from the lake area
- 8 (11?) + 3 Mute Swans
- 23 Canada Geese
- 11 (7♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard only
- 6 (5♂) Pochard
- 49 (28♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 149 Coots
- c.140 Black-headed Gulls

A brief but interesting sunrise over the lake: one of the many Mute Swans can just be seen taking off.

Really fiery just as the sun comes up.

At this time of year the sunrise is straight down the Wesley Brook from the footbridge.

Six adult and three cygnet Mute Swans. The residents have more or less given up chasing any visitors. One adult here has its wings ‘in threat’ though I cannot be sure it is one of the residents (there are two adults ‘out of picture’ and these seemed more likely to be the residents).

Later the three resident cygnets took up their usual position by the concrete ramp. The back one is showing its blue Darvic ring 7IVS.

Mrs. Pochard. Note the way the pale eye-ring extents faintly across the cheek. It would not do so in otherwise similarly-plumaged first-winter birds. However at this date all birds should be coming in to breeding plumage.
Mr. Pochard with the red eye. The harsh morning light prevented the fine markings on the back being clearly seen.

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull passing: this bird has just about lost any winter head streaking.

The upper wing view: this is a dark bird, likely of the Scandinavian population, so it probably had restricted head streaking anyway. No matter how dark this species is there is always a noticeable contrast with the black wing-tips, unlike Great Black-backed Gull where the contrast, if any, is hard to see.

A perky Blue Tit.

A party of Long-tailed Tits provided an opportunity to try and get some shots.

Enlarged from extreme range we see this bird apparently feeding on nectar from the Hazel catkins.

Another long-range shot.

This was the only Song Thrush not seen to sing this morning.

This Song Thrush was singing until I pointed the camera at him when he shut up.

A fine Robin greeting the morning sun (and with a necklace of Alder catkins).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:55 – 10:55

(4th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- higher number of Tufted Duck recorded: perhaps birds from the lake as lower number there
- 2 of the 8 duck Goosanders flew in (singly): usual for me to see them arrive
- the male Sparrowhawk was sparring with crows, high over to SW
- plenty (by recent standards) of Black-headed Gulls with sporadic new arrivals dropping in
- a party of 46 Jackdaws flew W: quite unprecedented during my normal visiting time

A heard-only Collared Dove was my only new species for the year here. My year total here stands at 36

Birds noted flying over
- 1 (1♂) Sparrowhawk
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 46 Jackdaws

 The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose again
- 22 (16♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 62 (41♂) Tufted Ducks
- 10 (2♂) Goosanders
- 2 Cormorants
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- 107 Black-headed Gulls

An immature Cormorant hangs its wings out. An immature because of the pale on the breast and belly.

Two of the three Great Crested Grebes were displaying this morning. The bird on the left has noticeably more head plumes.
Rather a bad hair-day for the bird on the right!

Has someone got some food? These Black-headed Gulls certainly think so. Hopefully not bread which is not really good for birds. It is possibly OK occasionally, but just as man cannot live by McDonald’s alone ...
Rather early in the year for ‘golden rain’ of Hazel catkins.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2015
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

 2014
Priorslee Lake
11 Pochard
61 Tufted Duck
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
98 Coots
4 Redwings
c.735 Jackdaws
c.257 Rooks
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll 
(Ed Wilson)

 The Flash
92 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

 Trench Lock Pool
Peregrine
6 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

 2013
Priorslee Lake
31 Wigeon 
12 Gadwall 
1 Greater Scaup
>700 Black-headed Gulls
7 Common Gulls
>1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>300 Herring Gulls
7 Great Black-backed Gulls.
(Ed Wilson, (John Isherwood)

 2010
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine
1 Little Grebe 
30 Swans
4 Gadwall
28 Pochard
86 Tufted Ducks
1 Buzzard 
296 Coots
5 Redwings
27 Greenfinches
c.30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

 2007
Priorslee Lake
Goldeneye
1 Water Rail
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
c.120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.45 Herring Gulls
10 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
24 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
152 Coot
1 Water Rail
c.48 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)