2 Dec 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:15
The Flash:  09:20 – 10:05

11°C:  Some breaks; a few very light showers. Light / moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:00 GMT

Highlight was the sight of 96 Goosanders on The Flash. What do they all do here? On checking I could not repeat the count, only making 92. However there is no one point where all the water can be seen with some birds always behind the island. I am pretty confident 96 was correct. Easily my record total here – or anywhere else come to that

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:15

(168th visit of the year)

Not entirely sure what has happened since yesterday. For some two weeks an area of weed in the NE corner has seen many of the Tufted Duck loafing here; and usually the four pairs of Gadwall have been feeding on the weed. Today the weed seemed to still be present but the Tufted Ducks were scattered all around the water and diving for food making counts much harder. There did seem to be fewer. Two pairs of Gadwall seem to have gone. Given that almost all the Pochard remain it seems unlikely that yesterday’s work-party by the sailing club caused any real disturbance

Bird notes:
- a loose group of 16 Goosanders flew W at 07:45. Too dark to sex
- what seemed to be the same two Great Crested Grebes unusually spent time together; another two were asleep together in the middle of the water. Later it was difficult to find any of these submarines
- at least 2, possibly 3, Song Thrushes doing what it says on the tin
- party of at least 28 Goldfinches in the Alders included a single Siskin

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 Greylag Geese [1, then 2 outbound]
- 16 (?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 45 Wood Pigeons
- c.275 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 5 Redwings
- 4 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 18 (11♂) Mallard
- 9 (8♂) Pochard
- 106 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 110 Coots
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

My log of other things was
- 1 Winter Moth on a lamp pole
- 2 presumed Winter Moths sp. in flight
- 3 Mottled Umber moths all on lamp poles: two of these exactly where they were yesterday
- 3 spiders on lamp poles: possible Nursery Web and Garden Spiders; plus an unidentified small spider
- many midges liking the mild conditions

A ‘spider’ morning on the lamps. This very small spider – compare the size against just one of the characters comprising the lamp ID! – remains unidentified. Note too another small creature – a midge? – on the left.

This spider in its web looks a bit like a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus). Only problem is that the web site Here, does not mention this species as currently active.

Neither does that web site mention Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) which is what I think this might be.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash:  09:20 – 10:05

(131st visit of the year)

Last day I will be able to circumnavigate the water for a while. Work on replacing the footbridges starts tomorrow. I wonder what the Goosanders will make of that?

Bird notes from here
- 32 Greylag Geese came from the N and split in to two groups, each of 16 birds. One group went W; the other carried on S
- no sign of the 2nd Great Crested Grebe today
- a Song Thrush singing here as well
and
checked the Ivy for insects: warm enough but I guess they need a bit of sun. So the log was ...
- 1 Winter Moth on a lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 32 Greylag Geese
- 2 Cormorants
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese again
- 40 (23♂) Mallard
- 6 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 96 (17♂) Goosanders (gulp)
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 3 Moorhens again
- 11 Coots
- 42 Black-headed Gulls

When the approaching gang of 32 Greylag Geese split in to two groups these were the 16 birds that headed off W.

No way could I show a photo of even most of the 96 Goosanders this morning – they were scattered all across the water. Here is a selection of 17 (plus a duck Mallard). Here we see 8 of them are drakes.

(Ed Wilson)

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

Also from The Flash

Goosander

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

(Mark Williams)

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

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall.
8 Pochard.
51 Tufted Ducks
156 Coots.
1st-winter Great Black-backed Gull on the water. 
35 Redwings
c.407 Jackdaws
82 Rooks.
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Caspian Gull
(John Isherwood / Another Observer)

2009
The Wrekin
Firecrest
(Pete Nickless)

2006
Priorslee Lake
21 Pochard
50 Tufted Ducks
1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck
73 Coots
>750 Black-headed Gulls
1904 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
29 Robins
25 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
6 Song Thrushes
31 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
258 Jackdaws
248 Rooks
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Cormorant
3200 Black-headed Gulls
700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1st-winter Great Black-backed Gull
7 Pochard
36 Tufted Duck
208 Coot
246 Jackdaws
83 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)