5 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 10:00
The Flash:  10:05 – 10:55

3°C > 5°C:  Cloudy and dull. Light WSW wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT again

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 10:00

(5th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
None

Bird notes
- the single Mute Swan throughout. Seems to have a metal BTO ring on its left leg: unable to read it
- no geese on the lake. Presumably the same 10 birds flew E at 07:45; 2 more at 08:05; and another 2 at 08:10
- drake Wigeon again present throughout again: one short spell of calling but mainly silent
- no idea why the sudden reduction in Coot numbers. Normally I might say that with the ice gone birds returned to their smaller pools. However this ice was not enough to increase the numbers in the first place
- as I suspected yesterday Reed Buntings are roosting at both the W end and in the NW reeds. 7 birds left the NW reeds and helpfully left over my head. 9 birds had already left the W end

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose [inbound]
- 14 Canada Geese [3 groups outbound]
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 10 Wood Pigeons again
- 157 Jackdaws

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 3 Redwings again
- 16 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 1 (1♂) Wigeon still
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall still
- 12 (9♂) Mallard
- 8 (5♂) Pochard
- 28 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 9 Moorhens
- 64 Coots only
- c.170 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things
- 1 stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp. still on the same sheltered lamp
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 2 other spiders which I could not a clean shot of to attempt any type of identification
- a Grey Squirrel.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  10:05 – 10:55

(5th visit of the year)

One bird species added to my 2019 log from here
35      Sparrowhawk

Bird notes from here
- Great Crested Grebe back (assuming it ever left)
- noisy parakeet again
and
- 1 Mottled Umber moth: apparently a different specimen but on the same lamp post used by most of the moths this year
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 4 Canada Geese still
- 41 (26♂) Mallard
- 26 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 35 (3♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Moorhen
- 20 Coots again
- 39 Black-headed Gulls

Best I could do through all the twigs and branches – this Wood Pigeon appeared to have no tail when in flight. The scraggy end we see here suggests it is not as a result of moulting the tail-feathers which would in any event be done progressively in pairs. Must have been in a fight with something.

I read that Duracell and Energiser got in to a legal spat over using a Bunny in their adverts. Seems Duracell are training one of the local squirrels for their next campaign. I wonder what it tastes like?

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

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

2. Also a few photos from a trip to Venus Pool (2 Jan 19) Here.

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

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
151 Coot
220 Black-headed Gull
18 Lesser Black-backed Gull
28 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
6 Mute Swan
8 Herring Gull
10 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Horsehay Pool
11 Goosander
(Tony Beckett)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Female Goldeneye
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
75 Herring Gulls
2 Caspian Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Martin Grant/Kriss Webb)

Donnington Wood
1 Waxwing
(Dave Tromans)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
13 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern 
3 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Caspian gull was present
1 Ring Billed Gull.
2500 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson/Jack Wildman/Richard Vernon)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
>20 Pochard
>70 Tufted Duck
A drake Goosander
1 Water Rail
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
>150 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull 
Yellow-legged
Common Gull
6 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
c.2100 Black-headed Gull
c.1600 Lesser Black-backed Gull
126 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Water Rail
1 Goldeneye
1400 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
74 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
8 Great Crested Grebes
18 Pochard 
40 Tufted Duck
236 Coot
40 Siskins
14 Robins
13 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)