13 Jan 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:20
The Flash:  09:25 – 10:0

4.0°C:  Low cloud overhead, clearer to E. Then generally clouding with light rain at 10:00. Increasing SSE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:16 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:25

(12th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A pair of Greylag Geese went outbound, only to return within a few minutes.
- Two Canada Geese were followed in from the N by 15 more. They stayed about an hour and were left alone by the Mute Swans.
- Low number of Tufted Ducks – see notes from The Flash.
- A few Redwings out of a small roost. Later at least 25 in trees around the Teece Drive gate.
- A Reed Bunting was again in song at the W end. The only bird seen leaving the area did so from the S side reeds.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 Common Buzzards
- [gulls: see below]
- 1 Stock Dove again
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- >1100 Jackdaws
- c.25 Rooks
- 1 Siskin

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 4 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 17 Canada Geese
- 4 (3♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 17 (12♂) Tufted Duck only
- 2 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens again
- 72 Coots

Gulls:

Arrival:
- All Black-headed Gulls late with just c.75 arriving at 07:45. No more before 07:55 after which c.530 logged in small groups from the W.
- The first and only large gull was a first-winter Herring Gull briefly c.08:10.
counts
- c.600 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winters

Overhead:
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: adult

Nothing on any lamp pole pre dawn: very wet from overnight dew and also too windy.

Other sightings:
- Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium): a lone still-flowering plant.
- many Hazel catkins now looking full-size.

New bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site.
None

 The ‘red sky in the morning’ ahead of the wind and rain.

A lone flowering head of Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) that I had overlooked until today. It is not uncommon for these to be seen in flower during winter, nor is it uncommon to see them tinged mauve. Separate from other umbellifers by the larger petals on the outer edge of each umbel.

Hazel catkins. Probably as well these are wind-pollinated as there are not too many insects around at the moment. If the forecast is correct they should certainly be pollinated by later today.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:25 – 10:00

(11th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- More Tufted Duck than usual. Possibly birds displaced from the lake by weekend activity?
- First Treecreeper here this year at the top end of squirrel alley.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Siskin

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 7 Canada Geese
- 36 (21♂) Mallard
- 12 (12♂) Pochard
- 59 (38♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 4 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults

No other sightings:

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
46 Treecreeper

The drake Mallard formation flying team getting some practice.

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

1. Click Here for a Summary of the 2019 Priorslee Lake Report.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
2 female Scaup
(Paul King)

2013
Priorslee Lake
103 Coot
147 Black-headed Gulls
25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
63 Tufted Duck
1 drake Scaup
2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Priorslee Flash
4 Goosander
38 Tufted Duck
(Tony Beckett)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
5 Great Crested Grebe
20 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
92 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
24 Redwings
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
66 Tufted Duck
236 Black-headed Gulls
36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

East of Priorslee
Willow Tit
Skylark
Brown Hare
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
69 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
8 Swans
4 Gadwall
23 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
256 Coots
c.800 Black-headed Gulls 
c.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull 
c.40 Herring Gulls 
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Willow Tit
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson and unknown observer)

2007
Priorslee Lake
38 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
15 Goosanders
2 Buzzards
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
>215 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
32 Robins
15 Blackbirds
179 Fieldfares
104 Redwings
274 Jackdaws
266 Rooks
218 Starlings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
13 Cormorants
10 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
207 Coots
2 Lapwings
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls 
96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
61 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
309 Jackdaws
493 Rooks
12 Pied Wagtails
10 Fieldfare
15 Robins
12 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)