13 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  10:55 – 11:15
The Flash:  09:50 – 10:50

5.0°C > 7.0°C:  Sunny intervals. Strong and gusty WSW wind. Very good visibility if somewhat hazy.

[Sunrise: 08:13 GMT]

Priorslee Lake:  10:55 – 11:15

(283rd visit of the year)

The wind made viewing conditions rather difficult. Forecast of early rain suggested a later visit from the shelter of the car in the E end lay-by would be wise.

Bird notes:
- The fifth cygnet was not with the others.
- Possibly other Gadwall (and Mallard?) in the lee of the dam. Walking / standing on the dam to determine this was almost impossible and certainly a Coot count could not be completed.
- More large gulls were drifting in. The wind direction meant they were sitting more or less tail-on to the E end car park and were challenging to identify.

Bird totals:

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- [no Mallard]
- 1 (1♂) Pochard again
- 78 (41♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Little Grebes again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- >175 Black-headed Gulls
- c.85 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mostly adults
- c.30 Herring Gulls: mostly immatures

A ‘classic’ first-winter Herring Gull with well-marked upper-tail and paler inner primaries.

Here ‘playing’ with its food ....

... and managing to lift it clear of the water. The fish is a Perch. Whether the gull caught the fish or whether the fish was dead and floating on the surface is hard to say – I would suggest the latter.

This is a second-winter Herring Gull. Note the mantle is almost entirely blue-grey, the bill has extensive pale at the base and there is one adult grey feather as the outer lesser coverts at the front edge of the wing. The upper-tail is almost unmarked at this age.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:50 – 10:50

(269th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Just the usual two Canada Geese when I arrived. A party of 53 flew in, followed by a singleton from another direction.
- Pochard and grebes sheltering under the fallen tree at the S end of the island. Difficult to be certain of numbers.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash.
None

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 56 Canada Geese
- 26 (17♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard
- 31 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 20 (7♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- [no Moorhens]
- 12 Coots
- 25 Black-headed Gulls

Other sightings:
- on the usual lamp pole
        - 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
- on the Ivy bank: in the sun
        - 7 flies of just one species
- nothing elsewhere

The Goosanders were better behaved than on many occasions and they stayed within reasonable range for a while. In good light too. I think they were rather more occupied with each other than usual. Here are some images. Two drakes going this way and that. Nasty-looking hooked tip to their bills.

A drake stretches its wings – note the white goes the full width of the wing in the drake. The brownhead in the foreground does not look too impressed.

A trio of drakes circles a brownhead....

... but the trio heads off anyway.

Two drakes and two brownheads. The shape of the crowns on the three birds in the foreground suggests they feathers raised as part of display.

The contrast in the plumage of this species makes exposure to see the feather detail difficult. The white on the rear flank of the brownhead suggests this is an immature drake beginning its moult in to breeding plumage. As far as I can tell from the literature first-summer birds are indistinguishable from adult.

A very bold and friendly Robin. I had to wind the camera zoom most of the way and stand back.

Just a show-off really.

In contrast Bullfinch is a rather shy species and I was pleased with this clear sighting of a male.

Very little action around the Ivy bank. All the flies I saw were the same species as these two – whatever they are.

(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
1 ‘Nelson's Gull' but also colloquially ‘Viking Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Little Grebe
2 Siskins
4 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
4 Pochard 
87 Tufted Duck
3 Goosander 
236 Coots
1 Snipe
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
45 Redwings
(Ed Wilson/JW Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Ring-billed Gull hybrid
1800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
500 Black-headed Gulls
100 Herring Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gull
6 Greater Black-backed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Little Grebe
3 Redwings
1 Teal
9 Pochard.
40 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
c.170 Coots
3 Redwings
c.300 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Goldeneye
2 Sky Larks
c.25 Redwing
c.8 Fieldfare
12 Bullfinches
c.30 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
31 Swans
2 Greylag
33 Pochard
1 Willow Tit
c.35 Goldfinches
3 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
26 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
73 Coots
7 Lapwings
>1500 Black-headed Gulls
>1300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
38 Herring Gulls
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
24 Robins
13 Blackbirds
5 Fieldfares
11 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
132 Jackdaws
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Wigeon
Water Rail
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
2 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
13 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
235 Coot
270 Jackdaws
154 Rooks
2 Redpoll
5 Siskins
12 Pied Wagtails
2 Redwings
10 Fieldfares
21 Reed Buntings
13 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)