27 Jan 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:55 – 09:25
The Flash:  09:30 – 10:20

3.0°C > 4.0°C:  Mainly clear: a few clouds later. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:01 GMT

After many cloud, misty and wet days much better today.

Priorslee Lake:  06:55 – 09:25

(17th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I suspect that all the unidentified geese were in fact Greylags: they were unusually quiet and it was just too dark to be certain.
- Just one drake Gadwall remains.
- Low number of Tufted Duck: I wonder whether all the mud washed in to the lake recently has affected their ability to feed on the submerged vegetation?
- Usual problem trying to determine how many Great Crested Grebes present. Singles / pair seen all around the water but never more than two at any one time ....
- At least 75 more Wood Pigeons seen over fields to the E.
- Jackdaws in two main groups with c.150 at 07:21 and then no more until c.600 passed ten minutes later – an unusually long gap between groups.
- A few Jackdaws stragglers with the unusual sight of nine sharing the Magpies’ post-roost tree for a while.
- The only Reed Bunting seen leaving a roost was one departing the N side. At the W end there were birds calling and then, for the first time I can recall, eight together feeding at the edge of the concrete ramp pre-dawn. Later one (of these?) was singing. None was seen to leave here.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 10 Greylag Geese: eight outbound in two groups: two singles inbound
- 37 Canada Geese: outbound in three groups
- 50 unidentified geese: outbound, also in three groups
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 4 Stock Doves
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- >750 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 2 Redwings

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 24 Magpies
- 4 Starlings
- 1 Reed Bunting (see notes)

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall only
- 12 (7♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck only
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2? Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 51 Coots only

Gulls:
Early arrival:
- First 15 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:31 with another 188 counted arriving.
- A few large gulls dropped in and left quickly
Counts
- 203 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

No gulls arrived after 08:10.

Nothing on any lamp pole pre dawn:

No other sightings

Unusually out in the open this Jay gave me an opportunity for a distant photo.

These Hazel catkins seem a bit hopeful: there are few, if any, insects around to pollinate them.

Perhaps they are wind pollinated?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:30 – 10:20

(16th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Two Greylag Geese present when I arrived: these soon left. Later a party of eight came from the S, circled around and left to the E.
- The Grey Heron was, surprisingly, my first of the year here. One had been regular through most of December but then went AWOL.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 8 Canada Geese
- 30 (20♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard
- 37 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens again
- 13 Coots
- 53 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult

No other sightings:

New bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
47      Grey Heron

Don’t scowl! This drake Tufted Duck looks none too pleased to have its photograph taken.

Yes: they do have webbed feet.

Rather unusual behaviour by this pair of Goosander. The duck stayed flat on the water behind the drake for many minutes while they moved slowly across the water. Part of a pairing ritual? Not noticed it before.

Definitely sparring time. All these years I thought DA had something to do with the rear end of ducks when it seems to refer to the crest on a duck Goosander. I shall call it a GC in future – not that I have enough hair to worry about it these days!

A drake Goosander showing the hooked tip to the bill. On this bird the lower mandible is not as red as I would expect.

My first Grey Heron of the year here. A drake Mallard gets in on the (in)action.

The Black-headed Gulls were taking offered food and were rather nicely lit. Here an adult (at the top) and a first-winter look to pounce.

Going down ....

The first-winter’s wing pattern is well-shown at this angle.

“Shall we dance?”. Note the very obvious red legs on the two adults.

 “all together: wings forward”.

“Oops: seem to have lost the beat”.

A different first-winter in close-up.

This adult practices to become a contortionist.

And the wings operate independently too!

An adult in close-up. The shadow that will be the breeding plumage dark hood is beginning to show.

A different adult. The bill and legs of this bird are not so brightly coloured yet.

And they manage to avoid each other too.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
13 Pochard
63 Tufted Duck
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
101 Coots counted
31 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
7 Redwings
522 Jackdaws
335 Rooks
71 Magpies
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
111 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
26 Wigeon 
10 Gadwall 
14 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup
177 Coots
4 Redwings
30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Dave Tromans)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe
4 Goosander
(Dave Tromans)