25 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash: 

17.0°C: Mainly cloudy and very windy after much early rain. Fresh / strong SW wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 06:10 BST]

Priorslee Lake: 12:38 – 13:33

(173rd visit of the year)

A short visit only from the dam top to see if anything had been blown in. A few gulls arrived was the only reward

Bird notes:

- Not sure where most of the usual Mallard were hiding.
- All the gulls arrived at more or less the same time though the large gulls came from the E and the Black-headed Gulls from the W.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- c.5 Sand Martins
- c.10 House Martins

Warblers logged

None

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 4 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant
- [no Grey Herons]
- 17 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 78 adult and juvenile Coots
- 48 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Common Gull: juvenile, briefly
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: juveniles?
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: juvenile?

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Nothing much in the dam area in the strong wind

The full list of things noted:

Butterflies:

- Small White (Pieris rapae)

Hoverflies:

- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

The smaller gull on the left caught my attention. It did not stay around and I did not see it well in flight. I am not sure I have ever seen a juvenile Common Gull previously as they do not breed locally and indeed are rather uncommon in this area. Note the rounded head, the rather short and delicate bill and the dark eye and surround. My first record here this year and bird species #98 for me. Last year my first was on September 2nd, so perhaps there is a small post-breeding movement through here.

 Enlarged as much as I dare. My only flight view and the upper-wing would have been more instructive.

Four of the juvenile / first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The left-hand bird has the wing fully-spread and shows pale inner webs to the inner primaries. The outer webs are as dark as the rest of the primaries so in normal flight it would not show paler inner primaries and cannot therefore be a Yellow-legged Gull.

And all six of the juvenile / first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls, one with its head in the water.

I am almost sure this must be a trick of the light. The solid black tail on the left hand bird is diagnostic of a juvenile American Herring Gull – these days considered as distinct from our Herring Gull. It is most unlikely to be an American Herring Gull but I'll get it checked. The picture is a bit of a double whammy as the right-hand bird looks like a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. That is quite likely as this species undertakes a post-breeding dispersal to the UK in increasing numbers. A pity the light was not better and the gulls were not closer.

(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 13:38 – 14:25

(158th visit of the year)

Another unusually timed visit.

Bird notes:

- Possibly some double-counting of the Mallard as they moved about in response to proffered food.
- So where were all the Tufted Ducks?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 2 House Martins

Warblers logged.

None.  Too windy to hear them!

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 85 Canada Geese
- ?49 (26♂) Mallard
- 10 (4♂) Tufted Duck only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 74 adult and juvenile Coots
- [no Black-headed Gulls]

On a lamp pole:

- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus (harvestman)

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Nedge Hill
4 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)