12 Dec 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:35
The Flash: 09:40 – 10:30

5°C > 6°C:  Areas of low cloud with some brighter periods. Mainly light ESE wind. Moderate visibility, becoming good. Rather hazy

Sunrise: 08:12 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:35

(178th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- an additional pair of adult Mute Swans still present throughout and could not be persuaded to leave by the resident cob. Yesterday’s 5th adult gone as had the cygnet (that was seen flying around yesterday, though it stayed within the boundary of the water)
- now 5 pairs of Gadwall. In the last few days these have all relocated from the NE area to the W end
- additional pair of Great Crested Grebes: stayed together
- Black-headed Gulls arrived later (07:25) and settled almost immediately. Most gone by 07:45. More than yesterday. I searched in vain for anything different in the flocks
- Fieldfare(s) heard calling in flight at 07:05. Too dark to see anything
- 2 of the Reed Buntings seen leaving a roost were from a different location to ‘normal’

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 10 Canada Geese (1 group outbound)
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 39 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves
- c.140 Jackdaws
- 12 Starlings (1 group)
- Fieldfare heard only
- 10 Redwings (2 groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 10 Redwings
- 3 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area
- 4 Mute Swans
- 10 (5♂) Gadwall
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 14 (11♂) Pochard
- 58 (28♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 85 Coots
- c.650 Black-headed Gulls

And other notes

My log of other things, all on lamp poles
- 3 Mottled Umber moths: just 1 new (or perhaps relocated) specimen
- 1 stretch spider (Tetragnatha montana?)
- 1 other spider (Nursery Web Spider?)
neither of these spiders should be active in December

Between the areas of low cloud a few breaks allowed some pre-sunrise colour. Another hand-held special so not too sharp I am afraid.

Look! a bi-plane Mute Swan.

Actually the new resident cob (on the right) in pursuit of the cob visitor. This visitor was present at dawn yesterday with his partner. They show little sign of leaving.

Lots of eyes looking at me. The business end of what seems to be a Nursery Web Spider even if they are not supposed to be active at this time of year.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash:  09:40 – 10:30

(138th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- Goosanders flying in / out and around made an accurate total difficult. My number is the highest ‘instant’ count I made
and, on lamp poles
- the same 2 Mottled Umber moths

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Feral Pigeons

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 41 (26♂) Mallard
- 25 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 82 (7♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe as usual
- 3 Moorhens
- 10 Coots
- 18 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

I struggle to show in a photograph the rafts of Goosanders. They are usually too spread out and often the angle of the light is wrong. Here are 36 of them. The back bird in the middle is a drake. All the others seem to have white chins even where the head colour is not that apparent.

And here are 17 (and a Black-headed Gull). Again just one drake. I admit to not having realised just how much the white chin shows up – probably more noticeable on the photo than in real life.

A ‘classic’ adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Relatively light streaking on the head for this bird – some are almost black with heavy streaks.

How can something that big hide so well? This Wood Pigeon climbed right inside the Ivy tangle to gorge on the berries. It was almost invisible until it crashed around looking for another perch.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup (imm/fem)
4  Pochard
2 Teal
2 Goosanders
101 Tufted Duck
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
c.478 Lesser Black-backed
c30 Herring
c.5 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Water Rail 
245 Coots
18 Fieldfare
201 Redwings
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Gary Crowder)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull.
Great Black-backed Gull
2 Gadwall
2 Teal
45 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
10 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
(Ed Wilson/Martin Grant)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
c300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
11 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
36 Swans
29 Pochard
79 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
277 Coots
5 Redwings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Gadwall
45 Golden Plover
( John Isherwood) 

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Cormorants
25 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
72 Coots
>2000 Black-headed Gulls
228 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
15 Herring Gulls
25 Robins
16 Blackbirds
31 Fieldfares
5 Redwings
278 Jackdaws
105 Rooks
32 Starlings
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
2 Little Grebes
7 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
244 Coot
262 Jackdaws
285 Rooks
1 Redpoll
24 Siskins
21 Pied Wagtails
2 Grey Wagtails
8 Redwings
15 Fieldfares
13 Reed Buntings
13 Robins
19 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
14 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)