23 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:35
The Flash:  09:40 – 10:30

6.0°C:  Broken cloud with a few light showers. Light WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:35

(292nd visit of the year)

Generally very quiet though any day with both Water Rail and Kingfisher seen was worth getting out of bed for.

Bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan is still making sure that the fifth cygnet stays well away from the rest of the brood. The cygnet now flies freely to avoid any physical abuse.
- The six outbound Canada Geese were likely the same birds that arrived from the E some 20 minutes later.
- Very big Jackdaws passage. The largest group which I estimated at c.400 birds was partially hidden behind trees as they skimmed across the fields to the E of Castle Farm Way. There could have been many more. For anyone interested there has been a fascinating (repeat) programme on BBC4’s Living World about Jackdaws (and Rooks) and their roosting behaviour.

Click Here or Here to listen

Today ‘our’ Jackdaws started passing at 07:35. This was before I had heard any Wrens or Dunnocks calling – usually precursors to corvid action.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 6 Canada Geese: outbound
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 2 Stock Doves
- 6 Wood Pigeons only
- c.850 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 1 Redwing

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 Canada Geese: arrived
- 8 (5♂) Gadwall
- 5 (3♂) Mallard remain
- 49 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail
- 12 Moorhens
- 120 Coots
- 1 Kingfisher

Gulls:
No birds before the later time of 07:25 when c.200 Black-headed Gulls spiralled down from high overhead. Another c.300 arrived low from the W end at 07:30. Nine large gulls spiralled down from high over shortly afterwards

All the gulls were very jumpy again lifting for an unknown reason at 07:35 and then at 07:40 when a Common Buzzard flew over.

At 07:50 there was a loud bang – from somewhere in Stafford Park? – and they all went up and stayed up, circling round and round and round .... with groups leaving to the SE, SW and N.

None of them was prepared to settle again until 08:15 when c.80 Black-headed Gulls landed for a just few minutes. No more large arrived and very few seen over

Early gull arrival counts
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

Also: on lamp poles pre dawn:
- 5 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 spider sp: either dead or, more likely, a discarded exoskeleton

No other sightings

I noted yesterday that the sunrise in deepest winter was at a difficult angle to get interesting photos. The best I could do today...

.... before I removed the lamp post.

When I checked before I left home the Met Office said the chance of rain was <5% throughout the day. Hmm.

This Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) seems to be living dangerously but I suspect the ‘spider’ is just an old exoskeleton discarded as the spider grows. There is all manner of other debris in the spider’s web. Nothing I can identify.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:40 – 10:30

(277th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- All the Pochard were asleep and hiding under the fallen tree by the island. Likely more birds involved.
- The (all brownhead) Goosanders were brave-enough to go inside one of the footbridges to feed for a while. No-one in the area at the time of course.
- The two Sparrowhawks seen displaying overhead. Rather early?
- The Kingfisher gave me the usual run-around. It flew past me and appeared to fly in to the reedy area alongside Derwent Drive. But it wasn’t there when I looked. Then it flew out!

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 3 Feral Pigeons (2 groups)

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese
- 42 (26♂) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 18 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes remain
- 4 Moorhens
- 14 Coots again
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: first-winters
- 1 Kingfisher yet again

Other sightings
- on one of the lamp poles around the water
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- on one of the lamp poles in squirrel alley
- another Winter Moth

Yet another ‘interesting’ gull. I can find no illustrations which show such a prominent pale (yellow?) bill tip on an essentially black bill. May of the back feathers look unmarked and suggest Lesser Black-backed Gull. The ends of greater coverts are very faded or bleached but the notching still visible towards their bases is not usually a characteristic of this species. The very dark face mask contrasting with a rather pale head is also unusual. Cannot suggest anything other than a ‘funny’ Lesser Black-backed Gull.

(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
1st-winter female Great Scaup

Horsehay Pool
Kittiwake

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
14 Pochard
29 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
178 Coots
2 Redwings
4 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Pochard
44 Tufted Duck
28 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
30 Mute Swans
40 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
161 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
18 Swans
4 Gadwall
41 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
311 Coots
600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
12 Goldfinches
10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
3 Cormorants
32 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
c.100 Black-headed Gulls
23 Redwing
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee lake
10 Pochard
15 Tufted Duck
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
1 Water Rail
20 Pied Wagtails
365 Rooks
325 Jackdaw
1 Kingfisher
51 Siskin
7 Redpoll
13 Greenfinch 13
12 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)