28 Nov 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.5°C > 3.0°C: Several light sleet showers but mainly clear, especially later. Moderate WNW wind.
Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:54 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:50

(145th visit of the year)

Two highlights here today
- a Tawny Owl was calling from the NW area at 06:30 giving ‘kvick’ calls. There is much confusion in the literature about which sex gives which call – birds are not separable on plumage. It now seems to accepted that either sex can make both the hoot and the ‘kvick’ calls
- a BITTERN was chased in to the NE reed bed by two Black-headed Gulls at 07:05 when still very dark. It did not reappear – I did not expect it would. My 101st species around the lake this year

Notes from today:
- Gadwall number increased again
- 6 (3♂) Mallard until 08:40 when, like yesterday a group flew in from the E – 29 (16♂)
- a 2nd juvenile Great Crested Grebe today
- 64 Black-headed Gulls noted on the water at 07:05 – perhaps these had roosted as I did not see any fly in. Later c.40 more arrived from the W as usual. Then as in recent days they had mostly gone by 08:00 and very few returned
- very few Wood Pigeons again – indeed more Feral Pigeons overhead
- a lone Starling came out of reeds along the S side: there were none in the NW area today. Two small parties overhead had come from elsewhere
- a Song Thrush in full song
- small movement of Redwings W and a higher number out of the NE roost today: also a few Fieldfare W
and
- 2 Winter Moths on one lamp
- 1 Northern Winter Moth on another lamp
- a small fungus sp. found growing on the rotten wood of an old fishing platform

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Buzzards
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 22 Feral Pigeons (4 singles / groups)
- 1 Stock Dove
- 10 Wood Pigeons only
- >450 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 7 Starlings (2 groups)
- 4 Fieldfares
- 62 Redwings (5 groups)
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 13 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpies not counted]
- 1 Starling (see notes)
- 36 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 11 (6♂) Gadwall
- 29 (16♂) Mallard again
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 42 (23♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Bittern
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails heard
- 7 Moorhens
- 163 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

A rather brooding morning as the showers came over.

You should know by now that I have an affection for drake Gadwall: they are quite splendid.

Why not two pictures of this attractive bird.

A Song Thrush in full song here this morning.

 .. declaiming even!

Is this the same first-winter male Blackbird with the white tips to many of its feathers that I photographed a few days ago? Looks like it. No matter it is an attractive pose.

A real close up. It was slightly concerned about me, but more concerned about how it could ...

... turn around ...

 ... and dive in to the bush to grab a snack of a rose hip.

A rather better than usual shot of a Winter Moth – still around in the sunshine and low-down on the lamp-post.

I said I hadn’t seen any bryony and needed to look. And I found! But which species? Harder to tell as all the leaves have withered away but I think Black Bryony (Tamus communis). A member of the Yam family. The berries are poisonous to humans – indeed most of the plant is.

Here is the small fungus growing on one of the old and rotting fishing platform.

(Ed Wilson)

Also
Thank you to Mark Williams for the following photos taken today by the Sailing Club.

Water Rail

Water Rail

Water Rail

Wren

Wren

Wren

Robin

Goldfinch

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The Flash: 09:55 – 10:55

(101st visit of the year)

Notes from here
- at first just the ‘regular’ two Canada Geese with the all-white feral goose sp. Then a group of 18 Greylag and 28 Canada Geese flew in from the E. Later 11 of Greylags flew out again
- Pochard and some of the Tufted Ducks gone since Sunday
- the Grey Heron was seen off by the Black-headed Gulls
and despite the low ambient temperature (3°C) on the Ivy in the sun
- 1 wasp sp
- >10 flies of at least 3 species
but no hoverflies noted
plus
- a probable honey fungus found on the base of a recently cut tree along the E side

Birds noted flying over
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (singles)
- 3 Redwings

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 18 Greylag Geese
- 30 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose as usual
- 26 (17♂) Mallard
- 20 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (2♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 12 Coots again
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Two drake Goosanders: the left-hand bird is a full adult; the right-hand bird still moulting in to adult drake plumage. Would not like to say whether this delayed moult of an adult or a 1st winter bird getting its first adult plumage – I rather suspect the latter.

In the harsh low winter sun you can sometimes achieve interesting effects as with this Moorhen.

The effect was not so rewarding on this reflected adult winter Black-headed Gull.

Perched a long way up: a male (the red nape separates) Great Spotted Woodpecker.

This is the best I could to record a wasp sp. still flying on 28 November when the ambient temperature was just 3°C. Sheltered from the wind and in full sun the micro-climate in the Ivy would have been much greater.

Part of the fungus on a tree recently cut down along the E side. Likely the tree was rather rotten.

Another bigger clump in the sun. This somewhat, but not entirely, is responsible for the colour difference. It is likely these are one of the honey fungus (Armillaria) group, possibly Dark Honey Fungus (Armillaria ostoyae).

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
c.373 Wood Pigeons
2 Woodcock
17 Redwings
29 Fieldfares
c.490 Jackdaws
56 Rooks
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
10+ Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2009
The Wrekin
Firecrest
(Martin & Ian Grant)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
26 Pochard
47 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
895 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Fieldfares
24 Redwings
191 Jackdaws
123 Rooks
53 Starlings
16 Greenfinch
13 Goldfinches
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
A duck Wigeon
Cormorant
c.75 Lapwing
2 Fieldfares
1 duck Pochard
34 Tufted Duck logged.
200 Coot
(Ed Wilson)