15 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:15 – 09:15
The Flash:  09:20 – 10:05

3.0°C:  Mainly clear: some cloud to SW later. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:15 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  07:15 – 09:15

(285th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All seven Mute Swans were together on the SW grassy area / concrete launching ramp for a while with the fifth cygnet keeping its distance. Later the cob was seen pursuing it again and managed to persuade it to fly a short distance. Later still they all reassembled.
- One of the Cormorants logged as a fly-over performed several circuits above the water before deciding to continue on its way.
- The gull roost started to disperse by 07:40. Thereafter c.170 Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W and NW, some from quite high. As most of the roosting birds had left to the SW and SE I have assumed these were all new arrivals. None stayed long, again moving off, mostly SE. About 20 remained on the water at 08:30. Birds then started to appear from the SE and eventually >100 were on the water again – I assume these were largely returning birds.
- Very few large gulls roosted. A few more straggled in but none stayed long. Good number over, all heading SE.
- I think something must have disturbed the Magpies as many of the birds I did see flew straight out of the roost area and away. When they do this I cannot usually see birds that head off NW, N or NE.
- The first group of 28 outbound Jackdaws were hedge-hopping across the fields to the E. I was nearly caught unawares when the main party of c.150 birds passed to the W of the lake some five minutes later. There was an unusually long ‘tail’ to the passage with 17 different singles or small groups noted.
- Just a single Starling seen leaving the reeds.
- Four Reed Buntings left the W end roost at the earlier than usual time of 07:40. Next was a bird leaving from the main N-side reeds. Three more from the W end some time later.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Cormorants
- 3 Common Buzzards
- 103 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 52 Wood Pigeons
- 268 Jackdaws
- 42 Rooks
- 1 Redwing

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- >24 Magpies
- 1 Starling
- 8 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans again
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 3 (2♂) Mallard again
- 3 (3♂) Pochard again
- 68 (41♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Cormorants: all arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron, briefly
- 3 Little Grebes again
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Moorhens
- 126 Coots again

Gull roost: estimate at 07:20
- c.120 Black-headed Gulls
- c.25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c. 5 Herring Gulls

Later gull arrivals
- 170 + 100 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls

Lamps visited post-dawn with nothing seen:

No other sightings:

Two days running the opportunity to photograph the moon. Now three days and two hours since it was full.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:20 – 10:05

(271st visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Most of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over in two loose groups of 34 and 29 birds.
- Kingfisher being very noisy and powering all around the water.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Raven

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 2 Canada Geese
- 34 (19♂) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 36 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander: 4 (2♂) departed
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 13 Coots again
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, briefly
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter: departed
- 1 Kingfisher

No other sightings:

Possibly my worst photo of a Kingfisher (so far). The bird was flying about calling and perching just about everywhere out of sight except on the island at some distance. From this angle it is the red breast that shows better than the electric blue back which is the most distinctive feature in flight.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
48 Magpies
2 Ravens
134 Starlings
1 Siskin
6 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
6 Pochard 
115 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail 
235 Coots 
258 Black-headed Gulls
27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
24 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
32 Fieldfare
96 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Pochard 
198 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
6 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
4 Gadwall
8 Pochard
50 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Water Rail
168 Coots
296 Wood Pigeons
3 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
203 Jackdaws
41 Rooks
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Heron
34 Swans
2 Shoveler
1 Pochard
41 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
170 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
Curlew
2 Fieldfare
23 Redwings
c.25 Siskins 
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
33 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Goosander 
1 Common Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black necked Grebe
30 Mute Swans
2 Gadwall
27 Pochard
93 Tufted Ducks
1 Teal
263 Coot
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
600 Black-headed Gulls
Goldcrest
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Herons
25 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
64 Coots
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>1700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
35 Robins
30 Blackbirds
c.30 Fieldfare
c.24 Redwings
259 Jackdaws
232 Rooks
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)