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28 Nov 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:35
The Flash:  09:40 – 10:25

8°C > 11°C:  Yet another morning of very low cloud with occasional light drizzle in the air. Moderate SSE wind. Good visibility though hills covered in cloud early.

Sunrise: 07:54 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:35

(165th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The two adult Mute Swans seem to have declared a truce and spent most of the time together. It is perhaps possible that the 2nd bird is a different bird – a female (pen)? And yesterday’s was a male (cob) and therefore a threat to the cob swan that has been here some 10 days. The cygnet was keeping close contact again
- the presumed same group of 4 Greylag and 6 Canada Geese as the previous two days: there were certainly 10 geese and both species were involved. Too dark to check exact composition before they left
- after several days with low numbers a bumper total of >750 Black-headed Gulls. Some 250 had arrived by 06:40 when still very dark. Numbers steadily increased until c.07:15 when many started to leave. At least one large gull was heard calling at this time but was not seen. Later a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was on a favourite buoy. An adult Herring Gull was also present for a while
- just 10 Starlings came out of the NW reeds
- only 1 Reed Bunting seen flying off from a roost. Four others heard calling

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 4 Wood Pigeons only
- 165 Jackdaws
- 31 Redwings (2 groups)

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 4 Redwings again
- 10 Starlings
- 1 Reed Bunting

The counts from the lake area:
again ‘best effort’ in low light-levels, especially with Coots
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 4 Greylag Geese: presumed – see notes
- 6 Canada Geese: presumed – see notes
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 111 (51♂) Tufted Ducks
- 5 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail
- 8 Moorhens
- 94 Coots
- >750 Black-headed Gulls
- 1? Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull

My log of other things was
- 1 Winter Moth on a lamp pole

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:40 – 10:25

(128th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here
- 8 of the Canada Geese flew in while I was present
- perhaps a 3rd Grey Heron. I rather assume that one of them walked across inside the island though
- the ‘some days they are here; some days they are not’ Moorhens were ‘not’ – well not visible anyway. I am sure they were lurking somewhere
and
- 1 Mottled Umber moth on a different sheltered lamp post

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 5 Starlings

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans still
- 10 Canada Geese
- 37 (20♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 30 (2♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe as ever
- no Moorhens
- 10 Coots
- 32 Black-headed Gulls

This is the formal council notice about the closure of the footpath while they replace the bridges. I guess the original 2-day plan was just to redo the decking and they then found the whole structure needed to be replaced. Would it be churlish to complain about the incorrect use of the apostrophe in an official notice? Or have us pedants lost that argument? Rather wayward layout of the word ‘a ll’!

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

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)