5 Jan 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:35
The Flash:  09:40 – 10:20

6.0°C > 7.0°C:  A few breaks in the clouds: a few light drizzly spells also. Moderate SSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  07:00 – 09:35

(5th visit of the year)

Best today was the Tawny Owl heard only. Probably not one of last year’s residents – these have been absent / silent for many weeks now. First heard from the NE area. A few moments later the calls were along the S side, all before 07:20. Nothing seen. The calls were neither of the typical territorial calls of male or female birds, though unmistakably this species.

Bird notes:
- Too dark to check the first group of eight outbound geese: they all sounded like Greylags.
- Eight Canada Geese landed in three small groups. All had gone within the hour.
- Gadwall missing again. They have not behaved like this in previous years, being faithful to the lake until late March.
- After yesterday steady passage of large gulls very few today.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker heard drumming along the N side: first of season.
- The Jackdaws made life even more difficult – if that is possible. Large groups simultaneously passed low to both the east and west of the lake while the largest group of many hundred birds was well-spread out and, unusually, very very high overhead, with a sprinkling of Rooks amongst them. Totals ‘very tentative’.
- Eight Song Thrushes heard in song.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 8 Greylag Geese: one group outbound
- 27 Canada Geese: five groups outbound
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 31 Wood Pigeons
- >1000 Jackdaws
- >90 Rooks

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
NB: these are all ‘casual’ counts – I did not visit any known roost sites at the appropriate times
- 13 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese: arrived in three groups
- no Gadwall
- 13 (7♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard
- 40 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Moorhens again
- 92 Coots

Gulls:
The first Black-headed Gulls arrived early at 07:28 with at least 550 present by 07:35. No large gulls arrived at this time

Early arrival counts
- >550 Black-headed Gulls

More Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W (or returned) after 08:00. Just one large gull very briefly
- c.70 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

On the lamp poles pre dawn:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)

No other sightings

Additional bird species for 2020 recorded here this morning (in order logged)
54      Tawny Owl

Despite occasional drizzly rain there was the odd brighter spell. One around sunrise produced some colour.

More ...

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:40 – 10:20

(4th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- The testosterone is rising in the Mute Swans. The adults were looking amorous. The cob was chasing the lingering 2018 cygnet more aggressively than it has for many weeks.
- The lone Goosander was lurking under the overhanging vegetation along with most of the Pochard. Easy to overlook.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 7 Wood Pigeons

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 9 Canada Geese
- 37 (23♂) Mallard
- 7 (7♂) Pochard
- 43 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosanders
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 4 Moorhens again
- 13 Coots
- 52 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult and second-winter
- 1 Kingfisher

No other sightings:

Additional bird species for 2020 recorded here this morning (in order logged)
40      Feral Pigeon
41      Nuthatch

Not enough light to freeze the action. A reasonable landing shot. Note in particular the shape of the tail-feathers as they are spread

(Ed Wilson)

Note

Here are a few images from Venus Pool on 3 Jan 20. Click Here

The 2019 Priorslee Summary is now online Here.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
151 Coot
220 Black-headed Gull
18 Lesser Black-backed Gull
28 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
6 Mute Swan
8 Herring Gull
10 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Horsehay Pool
11 Goosander
(Tony Beckett)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Female Goldeneye
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
75 Herring Gulls
2 Caspian Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Martin Grant/Kriss Webb)

Donnington Wood
1 Waxwing
(Dave Tromans)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
13 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern 
3 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Caspian gull was present
1 Ring Billed Gull.
2500 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson/Jack Wildman/Richard Vernon)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
>20 Pochard
>70 Tufted Duck
A drake Goosander
1 Water Rail
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
>150 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull 
Yellow-legged
Common Gull
6 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
c.2100 Black-headed Gull
c.1600 Lesser Black-backed Gull
126 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Water Rail
1 Goldeneye
1400 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
74 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
8 Great Crested Grebes
18 Pochard 
40 Tufted Duck
236 Coot
40 Siskins
14 Robins
13 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)