22 Dec 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:45
The Flash:  09:50 – 10:40

8°C:  Scattered clouds. Moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:45

(187th visit of the year)

Bliss: work on the new housing estate is suspended for Christmas. Can hear again

Bird notes:
- Mute Swans again went for a fly-around, this morning inspecting the progress on the new houses before returning
- confirmed just 4 pairs of Gadwall at the moment – as yesterday
- 2 Goosanders seen with Tufted Duck sleeping in the middle of the lake: they left at 07:45 before it was light-enough to sex them. Single brownheads flew W at 08:05 and 08:30
- 4 Little Grebes: singles in different locations
- I assume most of the Jackdaws flew below my line of sight to the E
- amazing total of Reed Buntings seen flying out of the W end roost – groups of 5, 8, 10 and 11. At least two more birds still calling in the area. Probably one of these seen feeding on the W-end footpath much later. My highest-ever count

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 2 (0♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Wood Pigeons only
- 31 Jackdaws
- 2 Goldfinches
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 57 Magpies
- 1 Starling
- 1 Redwing only [main roost area not visited]
- 34 Reed Buntings (gulp)

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 56 (23♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 84 Coots
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Mottled Umber moth – another new fresh specimen
- 1 stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp
- 1 orb-web spider, perhaps Zygiella sp.
- a few ‘winter midges’ in flight only

Just about 5 hours away from the full moon. This taken at 06:38 and full moon at 11:49.

Can it really be Spring? Looks that way here. Along the N side.

Well how many things are there here? In the 8 o’clock position is a spider, I think probably Zygiella x-notata or Z. atrica. Up at 12 / 1 o’clock seems to be legs of, I’m guessing, a spider clutching a dead moth, though I can’t suggest what species. Then at 4 o’clock something banded and with long-legs. Lots of remnant webs and debris as well. If the lamp posts were shorter I’d take a brush and clean the rubbish off them.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:50 – 10:40

(146th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here
- another good count of Goosanders with a higher than usual number of drakes
- a Ring-necked Parakeet calling from the island again – it flew off yesterday so is perhaps roosting here
and
- I scoured the Ivy by Priorslee Academy: only Muscid flies seen and then only when the sun was out

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Siskin again

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese: 2 of these arrived
- 34 (21♂) Mallard
- 21 (7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 93 (23♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 1 Moorhen
- 15 Coots
- 46 Black-headed Gulls

A pair of Goosanders. To me the drake has a lascivious look about him, but perhaps that says more about me than him.

A couple of Muscid flies getting whatever nectar is left in the Ivy flowers. Was unable to find anything more interesting nectaring here.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
6 Pochard 
78 Tufted Ducks 
1 female Greater Scaup
222 Coots counted
Caspian Gull
2 Fieldfare
17 Redwings 
429 Jackdaws
173 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard 
110 Tufted Ducks 
17 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
11 Swans 
1 Shoveler 
c.115 Tufted Duck 
7 Goosander
129 Coots 
41 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
21 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
16 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
32 Swans
114 Canada Geese
39 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
166 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3rd-winter American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe/Kriss Webb)

2011
Priorslee Lake
c.6000 Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
Sparrowhawk
(Martin Adlam and Ian Grant)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
1 Black-necked Grebe 
5 Great Crested Grebes 
42 Swans
2 Gadwall
51 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
296 Coots
c.2000 Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30 Lapwings
50 Golden Plover
7 Redwings
8 Fieldfares
15 Goldfinches
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Lake Icebound - 2009 (Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee lake
1 Great Crested Grebe
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
58 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.3200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
15 Pied Wagtails
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee lake
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
11 Herring Gull
7 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
1 Cormorant on the Lake.
200 Coot
1 Water Rail
18 Pied Wagtails
231 Rooks
323 Jackdaw
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)