16 Nov 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:15
The Flash: 09:20 – 09:50

11°C: Dull with low cloud. Very light SE wind. Moderate visibility

Sunrise: 07:33 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:15

(153rd visit of the year)

Not much over in the dull conditions

Other bird notes:
- just the adult Mute Swan now
- a single Lesser Black-backed Gull arrived and perched on the same buoy as yesterday: the same bird?
- a lap around the lake well before dawn found at least 8 Redwings calling from the trees. Later 7 more seen leaving bushes between the lake and the M54 – a noisy night for these
- the Song Thrush sang strongly again today. Later what was presumably the same bird was singing quietly flanked by two others

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 17 Wood Pigeons (no groups)
- 121 Jackdaws
- 16 Starlings (4 groups)
- 10 Fieldfares (1 group)
- 35 Redwings (4 groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail again
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 2 Siskins

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 15 Redwings

The counts from the lake area taken in very dull conditions
- 1 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall as usual
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 65 (>30♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens
- 98 Coots
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls again
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull yet again

And other notes
my log today consisted of
- 1 Northern Winter Moth on a lamp post
- 1 male Mottled Umber moth on another lamp post
- 1 Oxychilus sp. glass snail

Slightly smaller than the recent Autumnal-type moths is this Winter moth-type. More confusing species! Helpfully here we can just make out the white underwing indicating it is the slightly larger Northern Winter Moth. Winter Moth has a grey underwing. My first of this season.

A couple of things caused me pause over the identification of this moth. It clearly looks like a Mottled Umber – indeed it is: but it lack the usual prominent spot in the forewing just behind the outer wavy cross-line. And the inner wavy cross-line seems rather further away from the base than is usual. But nothing else fits this rather variable species.

No doubt taking advantage of the new succulent growth of nettles (Urtica sp.) is this snail, It is certainly a glass snail of the genus Oxychilus but which is hard to say.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 09:50

(120th visit of the year)

Notes from here
I thought it might be a bit of trudge around here with low numbers of most things recently. The walk was perked up by
- another good-sized group of Goosanders
- at least 2 and possibly 3 parties of Long-tailed Tits chirruping around my head
- a Siskin in the trees
- a pair of Bullfinches
against this
- all the geese gone now

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Pied Wagtail

The counts from the water
- 1 + 1 Mute Swans
- 27 (19♂) Mallard
- 5 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 22 (3♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron once more
- 1 Great Crested Grebe once more
- 2 Moorhens again
- 7 Coots
- 31 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon 
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
69 Tufted Duck 
215 Coots 
19 Lapwings 
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.220 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
21 Herring Gulls 
74 Starlings
8 Fieldfare
38 Redwings 
93 Jackdaws
19 Rooks
3 Ravens
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
12 Greylag Geese
3 Wigeon
1 Shoveler 
3 Pochard 
11 Tufted Ducks 
Snipe
c.35 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Caspian Gulls
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
1,600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30+ Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
Hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2007
Priorslee Lake
140 Golden Plover
1 Gadwall
2 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Cormorants
29 Pochard
54 Tufted Ducks
>675 Black-headed Gulls
2571 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
272 Wood Pigeons
32 Robins
26 Blackbirds
212 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
50 Redwings
7 Mistle Thrushes
5 Goldcrests
563 Jackdaws
144 Rooks
33 Starlings
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)