16 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake only

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:45

3.0°C> 4.0°C:  Thin high cloud otherwise clear. Light / moderate SSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:16 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:45

(286th visit of the year)

A quiet morning enlivened only by the simultaneous arrival of 10 Cormorants.

Bird notes:
- The fifth cygnet was first seen on the SW grass. All the other Mute Swans were at the E end. Later, and entirely unprovoked, it flew the length of the lake to join them. I wonder whether now that it is flying strongly it will be accepted back in to the family?
- The comings and goings of the Black-headed Gulls. As noted below c.100 seemed to have roosted. Before any started to leave at least 95 were logged arriving from the W and 60 more, unusually, from the NE. Once departures started, mainly to the SW, 161 birds were logged arriving (or re-arriving) from the W, none of them staying long. By 08:25 there were just 11 remaining on the water. Then at 08:45 I counted 138. You work out how many birds involved!
- The Magpies started to leave the roost while still too dark to see them. Some that left later used a different tree for post-roost orientation.
- More Jackdaws were heard passing to the W of the lake: too dark looking that way to see them.
- A roosting Fieldfare was unusual.
- A Mistle Thrush was briefly singing from a traditional song-perch alongside Teece Drive.
- At least two Reed Buntings calling from the roost area but none was seen to leave by 08:10 when I moved on.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Collared Doves
- 112 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 3 Pied Wagtails

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- >30 Magpies (see notes)
- 1 Fieldfare
- 1 Redwing

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard
- 61 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 10 Cormorants: arrived together
- 2 Little Grebes
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 134 Coots

Gull roost: estimate at 07:30:
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- >150 large gulls

Later gull arrivals:
- many Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls

Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 1 Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
- 1 very small unidentified fly

No other sightings:

The fifth cygnet goes for a lone fly while two Great Crested Grebes look on and two Black-headed Gulls stand on buoys acting as ‘bookends’.

Strongly flying now.

Different water so a different vantage point for this Goosander. After preening it flaps to sort its wing feathers out.

Here we see that the large white area of the secondaries does not extend on to the coverts and this confirms that this ‘brownhead’ is indeed a duck (rather than an immature or eclipse drake)

And the underside of the wings clearly shown here.

Nine of the group of 10 Cormorants begin to tumble in to he lake.

A trio coming lower.

One of them passing close as it swings around.

I always think that Song Thrushes look rather glum.

Redwings are typically rather shy (until it snows and they need to eat the berries in your garden). We can only just make out the red flanks here (‘redwing’ is rather a misnomer). The broad pale supercilium identifies.

I have no idea what this minute ‘thing’ might be. Very long-winged. It appears to have only four legs. It does not have two pairs of antenna – there is a shadow from the camera’s flash.

Four days and two hours since it was full. Not as sharp today as there was thin high cloud.

(Ed Wilson)

Note
Here are few images from Belvide Reservoir on Sat 14  Dec. Click Here.

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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
5 Gadwall 
3 Pochard 
49 Tufted Ducks
238 Coots
6 Fieldfare
>256 Redwings
3 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Teal
2 Pochard 
167 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
2 Goosanders 
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebe
35 Tufted Ducks
4 Gadwall
7 Pochard
149 Coot
1 Water Rail
25 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
23 Swans
34 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
Snipe
273 Coots
25 Goldfinches
7 Linnets
50 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
9 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
Woodcock
70 Coots
c.220 Black-headed Gulls
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
5 Buzzards
20 Pied Wagtails
1 Willow Tits
561 Jackdaws
149 Rooks
c.190 Fieldfare
c.120 Redwings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)