26 Nov 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 4.5C: Several light showers; also with some clear spells. Moderate W wind. Very good visibility. Just frosted again in areas sheltered from the wind.

Sunrise: 07:51 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:30 – 09:25

(143rd visit of the year)

First the bad news: a Planning Notice has appeared indicating there is an application to built 409(!) houses on the old Celestica site to the N of the lake. This has been derelict for >10 years (apart from when it was used as access route for Holy Trinity Academy construction traffic). More news as and when.

Notes from today:
- Canada Geese heard outbound as I parked up in Teece Drive but too dark to see them, especially with the very bright LED street lights ruining my night-vision
- Gadwall number making their daily change
- so where were all the Mallard today: just a pair!
- 3 (1 drake) Goosanders circled low but then carried on W at 07:50
- >150 Golden Plover again to the E at 07:50, somewhat closer this morning
- the juvenile Great Crested Grebe was heard begging again today. The pair at the W end were seen mating today. No pre-amble with display – they don’t have plumes to show off at this time of year. Just straight on with action. Not sure I have ever seen this species copulate before
- Water Rails heard calling in the SW area (a new location for the S-side bird?); in the NW area; and then much later at the NE end. Later still one flushed from along the N side – perhaps the NW bird straying for food?
- c.65 Black-headed Gulls straggled in from the W but then mostly left and no more than 20 at any one time later
- just three parties of high-flying Wood Pigeons, all NNE
and
- 1 Scarce Umber moth on a lamp. New for the year
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) also on a lamp

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- ? Canada Geese: heard only
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Buzzard
- >150 Golden Plover
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 3 Stock Doves
- 76 Wood Pigeons (including 60 migrants in 3 groups)
- >650 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 10 Starlings (2 groups)
- 1 Fieldfare
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Greenfinches
- 6 Siskins
- 3 finch sp. (see notes)

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpies not counted]
- >230 Starlings
- 17 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 9 (5♂) Gadwall
- 2 (1♂) Mallard only
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 39 (20♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Water Rails seen / heard
- 5 Moorhens
- 157 Coots
- c.65 Black-headed Gulls

Interesting to see the progress of this shower passing to the E. Here it is pre-dawn (hand-held at tenth of a second!) showing curtains of precipitation – likely sleet in the cold this morning.

Six minutes later and much less precipitation.

Ten minutes later – all gone: the cloud and the precipitation.

The sunrise when it came.

This is part of the very distant party of Golden Plover to the far E of the lake. The pattern of the flocks in flight is quite distinctive. There is just about enough definition to enable us to see the long and pointed wings on this species.

This is a Scarce Umber. I thought it would be another specimen of the rather variable Mottled Umber but noted that there was no obvious ‘dot’ towards the edge of the forewing – just a smudge. Checking the web site here for the ‘flying tonight’ showed that the straight line just in the basal part of the wing meant it has to be a Scarce Umber. Like several of the recent winter moth sps. this individual was found rather low-down on the lamp posts which I do not recall before. Perhaps they find the new LED lights too bright? Perhaps they are just searching for the wingless females typically climb up trees (and lamps!). My first Scarce Umber for several years.

If you want to check the details on the plans to build the 409 house on the old Celestica site here are the details you need. TWC/2017/0941. If you want to see the main site plan Click Here

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:05

(100th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- just the ‘regular’ two Canada Geese with the all-white feral goose sp.
- 3 Great Crested Grebes confirmed
- the same? adult winter Herring Gull
- at least 2 Siskins with the c.10 Goldfinches in Alders at the N end

Birds noted flying over
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Raven
- 2 Redwings

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose as usual
- 28 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 25 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (0♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 12 Coots
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 1 Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
22 Tufted Ducks
143 Coots
Nuthatch
34 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
228 Jackdaws
98 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
11 Greylag Geese
27 Pochard
70 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
70 Coots
>400 Black-headed Gulls
315 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls
221 Wood Pigeons
22 Blackbirds
45 Fieldfares
38 Redwings
264 Jackdaws
71 Rooks
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
2 Ruddy Duck
C.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Herring Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Caspian Gull
Sparrowhawk
c.628 Jackdaws
c.358 Rooks
(Martin Adlam)