6 Dec 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.5°C > 8.5°C: Overcast and dull again with a spell of drizzle: cloud lifted somewhat later. Light S wind. Good visibility apart from moderate / poor in drizzle

Sunrise: 08:05 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:35

(153rd visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- 2 adult Mute Swans were loitering off the dam by 06:40. When the locals woke up they gave chase but had not succeeded in removing them by 09:30. They concentrated on what seemed to the older individual – the other had a dull bill. The cygnets, like most teenagers, stayed asleep for most of the time and then only looked on
- my counts of the Canada Geese on the lake at 06:40 was 2; then 15; then 16; then 18 and finally c.20 as they moved back and forth. I heard them leave but they flew off the other way and I was unable to get an accurate count
- as I suspected yesterday but was then unable to confirm: a 5th adult Great Crested Grebe is present
- a higher count of Coots: has to be some doubt as to its accuracy because the chasing Mute Swans were scattering birds to left and right
- 83 Black-headed Gulls seen to arrive from the W before 07:45. Most left to the SW this morning. After that the usual coming and going with a count of exactly 125 buts at 08:10
- Wood Pigeon numbers were boosted again by a party of 71 apparently flushed out of Ward’s Rough
- c.50 Starlings were chased out of the roost by a male Sparrowhawk and scattered making an accurate count difficult
- 3 Reed Bunting left the W end reeds today: the number I log each day depends upon where I am at the time they leave – I cannot cover all the roost locations at the same time
and
- 5 moths on the lamps: the 2 Mottled Umbers and 1 December Moth were in exactly the same place as they were yesterday: just 2 winter moth sps.

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 1 Stock Dove
- 81 Wood Pigeons only
- c.560 Jackdaws
- 1 Fieldfare
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 2 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 25 Magpies again
- c.50 Starlings
- 9 Redwings

The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 3 Mute Swans (see notes)
- c.18 Canada Geese
- 11 (6♂) Gadwall still
- 5 (3♂) Mallard only
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 49 (30♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Cormorants
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails: 1 seen; 1 heard only
- 7 Moorhens
- 185 Coots
- 125 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 1 Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:25

(107th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- now 3 Great Crested Grebes: two at the N end included one first-winter bird; just 1 around the island in the nest area
- 2 single Ravens over – perhaps the same bird returning?
- a Coal Tit seen – the first I have logged here since the 22 September. They do seem to be hard to find outside the breeding season when they become quite noisy
and
- a Scarce Umber moth on one of the lamps: my first record of this species here

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 or 2 Ravens
- 1 Grey Wagtail

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans as usual
- 2 Canada Geese once more
- 1 white feral goose
- 34 (22♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard
- 41 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 6 Moorhens
- 12 Coots again
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again

The smudge running vertically down from the mark around the ear seems to suggest this is a first-winter Great Crested Grebe. Many adults lose all suggestion of their breeding plumes. The surviving cygnet for scale. Quite what will happen to this cygnet is open to question. Its parents seem to be ignoring it and I have yet to see it fly. It spends most of its time with the two apparently on-flying Canada Geese. When it goes white its parents will force it to leave – which it may be unable to do.

In contrast here is a winter adult Great Crested Grebe with an almost clean head.

As best I could do in the available light: I have noted before how startlingly white the wings of Great Crested Grebes are.

A pair of Pochard: the drake on the left with the striking red eye. The duck on the right with what looks to be a dark eye in this light – should be rufous-brown.

This duck caught my eye: the different flank tones and the white around the base of the bill made it stand out from the other duck Tufted Duck. Both these features might suggest a duck (Greater) Scaup. Sadly not so: it clearly has a ‘tuft’ on the hind crown and a (Greater) Scaup never shows white undertail. I concluded this is a first-winter duck.

This bird has a quite different flank colour. The extent of the white leaching in to the flanks suggests to be this is a first-winter drake. The appearance can be changed by the strength of the daylight and without detailed examination of each bird I might call this a drake when it is sunny; and dismiss it as a duck when the weather is dull.

A Raven announces its presence. Note the big head and, especially large bill. Also the long diamond-shaped tail. And the ‘fingers’ of the primaries held apart. My identification ‘rule of thumb’ is if you have a doubt about whether it is a Raven or a Crow – or Rook come to that – then it isn’t a Raven.

I changed my mind about this moth. When I looked at it I noted the band across the inner part of the forewing and thought ‘Scarce Umber’. But that species never shows the dark spot in the wing and the cross-bands are less irregular. So a ‘Mottled Umber’ it is.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 adult Caspian Gulls (one with a green ring suggesting a German/Polish border origin).
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
80+ Great Black-backed Gulls
c.1000 Herring Gulls
2000+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
1st w Viking Gull (hybrid Glaucous x Herring Gull)
2 ad hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
9 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
176 Coots
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
c.650 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.20 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls.
5 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
234 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Little Grebe
1 Cormorant
35 Mute Swans
2 Shoveler
48 Tufted Duck
3 Goosander 
162 Coots
228 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill
Caspian Gull
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
3500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
500 Herring Gulls
Common Gull. 
(Tom Lowe)

Buildwas
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
500 Lapwings
(Tom Lowe)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Pochard
52 Tufted Ducks
1 eclipse drake Ruddy Ducks
9 Golden Plover
>2000 Black-headed Gulls
>2526 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
22 Robins
24 Blackbirds
c.45 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
10 Redwings
348 Jackdaws
132 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Ravens
1 Cormorant
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
4 Pochard
39 Tufted Duck
1 Little Grebes
233 Coot
14 Redpolls
17 Siskins
24 Pied Wagtails
9 Redwings
12 Fieldfares
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)