5 Feb 19

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

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:15
The Flash:  09:20 – 10:00
Trench Lock Pool:  10:10 – 10:20 // 10:55 – 11:25
Trench Middle Pool:  10:25 – 10:50

0.0°C > 6.0°C:  Murky after overnight sharp frost. Mist / low cloud began to break after c.09:30 but soon clouded again. Light SE wind increasing moderate. Moderate visibility, good later

Sunrise: 07:48 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:15

(35th visit of the year)

>80% ice with a few holes around the edges. The ground was frozen rock-hard when I arrived, though melting frost was already dripping from the trees as mist and cloud-cover raised the temperature

Bird notes
- the usual group of 3 Greylag and 7 Canada Geese overhead yet again. Seven other small groups of Canada Geese over and two more pairs visited the lake
- drake Shoveler re-found here – has it ever been away? Clearly it is a different bird at The Flash
- more Tufted Duck apparently decamped to The Flash
- one of the Cormorants was a quite splendid white-plumed adult: it left before it was light-enough to photograph
- 4 Little Grebes re-found
- 235 Black-headed Gulls specifically counted arriving from the W. Almost none of these then left to the W, with most headed off SE
- the lone Lesser Black-backed Gull on the lake did NOT arrive with the Black-heads this morning: I saw it come from the SW all on its own; and then leave on its own to the S
- Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming again
- c.255 Jackdaws went over in 7 more or less concurrent groups making an accurate count impossible

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
60      Collared Dove

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 Greylag Geese [part of group outbound]
- 33 Canada Geese [8 groups outbound]
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 6 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Collared Doves
- c.255 Jackdaws

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 3 Reed Buntings again

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans again
- 4 Canada Geese
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 6 (3♂) Pochard
- 24 (9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 4 Little Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 58 Coots again
- 235 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull

The frosted lamp poles had no inhabitants this morning

I could not have done this if I tried. Try and work out which bits belong to which geese.

This drake Shoveler is really lurking which is perhaps why I overlooked yesterday.

A Grey Heron in more ‘natural’ surroundings as it walks up the Wesley Brook.

Very close to where I photographed a female Great Spotted Woodpecker yesterday here is a male at his drumming post.

(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash:  09:20 – 10:00

(30th visit of the year)

>80% ice after last night’s frost

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
49      Greenfinch
50      Lesser Redpoll

Notes from here:
the additional ice had probably forced birds back inside the island, hence lower totals of e.g. Mallard and Coot
- the pair of Gadwall is still here
- drake Shoveler here as well as at the lake
- 9 Redwings flew in to trees along the E side
- the fly-over Greenfinch was probably put up from nearby by the passing Sparrowhawk
- party of 8 finches landed briefly in trees at S end: from flight calls as they arrived at least 2 of these were Lesser Redpolls

 Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 7 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Greenfinch

 The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans as ever
- 4 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 30 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler again
- 2 (2♂) Pochard again
- 52 (17♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 2 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 45 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:10 – 10:20 // 10:55 – 11:25

(7th visit of the year)

c.50% ice, mostly rather thin

Notes from here
- still just the one Mute Swan
- the geese arrived while I was at Middle Pool
- again the only Goosander of the day was here

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Pigeons and Jackdaws]
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

The counts from the water
- 1 Mute Swan only yet again
- 21 Canada Geese arrived
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Feral Mallard still
- 42 (15♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes still
- 1 Great Crested Grebe as ever
- 1 Moorhen
- 63 Coots
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Two of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls present. The right-most bird has a metal ring on its left leg – I only noticed this when looking at the photo.

And here are four Lesser Black-backed Gulls (and three Black-headed Gulls). The flying bird has the typical yellow legs that all the bird-books tell you they have. The two birds in front of it look like adults but to my eyes the legs are more pinkish/grey than yellow. The bird facing us is an immature and is allowed to have washed out leg colour. Nevertheless it is an odd mixture as the pale eye indicates a 2nd year bird (at least) yet from this angle the bill looks all-dark as if it is a first-winter bird. Confused? So am I.

Are those legs really yellow? Two possible explanations. The darker-mantled race intermedius (birds from Scandinavia that winter here) have paler legs: at the time I did not think this looked dark-enough – on these birds the mantle colour is almost the same shade as the primaries. Otherwise the small dark mark on the upper mandible may suggest that this is a 4th winter bird and even though no other plumage features support that view then if indeed it is not a full adult it may not acquire adult leg colour.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:25 – 10:50

(7th visit of the year)

>50% ice, mainly rather thin

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
30      Herring Gull

Notes from here
- until food was in the offing some of the geese, Mallards and Moorhens were on the very red waters of the small pools in the NW area. Not often that I see birds here
- the gulls all left for a while – where did they go? I know they often sit on the lamps in Wombridge Way but I doubt there are enough lamps for them all

The counts from the water
- 1 Mute Swan only again: unringed
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 34 Canada Geese
- 35 (26♂) Mallard
- 5 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant again
- 12 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 86 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

This Cormorant had just flown in and was settling on the branch. Probably not yet fully adult as there are only a few wispy white feathers in the thigh area – adults should have a big white patch here by this date. I do like the blue eyes of Cormorants.

Not something you really expect to see – a Moorhen up a tree. However this species has hidden talents and climbs well – indeed it nests inside bushes rather than on the ground. It also walks long distances between patches of water even though it can, if needed, fly well.

A challenge when it is icy. Q: how many gulls are there here? A: 11 on the ice and 1 flying.

This is the first winter Herring Gull that dropped in briefly. We cannot see all the plumage details but note the all-black bill, the much paler inner primaries, pale greater coverts in front of the secondaries and rather diffuse tail-band and spotted upper-tail.

(Ed Wilson)

Note

1. A few photos from Belvide on 4 Feb Here.

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

 2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2014
Priorslee Lake
Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
(Observer Unknown)

 2013
Priorslee Lake
10 Gadwall
29 Wigeon
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood, Kris Webb)

 The Flash
2 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

 Holmer Lake
13 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

 2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
11 Pochard
65 Tufted Duck
c.50 Lapwings
Dunlin
c.300 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.50 Herring Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Common Gull
(Ed Wilson / Jim Almond)

 2011
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
>1000 Black-headed Gulls 
82 Herring Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
>500 Wood Pigeons
248 Jackdaws
211 Rooks logged 
1 Redpoll
(JW Reeves, Ed Wilson)

 2008
Priorslee Lake
102 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
9 Herring Gulls
(Martin Adlam)

 2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
32 Robins
26 Blackbirds
13 Song Thrushes
4 Redwings
2 Willow Tits
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
8 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
20 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks
163 Coots
20 Robins
22 Blackbirds
10 Song Thrushes
1 Willow Tit
13 Greenfinches
10 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)