12 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake (with Woodhouse Lane) and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:45
[Woodhouse Lane:  08:20 – 09:00]
The Flash:  09:50 – 10:40

2.0°C > 5.0°C:  Clouding after clear night with frost. Calm with light S wind later. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:33 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:25 – 09:45

(40th visit of the year)

Bird notes
- the pair of Mute Swan asleep on the lake pre-dawn. Gone by 08:00 though I never saw them leave
- the ‘gang of 10’ geese was a ‘gang of 8’ today with just 1 Greylag Goose. 7 pairs / singles of geese later
- at 08:50 as I was descending from Woodhouse Lane a Shelduck flew over me heading toward the lake. I am assuming it did touch down even though it was not there at 09:00
- Pochard now all gone: a lone drake Tufted Duck early with a pair arriving later
- after 189 Black-headed Gulls were counted arriving from the W all but 3 birds left, mainly to the SE. Several groups overhead seemed to have nothing to do with the lake. Later c.75 birds on the water probably birds returning from the SE
- a Green Woodpecker seen and heard: would be good if this species stays all year again – suspected of breeding here last year
- many more Wood Pigeons overhead than for some weeks including several loose groups: perhaps beginning to move
- a single Starling seen over could have come out of a roost in the SW copse, though I have logged it as an overflight. Two groups over later
- a Reed Bunting briefly in song at W end

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 7 Greylag Goose [6 (2 groups) outbound; 1 inbound]
- 17 Canada Geese [17 (6 groups) outbound]
- 30 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 78 Wood Pigeons
- >660 Jackdaws
- >27 Rooks
- 10 Starlings (see notes)
- 1 Pied Wagtail again

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 3 Redwings

 The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: departed
- 1 Shelduck, briefly
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler still
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 1 Water Rail again
- 10 Moorhens
- 36 Coots only
- 189 Black-headed Gulls

The lamp poles were mostly frosted when I arrived and just
- 1 Dotted Border moth – a different specimen to yesterday
also
- 1 Grey Squirrel

After a clear frosty night cloud was spreading from the W. The sunrise could get ‘under’ the cloud to give some good view. Here well before sun-up.

As the sun began to rise the sky coloured.

And very briefly flared very orange/red.

Scooting from the N side to the W end just as the sun itself was popping over the horizon gave me this view.

And looking the other way we see the cloud was already fading away – for a while at least.

This Long-tailed Tit seems to have been watching too many Siskins and thinks this is way to get to food.

It was a change to get a Goldfinch doing something rather than just sitting there looking pretty.

“Was that your camera that made that noise?”

(Ed Wilson)

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

Notes from Woodhouse Lane (08:20 – 09:00)

(1st visit of the year)

- a Skylark burst in to song as I was about to leave and flew off S
- at least 5 Chaffinches in full song
- several Yellowhammers in song and a group of 11 flushed from a field alongside the road. At least 16 birds in total

Both Skylark and Yellowhammer are needed for my 2019 Lake list. However anything seen or heard once I cross Castle Farm Way does not count

Other sightings
- 1 Grey Heron over (different from the lake bird)
- 1 Sparrowhawk over
- 1 Buzzard in a tree
- 25 Wood Pigeons in a tree taking little notice of the bird-scarers
- 2 Song Thrushes in song

Rather in the gloom by the lake sluice outlet: nevertheless always photograph a sitting Long-tailed Tit.

The best I could do with the very skittish Yellowhammers – at the top of a tree and against the light. Within a few weeks they should have sorted out territories and be easier to approach. May be the last year for these birds. Once the housing development goes ahead people will have homes but Yellowhammers won’t. Don’t believe the adage that they will fly elsewhere. They might but ‘elsewhere’ is either already full of Yellowhammers or unsuitable.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash:  09:50 – 10:40

(35th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
53      Mistle Thrush

Notes from here:
perhaps things were hiding, but where? Low number of Mallard, much reduced Tufted Duck count and no sign of any Great Crested Grebe. Lower Coots numbers as well. An extra drake Pochard though
- the adult Mute Swans spent a long while together inside the island with the cygnet looking on from a distance in the water. The cob then emerged with wings held aloft and paraded around the island before forming up with his mate and the cygnet. Although the cygnet was flying strongly in November I have not seen it fly at all recently
- the Mistle Thrush landed atop a tree on the island, briefly

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Stock Doves
- 1 Jackdaw

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 21 (13♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard
- 35 (14♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant again
- 8 Moorhens again
- 23 Coots
- 51 Black-headed Gulls

The drake Pochard conundrum: do I expose for the head to show the eye-colour? or for the back to show the pattern on the silver? Here I went for the head not least to ask why this bird has wet feathers on its head and neck. It had been diving – indeed this is between dives – but I thought feathers were supposed to give waterproofing.

The Cormorant conundrum: do I expose to get the patterning in the feathers and the colour of the eye? or to show the tone of the chin marking?

An alternative view is not quite so affected. I do think these are rather splendid birds – if a bit pre-historic looking. I am sure fishermen would not agree.

(Ed Wilson)

1. A few photos from Belvide on 10 Feb Here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Velvet Scoter
1 Mediterranean Gull
(Observer Unknown)

 2013
St Georges
5 Waxwings
(Observer Unknown)

 Horsehay Pool
1 Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)

 2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Iceland Gulls
( Pete Jordan)