20 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake only

3°C > 4°C:  Very low cloud, occasional light drizzle in the air. Almost calm. Poor visibility with mist.

Sunrise: 08:10 GMT

The poor visibility and general murkiness made for another quiet morning

Priorslee Lake:  07:05 – 09:25

(20th visit of the year)

Bird notes
- the same gang of 10 geese flew over later today – at 08:00
- Gadwall confusing: 2 pairs only seen at E end. Later 6 small duck seen apparently landing in the NW area, though I could not locate them. Then some minutes later 6 small ducks with white bellies, suggesting this species, flew off W
- the first 50 Black-headed Gulls also later arriving – c.07:50
- a lone Lesser Black-backed Gull frequently arrives at the same time as some of the Black-headed Gulls and takes up a position on one of the buoys, usually for more than 30 minutes
- a Greenfinch heard giving its long drawn out wheezy song, albeit rather quietly. First of the new season
- 2 Reed Buntings seen leaving the W end roost. When I peering in the reeds to look at the vegetation that was chopped down last weekend I accidentally flushed 4 more birds: none of these left at this time

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 Greylag Geese [outbound]
- 7 Canada Geese [outbound]
- 33 Jackdaws only

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 2 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings (see notes)

The counts from the lake area:
***all counts affected by poor visibility***
- 2 Mute Swans
- >6? (2+♂) Gadwall (see notes)
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Pochard
- 17 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Water Rail again
- 8 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Pale Brindled Beauty moth
- 1 stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 very small unidentified presumed Mirid bug

I’ve waited a long while to get a photo of a Water Rail here. It was not the best of light conditions but there is no mistaking the long red bill, brown and black back and striped flanks. Looks rather angry.

Let’s celebrate with another shot. Perhaps of course it was the dull weather and poor visibility that meant the bird didn’t see me and allowed any view at all. All I usually see is it scurrying away.

A male Pale Brindled Beauty moth – my first for three years here. A common early flying moth, though as with most ‘winter’ moths the female is flightless.

On the right is the small bug I found this morning. On the left, for scale, is the figure ‘5’ of the lamp ID (plus bird droppings!). Small it is indeed. In many ways quite distinctive with long curved antenna, rather short legs and an elongated, narrow body. A trawl though the website British Bugs Here has failed to come up with anything – really I needed to be able to get closer to see more detail but that was not possible pre-dawn and the need to use ‘flash’ to get anything at all.

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

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

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

2014
Priorslee Lake
2  Greater Scaup 
1 Velvet Scoter 
117 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Redwings 
c.274 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Mike Stokes)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
1 Greater Scaup 
1 Goldeneye
26 Wigeon 
4 Gadwall 
1 Shoveler 
22 Pochard 
76 Tufted Ducks 
157 Coots 
1 Common Gull
144 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
74 Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Juvenile Glaucous Gull
Juvenile Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
c.195 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
34 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
5 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
132 Coot
2 Water Rail
c.1600 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
428 Jackdaws
438 Rook
300 Wood Pigeons
14 Robin
80 Fieldfare
30 Redwing
11 Blackbird
1 Willow Tits
6 Greenfinch
65 Siskins
6 Redpolls
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)