4 Dec 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:25
The Flash:  09:30 – 10:50

3°C > 5°C:  Clear and frosty start. Some high cloud from W later. Calm / light N wind with some mist over the lake. Otherwise very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:02 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:25

(170th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a group of 10 geese on the lake pre-dawn: looked to be all Greylags. Not seen or heard to depart
- all 4 pairs of Gadwall found today
- initially only 4 (1♂) Pochard: a small group flew in
- 5 Goosanders came from the S and flew off W at 07:40: 3 flew W 07:50: 4 flew W 07:55. At least 1♂
- unable to locate any Little Grebes at any of their haunts
- >250 Black-headed Gulls arrived together at 07:10. >350 by 07:35 – tightly packed and hard to count. Long after these initially dispersed >200 logged arriving (back?)
- single group of 92 Jackdaws: lots of stragglers, including many singles
- 4 Song Thrushes singing
- very few finches today: a single Goldfinch and the usual 5 Bullfinches only

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 12 (1?♂) Goosanders (3 groups)
- 1 Grey Heron
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Stock Doves (singles)
- 20 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 137 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- >48 Magpies
- 6 Starlings
- 4 Redwings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese (see notes)
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 11 (9♂) Pochard
- 91 (42♂) Tufted Ducks
- [no Little Grebes]
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 12 Moorhens
- 96 Coots
- >350 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things was
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) on a lamp pole
- 7 Winter Moths on various lamp poles
- 1 ‘new’ Mottled Umber moth on a lamp pole

Another good sunrise without being exceptional.

Looking ‘the other way’ early mist on the lake gave this rather blurred effect.

One of 4 Song Thrushes motivated to sing this morning.

Another chance ....

The size and almost ziz-zag mark on the wings of this moth suggests to me this is a late specimen of the November Moth agg. and most likely a ‘real’ November Moth (Epirrita dilutata).

Credit to the camera which managed to get this dancing midge as near in focus as .... This is a different midge to yesterday’s “plumed midge”. No real way to identify midges in flight though only two common ‘winter midges’ do not have plumed antenna. I suspect Trichocera relegationis, but ..

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:30 – 10:50

(132nd visit of the year)

Bridge work has certainly had an effect on the birds. No Cormorants or Grey Herons today. A few Goosanders coming and going from N end of the water which is where the Tufted Duck were

Bird notes from here
- 3 brownhead Goosanders when I arrived. 3 more flew in. Then 4 flew off. Later 4 more(?) flew in
and
- 1 Northern Winter Moth on a lamp pole
- 1 Winter Moth on the same lamp pole
checked the Ivy for insects: in the rather fading sun the log was ...
- 1 wasp sp., briefly: my first-ever December record of this species
- >20 Muscid flies of at least 3 species
but sadly no hoverflies, however hard I looked!

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Feral Pigeons
- c.30 Redwings

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 22 Canada Geese
- 34 (18♂) Mallard
- 5 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 6 (10?) (?♂) Goosanders (see notes)
- 1 Great Crested Grebe as usual
- 1 Moorhen
- 9 Coots
- 28 Black-headed Gulls

No day here is complete without a Goosander picture. A brownhead powers by.

And two more follow. As I noted yesterday looking against the light it can be hard to determine the head colour. When we cannot see the upper-wing pattern sexing is not easy. Here we can see the white on the chin confirming they are brownheads.

To my eyes these two moths are different sizes. The lower right is, I am sure, a regular Winter Moth. The other, larger, I thought when I saw it was likely to be a Northern Winter Moth and that is what I have logged it as. I am now wondering about November Moth agg....

(Ed Wilson)

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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
9 Pochard
20 Tufted Ducks
1 (1) Goosander
155 Coots
28 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
14 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
c.368 Jackdaws
97 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

009
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorant
33 Mute Swans
Water Rail
13 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks 
274 Coots
1000 Black-headed Gulls
2000 Lesser Black-backs
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Great Black-backed
5 Redwings
2 Willow Tit
c.325 Jackdaws
20 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
15 Pochard
45 Tufted Ducks
1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck
2 Sparrowhawks
2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>700 Black-headed Gulls
324 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
649 Wood Pigeons
25 Robins
22 Blackbirds
16 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
6 Redwings
322 Jackdaws
224 Rooks
2 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
140 Golden Plover
8 Cormorants
900 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
13 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
2 Little Grebes
225 Coot
371 Jackdaws
313 Rooks
6 Redwings
32 Fieldfares.
8 Reed Buntings
19 Robins
30 Blackbirds
16 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)