6 Mar 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 – 09:05
The Flash:  09:10 – 10:00

8.0°C > 10.0°C:  Low overcast with some light rain / drizzle. Moderate SSE wind. Mainly good visibility

Sunrise: 06:46 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 – 09:05

(61st visit of the year)

Highlight today has to be the discovery of a roosting Tawny Owl. Two aggressively calling Blackbirds alerted me. These birds were joined by Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, a Chiffchaff, two Goldcrests, a Song Thrush, two Robins and a Treecreeper (at least) in making a real din. After a while they all faded away. With some persistence I managed to see bits of the owl hidden in Ivy. I suspect this is a regular roost site as I have heard Blackbirds and Jays scolding in the area previously, though never managed to determine the cause

Other bird notes from today
- Mute Swans gone again!
- 1 Grey Heron flew in early and then seen to leave. Later another? or did it return?
- the pair of Great Crested Grebes along the N side seemed to want to control the whole lake and were giving the lone bird in the NW area a hard time
- low count of Coots again, though weather rather poor at the time I did the count
- the / a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew straight in to land on the usual buoy at 07:20
- very few Wood Pigeons flying
- c.410 Jackdaws seen passing to the E at 06:21. Then, unusually, at least 200 shot past me to the W at 06:28, catching me by surprise. Could have been many more in this group
- a group of 3, perhaps 4, Song Thrushes were chasing around the W end
- two Mistle Thrushes around the usual nesting area were behaving more like rivals than a breeding pair. No song heard
- 4 Chiffchaffs singing today: the bird mobbing the owl was almost certainly one of these though it neither called nor sang at that time. Three songsters have been very faithful to their chosen locations almost as if they have taken up breeding sites. I would have expected arrivals at this early date to be passage birds

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 6 Canada Geese (1 group outbound)
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons again
- 5 Wood Pigeons only
- >610 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 13 Rooks exactly
- 4 Redwings
- 7 Starlings
- 2 Goldfinches
- 4 Siskins
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 23 Starlings
- 3 Redwings
- no Reed Buntings again

The counts from the lake area:
- 7 (5♂) Mallard again
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 or 2 Grey Herons
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
- 13 Moorhens
- 21 Coots only
- 82 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Other things
- orb-web spider swinging in the breeze from a lamp pole early
- nothing later

The best of a (very) bad bunch. Find the Tawny Owl! I was pleased both to have seen the bird and then persuaded the camera to focus through the vegetation on to the almost completely hidden bird.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash:  09:10 – 10:00

(55th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- what I assume was last year’s cygnet fast asleep on the island throughout
- after yesterday’s low count of Mallard back to a higher total today: why?
also
- first flower of Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna (formerly Ranunculus ficaria)
- apparently new Scarlet Elfcup (Sarcoscypha austriaca) fungus

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Jackdaw
- 8 Starlings

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1  Mute Swans
- 7 Canada Geese only
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall again
- 25 (15♂) Mallard
- 31 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 4 Moorhens
- 32 Coots again
- 1 Black-headed Gull

Not the most pristine specimen: the first Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna (formerly Ranunculus ficaria) of the year.

It transpires this is ‘just’ a Snowdrop (Galanthus sp.) with one of its petals missing. I thought it might be something more exciting.

These Scarlet Elfcup (Sarcoscypha austriaca) fungus are on the same piece of fallen wood as those I first saw on 11 February. I feel certain they are different fruits as I recall the others collapsing and I have not noted any here for several weeks.

A close-up in to two of the cups.

(Ed Wilson)

Notes
1. A few photos Here taken at RSPB Burton Mere - 2 Mar
2. A few photos Here taken at Belvide - 27 Feb

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

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Mediterranean Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Gary Crowder)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Iceland Gull
1 Caspian Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Goldeneye
1 Shoveler
27 Wigeon
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Common Gull
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Raven
3 Lapwing
Linnet
Pheasant
Skylark
Yellowhammer
(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Caspian Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Mute Swan
6 Great Crested Grebe
(Martin Grant)

2010
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
6 Gadwall
36 Pochard
60 Tufted Duck
1 Barn Owl 
Stock Dove
c.25 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
12 Tufted Duck
332 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Merlin
c.200 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
9 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
1 Teal
6 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
106 Coots
1 Water Rail
c.450 Black-headed Gulls
c.410 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
26 Herring Gulls
275 Wood Pigeon
178 Jackdaws
27 Starlings
4 Redwings
16 Greenfinches
19 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)