23 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:10 – 09:00
The Flash:  09:05 – 09:55

4.0°C > 6.0°C:  Clear though rather hazy. Just frosted in sheltered areas. Light SE wind. Moderate visibility

Sunrise: 07:11 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:10 – 09:00

(51st visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- another Woodcock seen flying to roost: must be my best year for this species even though I guess it is the same one or two birds involved
- most Black-headed Gulls flew straight through W to E. 19 was the maximum count on the water
- Rooks started passing at 06:21 and all but 5 Jackdaws and 1 Rook had gone through by 06:32

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 18 Canada Geese (all outbound)
- 139 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Stock Doves
- 107 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves
- >900 Jackdaws
- >70 Rooks
- 2 Siskins

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 7 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 19 Black-headed Gulls only

Other things
- nothing on the lamp poles and nothing else of note

The rather hazy sunrise.

A distant(!) Green Woodpecker. It was yaffling away even though the absence of red in the black area under the bill tells us this is a female.

A rather annoying foreground twig rather spoiling the view: a Song Thrush from a different angle. Only some of the variety of warm brown tones are due to dappled sunlight – many of the subtle differences are real.

On this view we see again the warmer tone on the forehead and crown and the contrast between the uppertail and the rump.

In the gloom of the Wesley Brook we can just make out some dark marks on the throat of this Grey Wagtail as it begins to moult in to breeding plumage.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:05 – 09:55

(46th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- one of the adult Mute Swans spent most of the time hiding in the island – inspecting the nest site?
- no Gadwall located today
- Pochard also not seen
- Tufted Duck numbers increased again
- it seems remarkable that there are now more Coots here than at the lake
- Black-headed Gulls more or less gone now
and
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 16 Jackdaws
- 4 Starlings
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 13 Canada Geese
- 24 (14♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 59 (33♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- no Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
5 Cormorants
3 Grey Herons
8 Pochard
8 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
6 Redwings
391 Jackdaws
217 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
201 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
(Ed Wilson)

Hortonwood
21 Redwings
(Dave Tromans)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Observer Unknown)

The Flash
Drake Scaup
(Richard Vernon)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
55 Pochard
104 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
2 Ravens
22 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
200 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
20 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
Glaucous Gull
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Pete Nickless)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
3 Cormorant
5 Pochard
9 Tufted Duck
2 Kestrel
556 Wood Pigeon
27 Robin
23 Blackbird
1 Fieldfare
14 Redwing
47 Magpie
100 Jackdaw 
96 Rook
16 Greenfinch
3 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorants
9 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
3 Water Rails
c.420 Wood Pigeon
c.60 Starling
29 Pied Wagtails
23 Blackbirds
6 Greenfinches
17 Siskins
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)