28 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:40
The Flash:  09:45 – 10:35

8.0°C:  Low cloud began to break at times revealing broken mid-level below a high overcast. Light SSE wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT

We could do with a change in the weather to move birds around a bit.

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:40

(297th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The fifth cygnet went for a fly on its own to the East. Only after it returned did it get chased by the cob.
- Yesterday’s Pochard gone.
- Some of the Tufted Ducks were flying around. ‘Best effort’ at total.
- Even more difficult than usual to make an accurate count of Jackdaws. It was still very dark when they started passing and they were well to the E such that their calls were not obvious.
- Groups of Rooks, unusually, passed after the main groups of Jackdaws
- Now six singing Song Thrushes.
- Just a single Reed Bunting heard calling. None seen.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 9 Greylag Geese: outbound
- 2 Canada Geese: flew N
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 111 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- >650 Jackdaws
- 74 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 1 Linnet

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 42 Magpies
- 1 Redwing again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans as usual
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 40 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 117 Coots

Gulls:
The first gulls arrived at the late time of 07:45 on this very gloomy morning. They were mostly Black-headed Gulls with very few large gulls.

Arrival counts
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls again
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

Nothing on any lamp pole pre dawn despite the mild weather. All the lamps were exposed to the wind and that may have been the reason.

No other sightings

This male Bullfinch was doing something I have not seen before. Usually I see them doing what they like doing – eating buds. This was unusually low down in the vegetation and repeatedly flying to hover as if it were gleaning insects. Only when I looked at the photos could I see the vegetation in its bill. Clearly it was hovering to pull seed heads out of the vegetation and then munching them at its leisure. Also rather unusually it was on its own – usually these birds are encountered in pairs or small groups.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:45 – 10:35

(282nd visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Families with bird food ensured a high count of Mallard as they all came out of hiding to feast.
- Single Great Crested Grebe seen in two locations but unable to see both at same time....
- A Kingfisher called from trees by the south-most bridge and then, unusually, flew off through the wooded area. Another bird was calling from the island at this time. One of these seen in flight over the water later.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 1 Herring Gull: adult
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 2 Collared Doves
- 3 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose: departed
- 2 Canada Geese still
- 50 (29♂) Mallard
- 13 (13♂) Pochard
- 16 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron yet again
- 1, possibly 2, Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 76 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 1 adult; 2 first-winters
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter again
- 2 Kingfishers

No other sightings

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
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
7 Gadwall
10 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
1 Scaup
1 Goosander
218 Coots
28 Redwings
386 Jackdaws
209 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
4 Gadwall
19 Pochard
1 Peregrine
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
4 Goosander
1 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
15+ Great Black-backed Gulls
(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Kriss Webb)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Caspian Gull 
9 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Dawn Balmer/Peter Wilson/David Fairhurst)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black necked Grebe
4 Gadwall
1 Water Rail
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Peregrine
 2 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

Trench Pool
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull 
1 Gadwall
(John Isherwood)

2007
The Flash
11 Goosander
(Martin Adlam)

Priorslee Village
9 Siskins
7 Redwing
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee lake
1 Great Crested Grebe
1 Pochard
15 Tufted Ducks
13 Lapwings
c.100 Black-headed Gulls
c.1100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
26 Herring Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
12 Pied Wagtails
6 Redwing
1 Fieldfare
160 Jackdaws
97 Rooks
20 Chaffinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee lake
30 Pochard 30
32 Tufted Duck
6 Great Crested Grebe
200+ Coot
1 Water Rail
c.3000 Black-headed Gulls
c.2000 Lesser Black-backs
4 Herring Gulls
21 Pied Wagtails
247 Rooks
172 Jackdaw
5 Redwing
5 Fieldfare
46 Siskin
19 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)