20 Jan 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash (not in that order)

Priorslee Lake:  10:20 – 11:00
The Flash:  09:35 – 10:15

1.0°C:  Clear and frosty. Light wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:10 GMT]

Priorslee Lake:  10:20 – 11:00

(15th visit of the year)

Almost no ice (not many birds either)

Bird notes:
- Almost as many Pochard as Tufted Duck: unusual.
- Most of the (few) Black-headed Gulls arrived.
- All the (few) large gulls left.

Bird totals:

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 11 (10♂) Pochard
- 14 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 72 Coots
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 2 Herring Gulls: first-winters

What a pair! Gadwall of course. They both look rather pleased with themselves.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:35 – 10:15

(14th visit of the year)

>60% mainly thin ice

Many birds hauled out on island where difficult to see

Bird notes from here:
- Most Pochard drifted away – gone to the lake?
- Two drake Goosanders when I arrived. Later a pair seen mating with no sign of the other drake. Then a drake flew in whilst any other birds were hidden from view behind the island. Was this one of the earlier birds? Or a third?
- 12 Carrion Crows overhead together was rather unusual.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 5 Feral Pigeons

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 5 Canada Geese
- 38 (25♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard only
- 35 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (2♂) Goosander (see notes)
- [no Great Crested Grebes]
- 4 Moorhens
- 10 Coots
- 33 Black-headed Gulls

No other sightings: the Ivy bank was in full sun but the ambient temperature was likely too low to tempt any flies out.

It seems I am not often positioned for a flight view of a drake Goosander ...

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
2  Greater Scaup 
1 Velvet Scoter 
117 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Redwings 
c.274 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Mike Stokes)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
1 Greater Scaup 
1 Goldeneye
26 Wigeon 
4 Gadwall 
1 Shoveler 
22 Pochard 
76 Tufted Ducks 
157 Coots 
1 Common Gull
144 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
74 Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Juvenile Glaucous Gull
Juvenile Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
c.195 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
34 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
5 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
132 Coot
2 Water Rail
c.1600 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
428 Jackdaws
438 Rook
300 Wood Pigeons
14 Robin
80 Fieldfare
30 Redwing
11 Blackbird
1 Willow Tits
6 Greenfinch
65 Siskins
6 Redpolls
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)