21 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:25
The Flash:  09:30 – 10:10

5.0°C:  A few breaks in rather low cloud. Light / moderate SSE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:19 GMT again

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:25

(290th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Once again the 5th cygnet was initially on its own. It flew the length of the water to join its siblings only to be chased away by the cob.
- Greylag Geese overhead at 07:10 when too dark to see how many.
- Magpie roost not counted.
- Relatively few corvids noted for some reason – weekend off?
- Both Song and Mistle Thrushes seen and heard singing today.
- Three Reed Buntings heard calling at the W end. Yet again none was seen to leave.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- ? Greylag Geese (outbound)
- 1 Cormorant again
- 119 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 49 Wood Pigeons only
- 76 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 1 Raven

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 5 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived and departed
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall only
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 48 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: again
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 Moorhens
- 106 Coots (only)

Gulls:
no birds before 07:15

Early gull arrivals
- c.900 Black-headed Gulls
- 79 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 2 presumed Yellow-legged Gulls

By 08:30 only these remained
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 presumed Yellow-legged Gull

Later gull arrivals
- c.225 Black-headed Gulls (re-arrivals?)
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

On lamp poles pre dawn:
- 1 Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)

No other sightings

A Cormorant with a rather strange-shaped neck. I was just too late to catch it throwing a large fish down its throat – but it is still on its way down and stretching its neck.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:30 – 10:10

(275th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- A Kingfisher again. Often perches in trees behind the W-most footbridge around the lake, flying to the island when disturbed.
- A Song Thrush in quiet song from, strangely, the base of a coppiced shrub around the margin of the water.

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

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 44 (26♂) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Pochard
- 19 (9♂) Tufted Duck again
- 15 (2♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes remain
- 2 Moorhens
- 13 Coots again
- 78 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher

No other sightings.

Last time I photographed a flying Kingfisher here I remarked that it was probably my worst photo (so far). It has now been eclipsed! Well it is the shortest day with the least light. It is a good job that this species has such a distinctive silhouette.

(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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
7 Pochard 
74 Tufted Ducks
221 Coots
2 Fieldfare
65 Redwings
228 Jackdaws
119 Rooks
13 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall.
12 Pochard
12 Goosanders
51 Tufted Ducks
145 Coots
c.280 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
c.265 Jackdaws
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
12 Goosanders
4 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
12 Goosanders
7 Coots
42 were Herring Gulls
44 Black-headed Gulls only on the water
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool
32 Mute Swans
42 Tufted Duck
168 Coots counted
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
8 Great Crested Grebes
22 Swans
1 Gadwall
51 Pochard
148 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Woodcock
274 Coots
8000+ gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
7 Redwings
16 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/Martin Adlam/Jim Almond)

2005
Priorslee lake
9 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gull.
c.200 Coot 
1 Water Rail
15 Pied Wagtails
243 Rooks
532 Jackdaw
31 Siskin
2 Redpoll
16 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)