8 Dec 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

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

8°C: Mainly clear to start; more cloud later. Strong and gusty W wind abated somewhat. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:08 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:30

(174th visit of the year)

Best sighting this morning was the 11 Lapwings that spent some 10 minutes on the SW grass before being flushed off by dog-walkers. I have rarely seen birds on the ground here in recent years. 30 years ago flocks of >100 were not uncommon

Other bird notes:
- just the 3 pairs of Gadwall again
- Tufted Duck again counted in sections
- low count of Coots: perhaps hiding from the wind?
- Black-headed Gulls very tardy this morning. Many small groups of 20->30 birds arrived and more or less immediately left again. Were the next lot of arrivals the same or different? At the rather later time (08:40) c.180 settled on the water together
- the single Lesser Black-backed Gull that visited was a 1st winter bird and thus different from other recent sightings which have all been adults
- the main party of c.90 Jackdaws went low across the W end of the lake: I was at the E end! 38 stragglers noted

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Stock Doves
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- >130 Jackdaws
- 4 Redwings
- 1 Siskin again

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 4 Redwings
- 4 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans remain
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall as yesterday
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 7 (7♂) Pochard
- 69 (26♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 86 Coots only
- 11 Lapwings, briefly
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

My log of other things
- 1 Mottled Umber moth: same as yesterday, sheltered from both wind and rain on a lamp pole
- 1 stretch spiders (Tetragnatha sp.) on a lamp pole
- late flowering Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
- late flowering Ranunculus sp., probably Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
- flowering speedwell sp., likely Green Field Speedwell (Veronica agrestis)

An interesting cloudscape.

A ‘clean’ photo of a 1st winter Black-headed Gull with extensive retained brown in the wing coverts and a complete and neat black tail-band.

Here the underwing of a different 1st winter Black-headed Gull. Note the head-pattern is almost identical to the adult behind. Note though that the bill colour is different – orange on the 1st winter bird; red on the adult.

This spider looks like one of the stretch spiders (Tetragnatha sp.) Should not be active this late in the year. What is that at the top of the frame? Another spider curled up?

A remnant flower of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense). This species starts flowering ahead of White Clover (Trifolium repens) and continues later in the year. Note the leaves are not ‘clover’-shaped, being rather elliptical. Do not always show the white crescent.

Blowing about a bit in the wind but clearly a buttercup on a long stalk. On the top right we see one of the large leaves looking rather sad. There are many similar species but this is likely Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris).

I think this is Green Field Speedwell (Veronica agrestis). Not recorded this speedwell sp. here previously. Noted as flowering March – November so in this mild Autumn likely to be still present.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 09:35 – 10:10

(135th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here
- Pochard gone again
- fewer Goosanders again: a few still arriving. No fishermen or work on the bridges to disturb them

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Feral Pigeon

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 6 Canada Geese
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 9 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 12 (2♂) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe as usual
- 4 Moorhens
- 9 Coots
- 27 Black-headed Gulls

No wonder the fishermen don’t like Goosanders. A brownhead makes off with its catch.

And manoeuvres it for swallowing.

Who me? fish? what fish?

Its no good blowing bubbles: I know you ate the fish.

A flap always helps the food slide down.

(Ed Wilson)

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

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

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
3 Gadwall
9 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
166 Coots
Peregrine Falcon
118 Black-headed Gulls
>500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.40 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
43 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
c.469 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
33 Swans
31 Pochard
70 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
308 Coots
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
102 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
225 Jackdaws
3 Siskins
2 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

Trench
2 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
8 Pochard
60 Tufted Ducks
drake Mallard x Pintail
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull 
6 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
2 Goosanders
3 Lapwings
1 Snipe
>1700 Black-headed Gulls
865 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Robins
22 Blackbirds
6 Redwings
243 Jackdaws
133 Rooks
22 Chaffinches
1 Brambling
12 Greenfinches
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
6 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
247 Coot
402 Jackdaws
483 Rooks
37 Siskins
1 Redpoll
21 Fieldfares.
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)