30 Nov 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:30
The Flash:  09:35 – 10:30

6°C:  A few thin high clouds; also a few remnant showers around. Moderate W wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:57 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:30

(166th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- all the Mute Swans together all the time
- small influx of Pochard: more Tufted Ducks as well with 6 ducks seen flying in from the E at 07:15
- back to low numbers of Black-headed Gulls. 110 was my largest count. With (same?) birds coming and going likely more individuals involved
- one of the Wood Pigeon parties – of 58 birds – seemed to have been flushed from trees to the E of Woodhouse Lane. The groups were all going in different directions
- almost uniquely none of the Jackdaws was heard to call

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 10 Greylag Geese: outbound
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound
- 2 geese sp.
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Stock Doves
- 161 Wood Pigeons (128 of these in 5 groups)
- 209 Jackdaws
- 25 Fieldfares (2 groups)
- 1 Redwing
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Greenfinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 1 Siskin
- 1 Linnet

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 10 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall once again
- 15 (12♂) Mallard
- 10 (8♂) Pochard
- 137 (>56♂) Tufted Ducks
- 6 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 11 Moorhens
- 120 Coots
- >110 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

My log of other things was
- 2 Winter Moths on the same lamp pole
- 1 Mottled Umber moth on a different lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel

At last: the cloud has gone and we can see (half) the moon.

Even a sunrise this morning. Red sky in the morning ... more rain promised.

A different look at the sunrise.

A fine male Bullfinch. Already eating the buds of Hawthorns. Does not seem to affect the abundant flowers in Spring all that much.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:35 – 10:30

(129th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here
- another good count of Goosander
- a Sparrowhawk shot through between the trees at head height
- 15 Goldfinches in Alders at top end of water
and, on Ivy near Priorslee Academy
- >5 wasp sp.
- >5 Episyrphus balteatus hoverflies
- 1 Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- 5 ‘greenbottle’ flies
- >20 other Muscid flies of at least 3 species

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 9 Canada Geese
- 32 (20♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Tufted Ducks
- 41 (5♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant briefly
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 8 Coots
- 52 Black-headed Gulls

A rather distant group of female Goosanders – aren’t they always rather distant (with a duck Mallard getting in the photo as well). Here we see one wing-flapping showing the white extending only half-way across the wing (all the way on a drake). We see another with its ‘saw-bill’ open – too far away to show the serrations that give it that name.

Goosanders have a very distinctive way of taking off. As diving ducks the legs are too far back along the body to allow them to spring in to the air – as Mallard do. So they patter across the surface building up speed. The foreground bird is leaving regular splash marks as it patters away. The bird at the rear is already airborne [not enough light to freeze the action here].

With the sun on the Ivy it was alive with insects this morning: here is a Episyrphus balteatus hoverfly.

Here the Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax).

And one of the many Muscid flies. Would have been good a day later and I could log all these in December.

(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
9 Pochard
3 Gadwall
1 duck Goldeneye
1750 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
370 Black-headed Gulls
76 Herring Gulls
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
Redpoll
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood / Martin Grant)

Holmer Lake
3 Goosander
1 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
11 Yellow-legged Gulls
An adult Caspian Gull
3,000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30-40 Waxwings
2 Common Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Madeley
3 Waxwings
(Pete Nickless)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
20 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
6 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>1050 Black-headed Gulls
451 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
188 Wood Pigeons
18 Blackbirds
166 Fieldfares
62 Redwings
187 Jackdaws
80 Rooks
4 Siskin
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon again
3 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
215 Coot
4000 Black-headed Gulls
2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Fieldfare
1 Sky Lark
168 Jackdaws
72 Rooks.
19 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)