14 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:15
The Flash:  09:20 – 10:15

5.0°C:  Passing showers with some clearer intervals. Moderate WSW wind, fresh and squally in showers. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:14 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:15

(284th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pen Mute Swan took four cygnets for a short fly through the protesting gulls c.07:35 while the cob was half-heartedly swimming after the fifth cygnet. Later they were all more or less together on the SW grass with the fifth cygnet ‘keeping its distance’ but unmolested.
- Great difficulty counting the Pochard as they always seemed to be moving about. Eventually noted three together and could see none elsewhere.
- Gull roost counts ‘best efforts’ as bird started to leave soon after 07:35 when still too dark to see what they all were. A small number of arrivals soon after: these did not stay. By 08:10 just 19 gulls remained.
- In the wind the Magpies did not gather on their post-roost tree and seemed to disperse in all directions directly from the roost area and mostly out of my line of sight.
- Not the weather to see small birds leave their roosts and I ‘lucked’ on the three Reed Buntings departing.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- 179 Jackdaws
- 11 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Siskin

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpies not counted]
- 4 Redwings
- 3 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 83 (42♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 126 Coots

Gull roost: estimate at 07:30
- >200 Black-headed Gulls
- >500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >50 Herring Gulls
- >1 Great Black-backed Gulls

Later gull arrivals
- >100 Black-headed Gulls
- 39 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls

Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 1 small spider sp.

No other sightings:

Not had too many opportunities to photograph the moon recently. Through a gap between showers. Two days and two hours since it was full.

The small spider the only thing on any lamp pole this morning. The way the front two pairs of legs are held pointing forward is reminiscent of both stretch spiders and the Nursery Web Spider. However the rather rotund body suggests it is neither of these. But what?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:20 – 10:15

(270th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Number and sex-ratio of Tufted Ducks seems to vary greatly. I assume these birds interchange with the main lake.
- At least 21 Goosanders on the water. Six flew off before I could ascertain their sex. Later three drakes seen circling low over before heading off. Additional birds ‘casing the joint’? Or more leaving?
- Several groups of Goldfinches flying about: at least 30 birds.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Wood Pigeon

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese
- 39 (24♂) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Pochard
- 26 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 21 (>9♂) Goosander (see notes)
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 (3?) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

No other sightings:

A duck Tufted Duck takes off, about to retract the undercarriage

Now airborne

And showing the wing bar on the upper wing

More Goosander photos ..... In the shade the contrast is reduced as this brownhead paddles past.

A drake Goosander leaving ...

... followed by another

A fine quintet of Goosanders with three smart drakes. These birds obviously ‘at peace’ as the shape of the drakes’ heads is ‘smooth’ rather than ‘peaked’ as seen on the sparring birds yesterday.

Two brownheads here. I normally struggle to get the eyes of this species shown well. Both these birds seem to staring, almost wide-eyed. The bird on the left shows white between the base of the bill and the eye indicating it is a first-winter bird and that the sex cannot yet be determined from the plumage. The bird on the right appears to have some pale in the same area but I think it is light reflecting off the paler base to the bill. The area in front of the eye is actually rather dark.

One of the Great Crested Grebes came closer than usual passing this way ....

... and that. The two smudges on the face and neck indicate this is a first-winter bird.

(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
>550 Wood Pigeons
41 Magpies
1 Siskin
4 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
4 Pochard 
64 Tufted Ducks 
228 Coots
127 Black-headed Gulls
34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gulls
12 Great Black-backed Gull
10 Fieldfare
19 Redwings 
78 Jackdaws
7 Rooks
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
1st winter female Scaup
167 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool
A leucistic large species gull, probably Lesser Black-backed Gull
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Jim Almond)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
9 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
c.155 Coots
265 Black-headed Gulls
244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
42 Herring Gulls
3 Greater Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Curlew
Mallard x Pintail
>25 Herring Gulls
>500 Wood Pigeons
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
2 Gadwall
Goosander
c.50 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Great Crested Grebes 
21 Swans
31 Pochard
92 Tufted Ducks
291 Coots 
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
22 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
3 Buzzards
69 Coots
>1300 Black-headed Gulls
>2600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
23 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
25 Robins
16 Blackbirds
c.60 Fieldfare
c.162 Redwings
32 Magpies
230 Jackdaws
96 Rooks
22 Starlings
14 Greenfinches
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson/Kevin Pryce)

2005
Priorslee Lake
3 Ruddy Ducks
Water Rail
1500 Black-headed Gulls
700 Lesser Blacked Gulls
2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
29 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
234 Coot
Sparrowhawk
176 Jackdaws
179 Rooks
11 Siskins
15 Pied Wagtails
2 Grey Wagtails
3 Redwings
1 Fieldfare seen.
164 Wood Pigeon
5 Reed Buntings
10 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)