3 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:35
The Flash:  09:40 – 10:45
Trench Lock Pool:  10:55 – 11:05 // 11:50 – 12:20
Trench Middle Pool:  11:10 – 11:45

2°C > 3°C:  Cloudy start, clearing after 09:00. Light mainly E / SE wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT still

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:35

(3rd visit of the year)

Species added to my 2019 log from here, in recorded order
45      Greylag Goose
46      Grey Heron
47      Goldcrest
48      Shoveler
49      Jay

Rather quiet for flyovers

Other bird notes
- the Mute Swans again went for a protracted fly-around (I forget to check whether they came back!)
- 10 Canada Geese left at 07:30: 2 arrived from the W at 08:08 and stayed until 08:45
- could only locate three pairs of Gadwall, though they have been rather more mobile recently and easier to miss
- noisy drake Wigeon present throughout
- 4 Shoveler arrived some time after 08:45. Birds did not keep together
- no more than 100 Black-headed Gulls, arriving late – after 07:45. Very few (<10) on the water at any time after 08:00
- first Starlings seen using reeds as a roost for a while – just 2 birds noted leaving

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose [outbound]
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 110 Jackdaws

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- >46 Magpies [partial count]
- [no Redwings]
- 2 Starlings
- 6 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 12 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Wigeon
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Shoveler
- 6 (4♂) Pochard
- 25 (14♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 86 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Dotted Border moth [new for the season]
- 1 Mottled Umber moth
- 4 Early Moths
- 1 stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp. on the same sheltered lamp
- 4 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 unidentified Muscid fly
also
- Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) still in flower from 2018
- Daisy (Bellis perennis): this species flowers all year
- Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia) apparently in flower
- ‘hawkweed’ type still in flower

A record shot of today’s drake Wigeon. I have checked against the shots I took of the pair on Tuesday but cannot tell whether this is a different individual.

No mistaking that ‘hooter’: drake Shoveler.

And two duck Shoveler showing their scalloped flanks.

Here is my first Dotted Border moth of the season – indeed most years this would not be flying before mid-February. Another moth that is superficially like a Mottled Umber, especially in the shape of the outer cross line. But note the lack of dark spot in the wing, the straight median cross line and very weak / non-existent inner cross line. Also the pale marks in the outer wing. Here the small black dots almost on the wing edge that gives the species its name are rather indistinct.

Another Early Moth showing orangey colouration at the wing tip. I can find no reference to this in any of my reference books neither do any of the web sites I use show any specimens like this. Strange – perhaps it is new to science!

At waist-height this morning so a great shot of what I call a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).

Three for the price of one. Bottom right and out of focus is the Mottled Umber moth. Upper left the Muscid fly I was trying to identify – not from this angle I won’t. Lurking top left and unseen at the time a rather interesting-looking spider with a red tail end.

Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) still in flower from 2018.

A Daisy (Bellis perennis): this species flowers all year.

This I think is a Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia) apparently in flower. Supposed to appear May to August (or July to September on another web site!). Also called Madwoman’s Milk. Seems to be an unpleasant plant as the sap is toxic and carcinogenic.

Zoomed in on the flowering bits.

This is clearly one of the hawkweed-types. I thought the reddish tips to the involucres (the green covers that opens out to reveal the yellow flower) might be helpful. They weren’t!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:40 – 10:45

(3rd visit of the year)

Two species added to my 2019 log from here
33      Collared Dove
34      Jackdaw

Bird notes from here
- no sight or sound of the Ring-necked Parakeet today [and apologies for typing Teece Drive yesterday when I meant Derwent Drive for the location of it feeding in a garden here: senior moment]
- 3 Coal Tits singing today
and
- 1 Mottled Umber moth yet again on the lamp poles
- 3 Early Moths on lamp poles, 2 of them with the Mottled Umber
- 1 Muscid fly was on the Ivy: sunny but a chilly wind kept anything more interesting away

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 3 Jackdaws

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 4 Canada Geese
- 35 (22♂) Mallard
- 27 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 48 (5♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 5 Moorhens yet again
- 18 Coots
- 46 Black-headed Gulls

The Mute Swan family goes for a fly with the cygnet in the lead and now flying strongly. I think it is Mum next – she is slightly smaller than Dad bringing up the rear.

A much better view of a typical Early Moth – always good to get them in daylight and at eye-height rather than 15’ up by lamplight.

And on the same lamp pole another. I have enquired as to whether a particular species of moth always folds one wing over the other (the left wing over the right on these two specimens). Nobody seems to know.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:55 – 11:05 // 11:50 – 12:20

(1st visit of the year)

25 species to start my 2019 log from here: in recorded order
House Sparrow, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Goosander, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Great Tit, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Shoveler, Little Grebe, Magpie, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blue Tit, Wood Pigeon, Starling, Carrion Crow, Robin, Blackbird, Grey Heron, Mallard, Jackdaw, Wren, Great Crested Grebe, Dunnock
NB: Feral Mallard not seen but would not be listed anyway

Other notes from here
- significant drop in number of Tufted Duck
- the Grey Heron present when I returned from Middle Pool likely the bird that left there
- small increase in number of Coot after decline at end of 2018

Birds noted flying over / near here (other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws)
- 29 Starlings (3 parties)

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 22 Canada Geese
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- [no ‘feral’ Mallard]
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 8 (3♂)Tufted Ducks only
- 8 (6♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Moorhens
- 91 Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Another brownhead doing its ‘lying on the water’ act. Display? Usually it is drakes that display to the ducks.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  11:10 – 11:45

(1st visit of the year)

24 species to start my 2019 log from here: in recorded order
Blackbird, Magpie, Robin, Blue Tit, Black-headed Gull, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mallard, Pochard, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Goosander, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Wren, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Common Buzzard, Wood Pigeon, Long-tailed Tit, Carrion Crow
NB: Feral Mallard not listed

Other notes from here
- the Mute Swan and two duck Teal both gone
- both Cormorant and Grey Heron present. The Grey Heron left – probably the one at Trench Lock on my return there
- just 1 Great Crested Grebe today

Birds noted flying over / near here
- 1 Common Buzzard

The counts from the water
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 44 Canada Geese
- 27 (20♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) feral Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 12 (7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 (0♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 12 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 96 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st winter female Scaup present.

2012
Priorslee Lake
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Adult Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
A 2nd winter Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
(Richard Vernon)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Evening - 6:15pm
A Barn Owl
(Martin Adlam)

Morning
Big gull roost with:
2000 Black-headed Gulls
500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
160 Herring Gulls
Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Also
At least 10000 Starlings left the roost somewhere to the S and flew N just before 8:00am.
(Ed Wilson)