20 Dec 17

Priorslee Lake only

5.5°C > 6.0°C: Patches of mist and fog to start: cleared later with sunny spells and scattered cloud. Light and variable wind. Poor visibility, becoming good

Sunrise: 08:19 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:30

(165th visit of the year)

What a difference a day made: a few patches of remnant ice around the edges. Away from the lake I was recording temperatures >3°C higher

Notes from today:
- the 2 visiting adult Mute Swans were present throughout: the residents had two goes at seeing them off without apparent success
- one pair of Gadwall not located the morning
- no Little Grebes found today after yesterday’s record count
- c.90 Black-headed Gulls at 07:20 – did they roost? c.80 more arrived from the W by 07:50.. Mass departure at 07:55 after which fewer then 30 at any time
- a party of 22 Wood Pigeons flew E at height, suggesting more than just local feeding movement
- a Willow Tit heard and then seen: good to know at least one has made it through the cold snap
- one roosting Reed Bunting. Later a male seen calling in a traditional nesting area
and, all on the lamps
- the Mottled Umber still in exactly the same place as the previous two days
- 3 winter moth sps.
- a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- a possible Common Damsel Bug (Nabis rugosus)

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 male Sparrowhawk
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 30 Wood Pigeons
- 106 Jackdaws
- 6 Starlings (1 group)
- 2 Greenfinches
- 3 Goldfinches
- 5 Siskins
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpie roost not counted]
- 2 Redwings only again
- 1 Reed Bunting again

The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 3 Mute Swans again
- 36 Canada Geese
- 9 (5♂) Gadwall
- 8+ (5♂) Mallard
- 9 (8♂) Pochard
- 55 (20♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 208 Coots
- c.170 Black-headed Gulls

As the mist started to clear.

... still hanging around in places.

... just about gone with some colour in the sunrise.

... then a few patches returned.

The male Reed Bunting that was calling long after any roosting birds would have left.

This small creature on one of the lamps is shown enlarged here. The long antenna tell us it is a ‘bug’ (rather than a ‘fly’). I suspect a Common Damsel Bug (Nabis rugosus)
(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
6 Pochard 
94 Tufted Ducks 
10 Goosander
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
2 Fieldfare
85 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe 
151 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Little Grebe 
1 Shoveler 
1 Pochard 
95 Tufted Duck 
133 Coots 
54 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
1 Redwing
4 Fieldfare
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Water Rail
>3000 Black-headed Gulls
28 Swans
2 Gadwall
52 Pochard
112 Tufted Ducks
287 Coots
10 Redwings 
199 Jackdaws
6 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.2800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
18 Pied Wagtails
2 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)