11 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:45 – 09:40
The Flash:  09:45 – 10:15

6°C:  Mainly cloudy. Some breaks early – which weren’t forecast. Some drizzle later – also not forecast. Light NW wind. Very good visibility, moderate in heaviest drizzle

Sunrise: 08:18 GMT again

Priorslee Lake:  06:45 – 09:40

(11th visit of the year)

Bird notes
- the same(?) goose party was not on the lake and flew E overhead at a later time – at 07:42
- a brownhead Goosander first noted on the water at 07:45: may have arrived much earlier, even roosted. Still present at 09:15 at least. Another flew W at 08:15
- in better light today I now think the two displaying Great Crested Grebes are new arrivals that have usurped the juvenile remaining from last year and banished it from the N side reeds to lurk in the SE corner
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls noted on the water by 07:10: likely roosted here. None of the Black-headed Gulls arrived before 07:45
- amazing Jackdaw total – just like the old days. 55 at 07:38; then a huge group of c.550 at 07:48 with c.150 following close behind; and two groups of c.25 birds later

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 9 Canada Geese
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 10 Wood Pigeons again
- c.800 Jackdaws (gulp)
- 4 Starlings

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 2 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 9 (5♂) Pochard
- 32 (13♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 7 Moorhens
- 70 Coots again
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Winter Moth
- 2 stretch spiders, Tetragnatha sp.

This is the forecast cloudy morning ....

The low sun lighting the N shore against the contrasting dark clouds behind.

This Common Buzzard appears to be watching me closely. In fact it had heard the camera ‘beep’ as it focused and peered directly at the sound. Over the previous two winters one or two, occasionally three, buzzards have roosted to the S of the M54 and flown low over the lake pre-dawn to hunt the brownfield area to the N and the fields to the E. None this year. The brownfield is no more with the construction work in full flow, though the fields are still there. This bird arrives pre-dawn from the E and uses favoured perches around the lake.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:45 – 10:15

(11th visit of the year)

New bird species for my 2019 log from here
None

Notes from here
- apart from the omnipresent Parakeet very quiet
- the ‘now it is here, now it is not’ Great Crested Grebe was here

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans as ever
- 2 Canada Geese
- 30 (19♂) Mallard
- 24 (9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls only

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

1. Click Here for a Summary of the 2018 Priorslee Lake Report.

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

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Scaup
1 Common Gull
(Dave Tromans/Tom Lowe)

2013
Horsehay Pool
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
2 Common Gulls
2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
20+ Greater Black-backed Gulls
600 Herring Gulls
(Kris Webb and Jim Almond)

2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Bullfinch
4 Goosander
2 Water Rail
Common Snipe
Woodcock
4 Gadwall
Bittern
Peregrine
38 Swans
26 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
333 Coots
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
12 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
(Paul King)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
62 Tufted Ducks
5 Goosanders
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Robins
13 Redwings
34 Magpies
378 Jackdaws
348 Rooks
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
c.20 Golden Plover
2 Gadwall
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
145 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
52 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Pochard
37 Tufted Duck
226 Coots
1 Water Rail
221 Jackdaws
392 Rooks
12 Siskins
13 Pied Wagtails
3 Reed Buntings
21 Robins
18 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
5 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)