6 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:40
The Flash:  09:45 – 10:25
Trench Lock Pool:  10:35 – 10:45 // 11:25 – 11:40
Trench Middle Pool:  10:50 – 11:20

6°C > 8°C:  Cloudy again. Light WNW wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT yet again

What I thought would be the last quiet day before the chaos of everybody back at work and the start of the school run turned out to be anything but
- a yacht was on the lake by 09:00 – I thought they were curfew-ed until later? May have chased some of the Tufted Ducks off
- one of the too many fishermen at The Flash was flying a drone over the water. Later he seemed to be using a green laser
- the disease-inspired fishing ban at Trench Lock Pool seems to have been lifted so there were fishermen present. Later the Sea Cadets and their canoes appeared
- families competing for feeding the ducks and geese at Trench Middle Pool meant the resident birds were dashing too and fro and hard to count

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:40

(6th visit of the year)

New bird species for my 2019 log from here
None

Other bird notes
- a / the Mute Swan alone overnight and at the start. Another had arrived by 08:45 and these then stayed close together. Unable to see whether either was ringed
- 10 Canada Geese flew outbound at 07:47: more birds heard twice later, hidden behind trees though
- small influx of Tufted Duck. Some may have been flushed by the yachts after I left
- two Goosanders on the water at 08:30: a drake by the dam; the brownhead in the NW area. Did not see either arrive or leave
- Little Grebes probably went in to hiding when the yacht appeared and before I did the count

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- >10 Canada Goose [outbound] (see notes)
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Stock Doves
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- c.150 Jackdaws
- 1 Goldfinch

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 4 Redwings
- 8 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 10 (7♂) Pochard
- 39 (19♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (1♂) Goosanders briefly
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail
- 9 Moorhens again
- 72 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Common Flat-body moth (Agonopterix heracliana). A new species for me here
- 3 Mottled Umber moths
- 1 Winter Moth
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 Trichocera regelationis ('winter gnat')
- 1 unidentified fly

After the first yacht appeared on the lake many of the Tufted Ducks grouped together. Mainly drakes: I can see at least 22 drakes amongst the 29 Tufties – and one Coot.

This seems to be the micro-moth Common Flat-body (Agonopterix heracliana). I did wonder about White-shouldered House Moth but that, as its name implies, is more or less confined to houses where the larvae eat your clothes.

This Mottled Umber moth lacks almost all the usual patterning. The ground-colour and the faint outer cross line are about all we have to go on. Similar-sized species currently flying (Scarce Umber and Dotted Border) almost never have forms that lack any identification features.

One of the so-called Winter Gnats, likely Trichocera regelationis. Camera flash has caused the shadow making the legs and antennae look rather blurred.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:45 – 10:25

(6th visit of the year)

New bird species for my 2019 log from here
None

Notes from here
- many of the Tufted Duck could have been refugees from the lake, flushed by the yacht(s). However I only saw 4 ducks fly in
- the Black-headed Gulls seemed remarkably sanguine about the drone being flown overhead
and
- 2 Mottled Umber moths on lamp poles
- 1 Winter Moth on a lamp pole

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 2 Wood Pigeons

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 4 Canada Geese still
- 29 (17♂) Mallard
- 59 (21♂) Tufted Ducks
- 29 (3♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Moorhen again
- 20 Coots
- 71 Black-headed Gulls

A Winter Moth here.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:35 – 10:45 // 11:25 – 11:40

(2nd visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
26      Pochard
27      Coal Tit
28      Chaffinch

Notes from here

Birds noted flying over / near here (other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws)
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 32 Canada Geese
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 14 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 9 (4♂) Goosanders
- 3 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 2 Moorhens again
- 83 Coots
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:50 – 11:20

(2nd visit of the year)

New bird species for my 2019 log from here
None

Other notes from here
- rather boring day with no Pochard, no Cormorant, no Grey Heron, and no Great Crested Grebe: even the feral Mallard had left or were hiding

Birds noted flying over / near here
None

The counts from the water
- 4 Greylag Geese again
- 35 Canada Geese
- 27 (20♂) Mallard again
- 11 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (0♂) Goosanders
- 9 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 92 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

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

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

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup
5 Great Black-backed Gulls - 4 adult and a 1st winter
(John Isherwood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1st winter Caspian Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Caspian Gulls
10+ Yellow-legged gulls (most adults and 3rd-winters, at least 1 1st-winter)
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
(J W Reeves)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Pair of Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Evening Report
An adult winter Ring-billed Gull at about 3:15pm
3 adult Common Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

Daytime Report
4 Common Gull
2 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
Black-necked Grebe
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)