14 Jan 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash (not in that order)

Priorslee Lake:  10:00 – 10:35
The Flash:  09:25 – 09:55

5.0°C:  Mainly cloudy with light rain. More persistent rain later. Moderate S wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:16 GMT]

A short daylight visit ahead of the worst of the rain and wind

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:25

(13th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Only three cygnets – 7JSI, JSL, 7JSN. As I was driving through the estate a Mute Swan cygnet flew W away from the lake. Perhaps the missing cygnet, though the 5th cygnet is known to be a good flyer and it could have been that on a revisit?

Bird totals:

Counts from the lake area only:
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 16 (8♂) Tufted Duck only
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 78 Coots
- 55 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: adult
- 1 unidentified immature gull

No other sightings:

New bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site.
None

A very distant shot of today’s mystery gull. Clearly an immature with extensive brown in the wings and tertials suggesting a second-winter bird. The mantle is quite dark, not dark-enough for a Lesser Black-backed Gull so suggesting a Yellow-legged Gull. The head is strikingly white: according to my literature any second winter large gull should have dark streaking on the head.

I tried to get closer, alert to the possibility it might fly off – indeed a flying shot might help. What I did not bargain for was that I flushed a Common Buzzard and as that diverted my attention its departure in turn flushed the gull. This shot was all I managed. The extent of the black tail-band tends to confirm the second-year diagnosis. The pale inner primaries confirm it as a Herring Gull-type rather than a Lesser Black-backed Gull. I can only suggest it is a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull already showing some third-summer features. But ... if you think differently please get in touch.

(Ed Wilson)

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

 The Flash:  09:25 – 10:00

(12th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- A Kingfisher calling and then seen in flight the only thing of note in a quick sprint to avoid the rain.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Stock Doves

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans again
- 2 Canada Geese
- 35 (19♂) Mallard
- 13 (13♂) Pochard
- 47 (31♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 3 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 19 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first-winter
- 1 Kingfisher

No other sightings:

New bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site.
None

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

1. Click Here for a Summary of the 2019 Priorslee Lake Report.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Scaup
2 Great Black-backed Gulls 
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)

 2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
15 Pochard
76 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
>114 Coots
72 Black-headed Gulls
176 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
53 Herring Gulls
Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson/Tom Lowe)

 Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull.
5+ Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

 2012
Priorslee Lake
 Lapwing
5 Great Crested Grebes
26 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
12 Redwing
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

 Trench Pool
141 Canada Geese
3 Pochard again
57 Tufted Duck
102 Coot logged
(Ed Wilson)

 2009
Priorslee Lake
Yellow-legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)

 2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
16 Cormorants
24 Pochard
39 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
1 Water Rail
200 Lapwings
>640 Black-headed Gulls
66 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
14 Fieldfares
7 Song Thrushes
19 Redwings
7 Mistle Thrushes
42 Magpies
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
600 Wood Pigeons
13 Great Crested Grebes
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
216 Coots
1 Water Rail.
219 Jackdaws
210 Rooks
62 Siskins
3 Reed Bunting
1 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)