19 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:05 – 09:15
The Flash:  09:20 – 10:10

4.0°C > 6.0°C:  Clear start with high cloud spilling in from W; some low cloud later. Calm start with light SW wind later. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:19 GMT


Priorslee Lake:  06:05 – 09:15

(47th visit of the year)

Bird notes
- no diving ducks (Pochard / Tufties) for the first time this year
- the male Pheasant calling in the SW area
- a Cormorant came and had a look at the lake but decided not to land
- I am sure Little Grebe have been here all the while – just hiding as usual. This bird was showing no sign of acquiring breeding plumage as had the bird I saw yesterday at Trench Lock
- now three Great Crested Grebes with two displaying and staying close together throughout
- my second Kestrel here this year, surprisingly came in from over the estate and across the football field. Most of my recent records have been of birds hovering over the fields to the E of Castle Farm Way
- two separate Woodcocks seen flying to roost in the SW copse area. My first-ever two in a day here
- as yesterday few Black-headed Gulls deigned to settle
- the first 4 Jackdaws well ahead of the very large main group of >750 birds. Also >25 Rooks well to the E at this time. Several more large groups of Jackdaws with a scattering of Rooks later
- on my first circuit only 3 singing Song Thrushes. Later 5 more started up
- I deliberately stayed away from the Reed Bunting roost area – don’t want to hassle them. They decided to head S and W which enabled me to see them anyway. Usually they mostly fly off E

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 Greylag Geese (pair outbound; single inbound)
- 11 Canada Geese (10 outbound; single inbound)
- 1 Cormorant
- 202 Black-headed Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove again
- 30 Wood Pigeons
- c.930 Jackdaws
- c.60 Rooks
- 1 Siskin

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 12 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls only

The lamp poles were empty – again

The forecast suggests it is going to be cloudy both this evening and tomorrow morning so we will not be able to see the ‘special supermoon’. It will be the closest and hence largest and brightest full moon until 2023. So this morning’s effort some 8 hours before ‘full’ will probably have to suffice.

Found another setting on the camera: “hand-held moonlight”. Yes well. From the dam looking west.

A few minutes later looking east from the north side.

I think I prefer the ‘normal’ setting for the real sunrise.

Especially when it is this colourful.

When I looked at this photo I got quite a surprise. I thought I had photographed a circling Sparrowhawk, but blowing the image right up and increasing the exposure shows it is a Kestrel. Not a mistake I make very often – obviously too often though. Tits clearly have better eye-sight than I do as I did wonder why they were not making loud alarm calls as they normally do when a Sparrowhawk appears.

I had to double-check with my books that this wasn’t in fact a Merlin as it did not really behave like a Kestrel, circling around rather than hovering. A Merlin is smaller but crucially it would show parallel bands of equal width across the underside of the tail. Clearly the bands at the tip of the tail here are wider – just like they are supposed to be on a Kestrel.

One Jay flew across Teece Drive and I saw its mate perched in a distant tree so I knew it was about to fly. I waited. It was rather distant .... shows the big rounded wings and white rump though.

I have no idea what is going on here. The Robin was singing its heart out and the male Chaffinch seemed to want to get involved. How? Why?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:20 – 10:10

(42nd visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- the Mute Swan cygnet seen in flight again: also seen with the wings arched as in threat or display
- so the Gadwall had not gone ... or had come back
- Tufted Duck very active calling and chasing. Thoughts of breeding and / or moving off I guess
- the Moorhens seem to have moved from the top end where I could regularly find three or four birds. They were all around the island and the bottom end of the water
- seem to have miscounted the Coots. I am sure there must have been more
- the Sparrowhawk was seen doing its diving and towering display flight over the small hill in the SE area. Then it (or its mate) flew slowly through the trees, this time displaying by fluffing out its white under-tail feathers to such an extent that I briefly mistook it for the white rump on a flying Jay

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Starling
- 2 Siskins
and
- 1 Dotted Border moth on a lamp post
- single Grey Squirrel

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans as usual
- 13 Canada Geese (9 of these arrived)
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 39 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 4 (4♂) Pochard still
- 65 (37♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 Moorhens
- 23 Coots only
- 43 Black-headed Gulls

The cygnet practicing being a real Mute Swan with wings raised.

Undercarriage down and doubling up as air-brakes here as this pair of Canada Geese flies in.

Perfect touch-down: 10 out 10.

Almost no wind today so the drake Tufted Ducks were not having a bad hair day with their breeding-length tufts.

Just occasionally it all works. I am ready, the camera is ready and the bird flies past nice and steadily and a sharp flight shot ensues. A first winter Black-headed Gull. Even though we cannot see the wing pattern the pale orange base to the bill and the dark tail tip both indicate the age.

And to prove lightning does strike twice occasionally here is a different first winter Black-headed Gull giving a detailed view of all the feathering making the wing pattern. The tail is being held in a shallow V and the in consequence the tail band looks diamond-shaped at first glance.

Probably the best specimen of a Dotted Border moth I have found this year.

(Ed Wilson)

Notes
1. A few photos taken at Venus on 17 Feb Here.

2. A few photos taken at Belvide on 14 and 16 Feb Here.

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
1 Cormorant 
7 Pochard 
24 Tufted Duck 
5 Greater Scaup 
92 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
163 Rooks
12 Siskins
1 Yellowhammer
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard 
169 Tufted Ducks 
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Pochard 
54 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
6 Tufted Duck 
3 Buzzards
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Paul King)

2010
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Heron 
2 Teal
4 Gadwall
48 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Sparrowhawk
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
126 Coots 
1 Lapwing
1 Oystercatcher
2 single Redwing
16 Fieldfare
15 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
12 Pochard
16 Tufted Ducks
107 Coots
2 Water Rails
425 Wood Pigeons
1 Sky Lark
20 Robins
12 Blackbirds
17 Greenfinches
45 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)