8 Jan 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:25
The Flash:  09:30 – 10:15

7°C>6°C:  Broken cloud clearing to clear skies. Chill NW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:25

(8th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
None

Bird notes
- still unable to get close to the Mute Swans
- some Pochard moved out; some Tufted Duck moved in (increase at The Flash as well)
- >400 Black-headed Gulls by 07:50. Most left soon afterwards. At 08:15 there were just 5 remaining and few returned thereafter
- most of the Jackdaws in two groups of c.60 birds separated by almost 5 minutes. Several other small parties heard, unusually to the W, not in my line of sight at the time

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- >125 Jackdaws
- 3 Redwings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

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

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans again
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall still
- 10 (3♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 31 (17♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 Little Grebes again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 11 Moorhens
- 75 Coots
- >400 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things, all on lamp poles pre-dawn
- 1 stretch spider, Tetragnatha sp.: a much smaller specimen on a different lamp pole
- 1 unidentified spider.

Cloud still clearing away made an uninspiring start.

A male Siskin eating the (female) Alder cones.

“Are you looking at me?”

I always wondered why Siskins fed upside down – strange digestive and blood systems they must have. But obvious really: how else can you get to the seeds in the cones?

At least this is only 120 degrees from normal.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash:  09:30 – 10:15

(8th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
None

Bird notes from here
- if I had to speculate I would suggest that with no recent rain the Severn is running clear and the Goosanders have decamped there
- the noisy parakeet around again but less evident
- >50 Jackdaws flew N / NE at 09:35. At 09:55 at least 75 flew S / SE to the E. Mainly the same birds?
and
- 1 Syrphus vitripennis hoverfly on a lamp pole in squirrel alley [nothing on the Ivy which, although in the sun. had the chill wind blowing past]

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- >75 Jackdaws (see notes)

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans still
- 4 Canada Geese
- 41 (26♂) Mallard
- 47 (20♂) Tufted Ducks
- [no Goosanders]
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Moorhens
- 20 Coots
- 61 Black-headed Gulls

Nothing special, just the way the light is catching this drake Mallard’s head.

Now if you are smaller than a Siskin, say Blue Tit sized, you can feed on Alder cones the right way up. At least on male cones: it would not be able to get in to a female cone and extract the seed.

The pattern on the back is shadow of female Alder cones and not some strange marking.

My first hoverfly of the year and as far as I can tell (my computer logs only cover the last five years) my first-ever January hoverfly. This is a female (the eyes do not meet) so the black on the tibia of the hind leg identifies it as Syrphus vitripennis (males Syrphus hoverflies are less easy to separate). This is a very common hoverfly – but not in January)

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

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

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
Goldeneye
(Martin Grant)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Observer Unknown)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
41 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
29 Swans
4 Gadwall
c.22 Pochard
c.66 Tufted Duck 
c.280 Coots 
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
c.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.60 Herring Gulls
Caspian Gull
2 Buzzards 
1 Siskin over
(Ed Wilson/Unknown Observer)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Paul King)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
23 Herring Gulls
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebes
3 Pochard
28 Tufted Ducks
>1050 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
34 Herring Gulls
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
31 Robins
13 Blackbirds
32 Fieldfares
34 Redwings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
1 Little Grebe
1 Kingfisher
1500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
c.84 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
22 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
210 Coot
2 Water Rail
1 Reed Bunting
21 Robins
20 Blackbirds
10 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)