27 Nov 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  11:45 –12:30
The Flash:  10:50 – 11:40

8.0°C > 9.0°C:  Low cloud with occasional light rain. Light NNE wind. Moderate visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:52 GMT]

Finally got bored with all the grey skies and went to see what I could find: very little

Priorslee Lake:  11:45 –12:30

(271st visit of the year)

The Model Boat Club active at the W end. Most birds seem to ignore them, though the Moorhens were not on the grass and could not be located.

Other bird notes:
- Nothing to highlight: usual steady arrival of large gulls.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall remain
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 32 (13♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- 1 Little Grebes
- 6 Great Crested Grebes remain
- no Moorhens
- 127 Coots
- >180 Black-headed Gulls
- c.125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mostly adults; most arrived
- c.15 Herring Gulls again: one adult; one 2nd winter; rest first-winters

This gull is a pit-fall for the unwary. The bill marking suggests a Ring-billed Gull and that North American wandered has a very similar mantle colour to this third-winter Herring Gull. We can dismiss the Ring-billed Gull option because the ‘ring bill’ is only evident on adult Ring-billed Gulls and this bird has brown in the folded wing indicating it is an immature. A Ring-billed Gull would be smaller and in winter would show extensive head spotting with an even heavier necklace of spots around the hind-neck. As with all gulls the full set of features needs to be checked. Since it was first identified here in 2012 a most unusual hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull has visited most winters. It has been seen at nearby Belvide for the last few days.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  10:50 – 11:40

(257th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- The Canada Geese ‘appeared’: I assumed they flew in.
- Another good count of Pochard: perhaps additions from the lake?
- Eight (six drakes) of the Tufted Duck flew in – disturbed from the lake by the Model Boat Club? Still an unusually low count for this date.
- Group of five Bullfinches flying around the trees at the top end noteworthy.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Stock Dove
- 2 Starlings

Counts from the water: quiet again.
- 3 Mute Swans remain
- 2 Canada Goose: arrived?
- 35 (19♂) Mallard
- 14 (12♂) Pochard
- 20 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 24 (5♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 15 Coots
- 46 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one adult; one first-winter

Other things:
- on a lamp pole
        - 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
930+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
95 Herring Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Goldeneye
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
8 Redwings
151 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

2005
Priorslee Lake
50+ Golden Plover
4 Pochard
39 Tufted Duck
1 duck Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
2 Little Grebes
200+ Coot
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
12 Redwing
5 Fieldfare
8 Siskin
5 Reed Bunting
(Martin R Adlam)