2 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:35
The Flash:  09:40 – 10:45

0°C > 1°C:  Clear and frosty. Band of cloud gradually encroaching from far E, failing to quite reach before I left. Very light W wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT again

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:35

(2nd visit of the year)

Species added to my 2019 log from here, in recorded order
40      Bullfinch
41      Common Buzzard
42      Coal Tit
43      Greenfinch
44      Siskin

The strangest sighting this morning was 4 / 5 white shapes floating E illuminated by the reflected street and town lights at 07:10. I assume these weren’t a flock of owls but most likely early arriving Black-headed Gulls though I saw none in / over the water for at least another 10 minutes

Other bird notes
- all the geese on the water were Canadas: 10 left at 07:45: the other 4 a few minutes later
- 6 Goosanders W at 07:50: too dark to sex
- lower Moorhen and Coot counts likely because their favourite early feeding area of the SW grass was frosted. They seem not to like eating ice. So they were lurking in and around the reeds
- at least 500 Black-headed Gulls arrived some low from the W and many high from the SW. They seemed very reluctant to settle and by 07:50 they had all left. Up to 100 returned
- at least 40 Wood Pigeons flushed out of the trees in the NW area – most unusual. Several small parties flying over, these flying in various directions. Probably mostly as a result of the bird-scarers to the E
- 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen including a pair together in the Ricoh copse
- the low Jackdaw count likely because I was concentrating on the Magpie roost and not being Janus, even in January, I have difficulty in looking in two directions at the same time
- cold weather reduced number of singing Song Thrushes to three – from eight. Blackbird still singing though
- the first 10 Reed Buntings departed the roost area at 07:47

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 6 (?♂) Goosanders (1 group)
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 60 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- >63 Magpies
- 1 Redwing [main roost area not visited]
- 14 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans again
- 14 Canada Geese: flew off
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 16 (12♂) Mallard
- 8 (6♂) Pochard
- 27 (14♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens
- 67 Coots
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp. on the most-sheltered lamp
as suspected the frost saw most things hiding away
also
- last year’s late flowering Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) plant on the dam still flowering in 2019.

A good sunrise. In the far distance is a bank of cloud. Took until after 11:00 to reach here.

A different perspective just as the sun is about to rise. All the ‘clouds’ you see are in fact long-dead vapour-trails / contrails from passing jet airliners.

A later ‘cloud’-scape (trail-scape?).

Attractive light on the reeds (a few Tufted Ducks as specks on the middle right).

Learn you silhouettes: the curly tail of a drake Mallard ...

... And the short tuft of a duck Tufted Duck.

As noted, the Black-headed Gulls were reluctant to settle and flew around. Not quite sure how they manage to avoid each other. Any offers to count them?

A trio of Lesser Black-backed Gulls passes over. The lead bird is an immature – looks like a first winter. Seems to have an unusually ‘clean’ head though hard to tell at this range and angle.

I’d prefer it on a more natural perch but I’ll take a male Bullfinch in the open any day.

Frost has not yet managed to stop this Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) plant from flowering.

Unusually this stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp. stayed around after daybreak and allowed a rather clearer shot for a change.

The front blown-up to show the two rows of four eyes. Always amazes me that its obvious small brain can process images from eight eyes when mine struggles with two.

The sliver moon is hard to photograph as the light is a lot less than on half / full moon and the camera has a job finding the right exposure. This is not bad, slightly marred by thin cloud giving a slight halo-effect.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:40 – 10:45

(2nd visit of the year)

Two species added to my 2019 log from here
31      Grey Heron
32      Nuthatch

Bird notes from here
- the two Grey Herons were remarkably sanguine with each other’s presence
- the Ring-necked Parakeet was feeding in one of the gardens alongside Teece Drive this morning
and
- 1 Mottled Umber moth still on a lamp post – perhaps frozen on it
- the Hazel catkins were looking almost Spring-like in the sun

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Feral Pigeons

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 6 Canada Geese
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 26 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 48 (4♂) Goosanders
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 5 Moorhens again
- 20 Coots again
- 57 Black-headed Gulls

When is the watershed? You cannot really tell but there is a duck Mallard under there somewhere.

All over very quickly: “thank you ma’am”.

Everyone says you cannot take photos of flying birds with bridge cameras. Depends how many attempts you are prepared to throw away. This adult winter Black-headed Gull will do.

And its back for another pass.

Do Wood Pigeons always have a bulge in their fore crown? I think not. I suspect he had just raised his crown feathers in alarm. Strange eyes they have.

“Don’t you dare ...”

Here’s Polly parakeet in one of the gardens. Seems to be frowning at me!

This Great Tit expects to find something to eat in the end of the stick.

Hazel catkins in the sun. I rather thought that these long and bright yellow ones were the male flowers and the shorter and darker ones on the left would be the female flowers. Reading the literature I am not sure as the female part of a Hazel is more cone-like than these. Perhaps just less advanced male flowers.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup still present.

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
4 or 5 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson and et al)

2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 gulls
Adult winter Ring Billed Gull.
Adult Common Gull
3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
Black-necked Grebe
(Ed Wilson and Rob Stokes)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Iceland Gull
(Dawn Balmer, Peter Wilson and et al)