4 Mar 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:00 – 08:50
The Flash:  08:55 – 09:55

1.0°C > 6.0°C:  Increasing mainly medium-level cloud. Light and variable wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:48 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:00 – 08:50

(49th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- A near adult Mute Swan appeared over at 07:00 and, wisely, decided that the residents looked too threatening and flew off N.
- The drake Goosander arrived after 08:00 and stayed.
- Six Great Crested Grebes seen, with five of them sparring.
- No large parties of Jackdaws seen or heard. One bird was calling from the tree used by the Magpies for post-roost gatherings.
- Three Ravens seen over – most unusually apparently silent birds.
- Strange goings on with Mistle Thrush(es) today. One heard singing from the E of Castle Farm Way, close to where I saw one yesterday. Later one was singing from its usual tree alongside Teece Drive. This was rudely interrupted by the arrival of a gang of seven Redwings and four larger thrushes – from my location I was unable to decide whether they too were Mistle Thrushes or perhaps Fieldfares. I heard no calls to help me identify them. By the time I got closer only the Redwings remained and they too flew off.
- After yesterday’s Siskin fly-over there were several birds in the Alders briefly – at least one male and two females seen.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 1 Mute Swan: near adult
- 2 Greylag Geese (pair outbound)
- 10 Canada Geese (nine outbound in two groups; one flew N)
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorants
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults
- 4 Herring Gulls: three adults; one immature
- 1 Stock Dove
- 37 Wood Pigeons
- 19 Jackdaws only
- 11 Rooks
- 3 Ravens
- 2 Starlings
- 2 Redwings again

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 42 Magpies

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs arrived
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2 adults briefly

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#68     Raven

A few images from the sunrise. Here before the street-lights went out.

And later.

A sliver of colour to the far East.

The (near?) adult Mute Swan as it circled trying to decide whether to splash down. Probably wisely it chose not to as the residents raised their feathers in threat.

Two of the three Ravens over. I thought these were silent even though the photo suggests that one was calling. Huge curved beak, well-separated primaries and diamond-shaped tail identify this species when its sheer size is not apparent.

Today’s Long-tailed Tit photo.

A rather splendid male Siskin. One of at least three birds that stopped in the Alders briefly.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  08:55 – 09:55

(48th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- As the breeding season starts the Mallard were flying around and hard to keep track of. ‘Best effort’ with the totals.
- I normally wait until I move to the E side of the lake before I count the Black-headed Gulls. Today all but one had left by then. I estimate c.20 earlier.
- A pair of Kingfishers seen together near the concrete sluice exit. Later one or more, presumably of these, heard at the ‘top’ end. Later a male in the original area.
- My, rather belated, first Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year here. Seen in the NW area.
- A Green Woodpecker heard somewhere near the primary academy.
- A Mistle Thrush in song near the surgery. Later presumably the same bird singing from across the other side of Priorslee Avenue. Perhaps the bird alongside Teece Drive earlier?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Starling

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 24 Canada Geese: 10 of these arrived
- 36 (22♂) Mallard
- 5 (5♂) Pochard
- 69 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- [no Goosander]
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- c.20? Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Kingfishers

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#52     Green Woodpecker
#53     Great Spotted Woodpecker
#54     Mistle Thrush

The cob Mute Swan seems to have a real dislike of this Canada Goose and was hounding it mercilessly.

Two more Canada Geese arrive to cause the Mute Swan grief.

And seconds later. Same bird calling. I wonder which sex it is?

A male Tufted Duck. Now at ‘maximum tuft’ as they acquire full breeding plumage.

Two Cormorants today. The left-hand bird with many silvery head plumes and an obvious crest. The white thigh-patch just visible. The other bird shows none of these features – or is there the merest hint of a crest? Or is it just a misplaced feather?

The Great Crested Grebes were displaying.

How do they do that? I can’t make my beard stand on end!

A Sparrowhawk shot through the island, scattering the Wood Pigeons, and then flew back to its usual area on the ‘hill’ in the south east area. This seems to be a male on size (not enough light to see the breast pattern to sex it for certain). If so the Wood Pigeons probably did not need to panic – a male Sparrowhawk would struggle with a Wood Pigeon.

When I arrived I heard Kingfishers calling and located this pair, near the sluice exit. Males have an all-dark bill. On females the basal part of the lower mandible is reddish. By over-enlarging the photo the left-hand bird can be seen to be a female; the other a male.

Later just the male was present. I had heard one (or more) at the top end in between.

Not easy to see this calling Great Spotted Woodpecker through many layers of twigs. Cannot sex this bird on this view.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019
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
57 Herring Gull
154 Lesser Black-backed Gull
186 Black-headed Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Cormorant
3 Great Crested Grebe
16 Tufted Duck
(Gary Crowder )

2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Little Grebe
6 Gadwall 
36 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
600 Black-headed Gulls
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
A leucistic Black-headed Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull 
1 Common Gull 
1 Yellow-legged Gull 
7 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)

2009
Priorslee Lake
9 Tufted Duck
1 Bittern
1 Heron 
1 Cormorant 
7 Swans
c.400 Black-headed Gulls 
1 Iceland Gull 
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 
c.70 Herring Gulls
Peregrine
46 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Paul King).

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebe
8 Pochard
81 Tufted Duck
3 Shoveler
1 Goosander
1 Cormorant
1 Water Rail
180 Lesser-black Backed Gulls
300 Black-headed Gulls
8 Siskin
2 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam, Peter Parton)