7 Dec 19

Priorslee Lake:  06:50 – 09:20
The Flash:  09:25 – 10:00

8.0°C:  Some clear spells with often low cloud. Light SW wind, increasing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:06 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:50 – 09:20

(279th visit of the year)

At the moment I am not allowed to lift anything heavier than a kettle so a tripod and scope is out of the question for a few weeks yet. Without these I find checking the gull roost very difficult. As previously noted this is the first winter since the demise of the Granville Tip that gulls have roosted here. Even then on many nights they flew off elsewhere after dusk and were not around the following morning.

Bird notes:
- All five cygnets were once again close together and with the adult Mute Swans much of the time. The fifth cygnet was seen just about flying before all the others departed for a few days in late October. I have not seen it fly since: it was exercising its wings on the water today.
- A Woodcock flew W along the N side c.07:15. Could have been on its way to the W end roost area noted last moth.
- Hard to even estimate how many large gulls there were roosting here not least because some of the Mute Swans decided to fly straight through the group disturbing them. There were at least 1500. The vast majority were Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Rather few Herring Gulls. Two adult Great Black-backed Gulls obvious. Birds started to leave c.07:40 and almost all gone by 08:30. Thereafter a few more straggled in, mainly diverting from small groups of Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying over.
- It was even harder to decide how many of the eventual c.450 Black-headed Gulls had roosted and how many arrived well pre-dawn. At least 150 noted flying in.
- Among the 33 Wood Pigeons logged flying over was a party of 10 flying very high E – as if migrating.
- In addition to the six Reed Buntings seen to leave the W-end roost area there was another bird calling from the N side. Perhaps there is another roost there.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 3 (2♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 121 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 152 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 3 Redwings

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- >1500 large gulls (see notes)
- 7 Redwings
- 10 Starlings
- 6 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard
- 76 (35♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 136 Coots
- >150 Black-headed Gulls (new arrivals)
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (new arrivals)

Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 3 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata): one of these a flightless female
- 1 small fly
- 1 Trichocera relegationis (winter midge)

I found this female moth on one of the lamp poles pre-dawn. The females of many species of moths that are active in winter cannot fly: some have vestigial wings, as here. It is thought this development allows the female to devote all her energy in to producing eggs at a time when she cannot feed. It relies on the hatched caterpillars to disperse. The extent of the wing is the best identification feature though in this unusually dark example where the markings are difficult to see the best guide is the spur just visible on the two hind pairs of legs. It is a female Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata).

Also on one of the lamp poles was this winter midge, almost certainly Trichocera relegationis.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:25 – 10:00

(264th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Coal Tit in incessant song. With the mild weather perhaps it thinks its Spring.
- Song Thrush also intermittently singing again.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Cormorant
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 2 Canada Geese yet again
- 37 (24♂) Mallard
- 7 (7♂) Pochard
- 38 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 (7♂) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 5 Moorhen
- 16 Coots again
- 105 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 5 adults; 1 second-winter

On lamp pole in squirrel alley:
        - 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Yet more Goosanders – two drakes here. These birds had been doing some sparring and we see a rather unusual head shape as the crown feathers are raised. It is strange that so far this winter drakes have outnumbered ducks whereas last winter there were very many more birds present and by far the majority were brownheads (ducks or immatures).

A close adult winter Black-headed Gull. I took this through the open car window and was unable to do anything about the rather confusing background. Had I tried to reposition the bird would have flown. Cars can make a surprisingly good ‘hide’.

An adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull complaining about something. Note the head-streaking; the contrast between the dark grey folded secondaries and the black folded primaries; and also the broad white tips to those secondaries.

(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

 2012
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard.
55 Tufted Ducks.
153 Coots.
615 Black-headed Gulls
354 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
21 Herring Gulls.
(Ed Wilson)

 2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
9 Cormorants
33 Swans
25 Pochard
61 Tufted Ducks
297 Coots 
2 Buzzards
19 Goldfinches
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
17 Greylag Goose
9 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
>1400 Black-headed Gulls
>230 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull 
1 Great Black-backed Gull
23 Robins
16 Blackbirds
2 Fieldfares
3 Redwings
259 Jackdaws
257 Rooks
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

 2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
9 Pochard
31 Tufted Duck
234 Coot
205 Jackdaws
473 Rooks
154 Fieldfare
4 Redwings
8 Redpolls
46 Siskins
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)