24 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  14:55 – 15:50
The Flash:  14:15 – 14:45

5°C:  Mainly cloudy with just a few breaks. Almost calm. Moderate visibility

Sunrise: 08:05 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  14:55 – 15:50

(24th visit of the year)

Small amount of ice all along the N and E sides

Another late start. Only birds on the water logged again

Bird notes
- only 1 Mute Swan again and this seen moving around. I am fairly sure that it is on its own at the moment
- eventually managed to track down a single Little Grebe diving through the slushy ice
- the Lapwing were a nice surprise. They were on the SW grass for a while and then, amazingly, they settled on the dam-top and dam-face for a while, unusually unconcerned about the traffic and people out of their cars in the lay-by

Bird totals

The counts from the lake area:
- 1 Mute Swan only
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 9 (6♂) Pochard
- 54 (31♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- 11 Moorhens
- 55 Coots
- 43 Lapwings
- 159 Black-headed Gulls

About the only hope of counting Lapwing groups is from a photo – 43 here, including a laggard.

Part of the group swirling past.

Here we 16 settled on the dam-top. Note the bird slightly left of centre with its back to us shows obvious pale fringes to the back feathers. All Lapwings get pale fringes after the autumn moult but this bird also has an obviously shorter crest than most of the other birds and is likely a first-winter bird. The birds standing at the back on the left and on the extreme right both show how these pale fringed wear away for the breeding plumage, well-deserving their country name of Green Plover.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  14:15 – 14:45

(22nd visit of the year)

>25% ice mainly at S / W end

Another bird species added to my 2019 log from here
43      Shoveler

Notes from here
- Gadwall not located
- drake Shoveler my first here since 30 March 2017
- high count of Coots – the ice helps as they cannot easily hide

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 2 Canada Geese again
- 43 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 12 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 33 Black-headed Gulls

The drake Shoveler was being typically unhelpful, spinning around with its bill underwater, sifting for goodies and in the very middle of the water, as far from land as possible. A record shot!

This Grey Heron look none too happy.

 I’ll get my head down! A typical one-legged stance when resting.

A first-winter Black-headed Gull complete with reflection ...

... not quite a perfect reflection! 

(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
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
56 Tufted Duck
1 Velvet Scoter
108 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
95 Tufted Ducks
4 Goosanders
9 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
31 Wigeon 
8 Gadwall 
26 Pochard 
99 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
>1200 Black-headed Gulls
>2200 large gulls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
23 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Cormorant 
16 Swans 
2 Gadwall 
1 Shoveler 
5 Pochard 
37 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
117 Coots
96 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
38 Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
1 Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)

2010
Priorslee Lake
>300 Jackdaws
36 Swans
4 Gadwall
26 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
315 Coots 
>300 Black-headed Gulls
39 Lesser Black-backed
28 Herring Gulls
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
(Jason Buckley)

2008
Priorslee Lake
120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Herring Gulls
50 Black-headed Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
3 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
14 Pochard
23 Tufted Ducks
151 Coot
370 Jackdaws
118 Rooks
250 Wood Pigeon
15 Robins
14 Blackbirds
47 Siskins
3 Redpolls
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)