7 Nov 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  12:25 –13:15
The Flash:  11:30 – 12:20

7.0°C:  Mainly cloudy after much earlier rain. Light WSW wind. Good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:17 GMT]

A late set of visits to avoid the early rain.

Priorslee Lake:  12:25 –13:15

(265th visit of the year)

Best bird this morning was the duck Goldeneye found amongst the increased number of Tufted Duck. New for me here in 2019 – and marks the 100-up.

Other bird notes:
- The same four cygnets with their parents. The other cygnet was again close to N side reeds. Seemed fit-enough today moving around and feeding.
- A drake Pochard new in: yesterday’s duck not seen.
- Big arrival of gulls (>300) at c.13:00, most of which were Lesser Black-backed Gulls and almost all of them were adults.
- Amongst them were at least 4 adult Yellow-legged Gulls. I am sure there were some immatures as well: these are harder to separate unless seen in flight from behind.

As a footnote to yesterday’s photos. The adult Yellow-legged Gull has been confirmed. What I thought might have been a Caspian Gull has been identified as ‘just’ a second-winter Herring Gull with a rather paler head than usual.

Bird totals:

Counts from the lake area only:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans (see notes)
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 62 (36♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goldeneye
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- [no Grey Herons]
- 3 Little Grebe
- 9 Great Crested Grebes again
- 7 Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- >450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mostly adults
- >16 Herring Gulls: at least 9 (near) adult birds
- 4 Yellow-legged Gull: adult

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  11:30 – 12:20

(251st visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- With only a single Great Crested Grebe seen for three days then is seems that the others have indeed gone.
- Yesterday’s drake Pochard gone again.
- No Goosanders: too late in the day? too many fishermen?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 30 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 17 Canada Geese
- 38 (20♂) Mallard
- 26 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Other things:
- on the usual lamp
        - 1 cranefly sp.
        - 1 small stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
        - 1 Paroligolophus agrestis (harvestman)
- on lamp poles in squirrel alley:
        - 1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
        - 1 harvestman, probably Oligolophus tridens
        - 1 fly sp.
- elsewhere:
        - 1 Grey Squirrel
        - some Hairy Curtain Crust fungus (Stereum hirsutum)

A well-camouflaged cranefly that I cannot identify. The combination of well-marked unicoloured red-brown thorax, black ‘knees’ and shiny wings matches none of the species I can find illustrated on the web.

Trying to get away from me. This Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) is reversing in to a fol in a lamp pole, presumably looking for a cozy spot to overwinter.

This harvestman seems to have seen some action and has only five legs remaining. The much greater length of the second (pair) of legs and the rather thicker base to the legs suggests Oligolophus tridens. There are, of course, other similar species.

A cluster of very small bracket-type fungus growing on a dead small branch. I think the very widespread and common Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum).

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Pochard
56 Tufted Duck
23 Moorhens
233 Coots
600+ Wood Pigeons
6 Song Thrush
55 Fieldfare
55 Redwings
532 Jackdaws
167 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.150 Greylag Geese
2 Gadwall
9 Pochard
28 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
166 Coots
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.300 Wood Pigeons
29 Blackbirds
63 Redwings
120 Fieldfares
709 Jackdaws
182 Rooks
c.70 Starlings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
10 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Wrekin
Location
Firecrest 
1 Crossbill
(Andy Latham)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
26 Pochard
86 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Redshank
c.750 Black-headed Gulls
128 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
20 Pied Wagtails
34 Robins
32 Blackbirds
16 Redwings
41 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)