15 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

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

7°C > 8°C:  Started cloudy with light drizzle which soon ceased. Clearance from the N slowly arrived overhead c.10:00 with sun from 10:30. Light WSW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:15 GMT


Priorslee Lake:  06:50 – 09:45

(15th visit of the year)

Bird notes
- another fly-around from the Mute Swans
- the first goose party outbound was back to 10 birds flying in line abreast so the Greylag Goose could not be #2. Several small groups later
- 8 Gadwall confirmed today: 1 pair with a lone duck at the E end; 2 pairs with a lone drake at the W end
- the courting Great Crested Grebes were not noted – back to three singles
- in contrast to the rather few (c.65) Black-headed Gulls yesterday >400 arrived, mostly c.07:30 when too dark to get an accurate count
- positioned further away from the Jackdaw flight-path: still too many swirling around to get a reliable total
- a Crow incurring the wrath of a pair of Magpies by stealing sticks from the nest they were busy refurbishing
- a Mistle Thrush heard singing from the Ricoh area. Strangely, soon after a group of 2 Mistle Thrushes and 3 Redwings flew over
- Reed Bunting(s) heard calling from the ‘tidied up’ W end: none seen leaving a roost here

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose [outbound]
- 31 Canada Geese [29 outbound in 5 groups; 2 inbound later]
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- >650 Jackdaws
- 3 Redwings
- 2 Mistle Thrushes

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
None

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall (see notes)
- 14 (10♂) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Pochard
- 23 (12♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- >400 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 spider sp., possibly the orb-web spider Zygiella x-notata
- >5 Trichocera regelationis ('winter gnat') [with many others flying]
and
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 unidentified moth in flight

In the gloomy confines of the Wesley Brook we can at least see the main feature of this Grey Wagtail: the grey back that gives the species its name; and the bright yellow undertail. The breast has yet to acquire breeding plumage and at the moment it is hard to age / sex this bird.

This seems to be the orb-web spider Zygiella x-notata. Not the greatest photo as I was shooting more or less straight in to the powerful LED street light which seemed to affect the ‘throw’ of the flash that I was using to try and isolate the spider.

Is that pussy willow I see about to break? Must be Spring.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:50 – 10:50

(14th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- pair of Gadwall remain
- no idea why even fewer Mallard than yesterday
- the two (pair?) of Great Crested Grebes look like an adult with a first year bird
- the Ring-necked Parakeet giving good views. There is nylon fishing line attached to its left leg though it doesn’t seem to be hampering its flight (or voice!)
- Wood Pigeons seen mating
and
- a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on the Ivy by the Academy. Probably too soon after the sun came out for much else to have emerged but what was this doing at this date?
- Sunday’s cluster of the possible fungus Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus) almost defunct

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Feral Pigeons

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 12 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall again
- 18 (10♂) Mallard only
- 29 (13♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 4 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 51 Black-headed Gulls

A drake Tufted Duck with its ‘tuft’ now well-developed as he comes into breeding condition.

Note his bill pattern. ‘Pure’ birds in the genus Aythya (Pochard, Tufted Duck and Scaup together with rare visitors from the New World Ring-necked Duck and Lesser Scaup) all have very different bill patterns. These species frequently hybridise, often looking like other ‘pure breeds’. Any suspect bird needs its bill pattern as well as plumage details carefully noted.

Rather against the light we nevertheless see that the head marks on these Great Crested Grebes look quite different: the adult on the left has extensive chestnut plumes even though they are not yet fully developed. What is presumably a first winter on the right lacks any chestnut at the moment. Cradle-snatcher.

The Ring-necked Parakeet is adapting to its new surroundings. Here it is just flying from one of the ornamental lamps in Wordsworth Way.

And here on someone’s whirly washing line. Note that the nylon line, presumably fishing line, around its left leg.

A colourful creature on what was still a grey day at this time – the sun was about 20 minutes away.

What exactly was this Blue Tit doing. Here sitting near the hole in the ‘pollarded’ Ash tree.

Here peering around having examined the hole.

I fancy that I can make out something in the bill, extracted from the hole and being discarded.

Every so often the bird took a rest on the branch.

Something in the bill again? With the sun half across the hole and the bird it was tricky to see exactly what was going on.

This looks more definitive. Strange as all my books tell me that the only tit that excavates its own nest is the bull-necked Marsh Tit – that would be nice. I guess it is not so much ‘excavating’ as ‘cleaning’ the winter debris?

Back for some more. Throughout this activity another Blue Tit was sitting almost motionless close by.

The long antennae and general ‘hairiness’ mean this is a bee sp. rather than a hoverfly. Even the eyes are hairy so this is a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). “Flies from March to October” it says here: er?

Another hairy view.

And in flight.

Just 48 hours from perky toadstools to a mess. The speed of their disappearance makes it likely my ID of Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus) was correct.

The sun was shining through the heads of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) – most attractive.

One in close-up.

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

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

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
10 Pochard
87 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
121 Coot
23 Herring Gull
4 Great Black-backed Gull
181 Lesser Black-backed Gull
157 Black-headed Gull
Kingfisher
(Gary Crowder, Chris Cameron)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Greater Scaup
4 Gadwall
1 Goldeneye
82 Tufted Ducks 
15 Pochard
143 Coots
1 Dunlin
1 Great Black-backed Gull
3 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
184 Jackdaws
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper, John Isherwood)

The Flash
29 Tufted Duck 
8 Goosanders 
14 Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull.
(Observer Unknown)

2012
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
19 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
2 Goosanders
14 Magpie
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Mediterranean Gull
2 Yellow legged Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
20 Herring Gull
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
80 Black-headed Gulls
c. 60 Tufted Duck 
9 Pochard
(Mike Cooper, Andy Latham)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Geoff Holmes) 

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
8 Cormorants
11 Pochard
29 Tufted Ducks
>252 Black-headed Gulls
>66 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
23 Herring Gulls
200 Wood Pigeons
35 Robins
15 Blackbirds
76 Fieldfares
17 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
39 Magpies
217 Jackdaws
175 Rooks
11 Greenfinches
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Cormorants
200 Wood Pigeons
11 Great Crested Grebes
11 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
243 Coot
1 Water Rail
236 Jackdaws
216 Rooks
33 Siskins
15 Pied Wagtails
24 Robins
19 Blackbirds
8 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)