22 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:55 – 09:20
The Flash:  09:25 – 10:10

2°C:  Mainly clear; showers building in the distance later. Moderate W wind – enough to keep the water moving and the ice away. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:07 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:55 – 09:20

(22nd visit of the year)

One bird species added to my 2019 log from here
58      Peregrine

Bird notes
- the same gang of 10 geese flew over at 07:45 somewhat behind three all-Greylag groups
- only 3 pairs of Gadwall located today
- same low count of Coots as yesterday. Many fewer than usual this winter, though numbers do vary widely between years
- the Peregrine – male on size – flew W at 08:08: strangely none of the birds I could see reacted to its passage
- Black-headed Gulls drifted in by degrees after 07:25
- good count of Reed Buntings leaving the W end – 19 in groups of 15 E; 1 E; 3 W

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 37 Greylag Geese [35 outbound in 4 groups; 2 inbound]
- 7 Canada Geese [7 outbound in 1 group]
- 1 Peregrine
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 67 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- c.25 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- >55 Magpies
- 1 Redwing
- 19 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard
- 27 (15♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens
- 51 Coots
- 166 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again

Nothing on the lamp poles this frosty morning but seen elsewhere
- a bracket fungus, possibly Rusty Porecrust (Phellinus ferruginosus)

Was unable to show yesterday’s incredibly rare super blood wolf moon eclipse due to cloud so this morning’s almost full moon will have to suffice. No more total lunar eclipses in the UK until 2029!

Outbound geese go over when it is too dark to photograph them. Here are two Greylag Geese inbound to wherever they will now spend the day, probably chasing bread.

A couple of the local Buzzards tumbling in the sky, nicely lit my the low sun.

It was not entirely ‘play’ as they were being harried by the Carrion Crow that is just visible behind the second bird.

One of them then flew low past me.

Not my best photo – a grab-shot of the Peregrine as it flew over. We see the falcon’s pointed wings and the rather stout body of this powerful species.

This is clearly a bracket fungus and looks like one of the porecrust fungus. The most likely contender is Rusty Porecrust (Phellinus ferruginosus).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:25 – 10:10

(20th visit of the year)

Work on the footbridges is complete and the footpath open all around the water – no more sliding on the muddy path through the wood

One bird species added to my 2019 log from here
41      Pochard

Notes from here
- certainly 2 Grey Herons: they persist in walking across the island and since it is impossible to see both sides at once it is hard to know exactly how many are present
- the Ring-necked Parakeet still here
- another large party of Jackdaws over
- a Goldcrest in the fir trees above the Ivy bank
also
- a harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis on one of the lamp posts

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

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans as usual
- 6 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 42 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 31 (15♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 or 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 3 Moorhens again
- 26 Coots
- 41 Black-headed Gulls

You should know me by now: a drake Gadwall in favourable light – click!

And in these days of sex equality who am I to overlook the duck.

The harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis. The species legs of which are characteristically thicker in the 40% or so nearest the body. Harvestman are so-named because they appear at harvest-time – the Autumn. A few species can be seen in most months.

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

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

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebes
9 Pochard
106 Tufted Duck
1 Velvet Scoter
106 Coots
c.260 Black-headed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
204 Redwing
c.250 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebes 
32 Wigeon 
6 Gadwall 
25 Pochard 
105 Tufted Ducks
166 Coot
>1700 Black-headed Gulls
>1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>450 Herring Gulls
13 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Water Rail
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
28 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
65 Herring Gulls
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
31 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
128 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
20 Robins
23 Blackbirds
19 Fieldfares
17 Redwings
3 Jays
31 Magpies
183 Jackdaws
159 Rooks
7 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)