16 Nov 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 10.0°C: Mostly cloudy after overnight rain. A few brighter intervals. Moderate W wind, fell light for a while. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:35 GMT

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:09 – 09:15

(252nd visit of the year)

Unusual were two Lesser Redpolls leaving the roost area used by the Reed Buntings at the W end. Even more unusual was a Chiffchaff calling and then seen leaving the same area a few minutes later. I have occasionally seen over-wintering Chiffchaffs here though I can only previously recall doing so in hard weather in December / January.

Other bird notes:
- A drake Eurasian Wigeon was seen flying off c.08:15. I had not noted it previously.
- 'All 12' currently regular Great Crested Grebes located. I think five pairs and two juveniles. Two of the pairs seen displaying rather half-heartedly.
- A Kestrel was noted hovering over fields to the E of Castle Farm Way. My first for some weeks.
- At 07:50 at least 150 Wood Pigeons flew very low N overhead. They seemed to have just lifted off from trees alongside the S side of the M54 / Stafford Park area. Within the next five minutes groups of 22 and then 18 also flew N, though these were much higher.
- After the main groups of Jackdaws had passed bird(s) were heard calling from trees along both the N and S sides of the lake. A single bird was later seen to leave the N side.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 3 Greylag Geese: single outbound; duo inbound
- 9 (2?♂) Goosanders: groups of six, one and two
- 3 Cormorants: single and duo
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mostly adults
- 1 Herring Gull: adult
- *>210 Wood Pigeons: >190 of these in three groups flying N (see notes)
- c.700 Jackdaws again
- no Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail only

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- no Starlings
- 3 Redwings again
- 2 Lesser Redpolls
- 10 Reed Buntings
The Chiffchaff not included here as it only flew a short distance to begin feeding and no more 'roosting' than the Wrens, Robins and Dunnocks in the same area.

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- *1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon: departed
- 8 (5♂) Gadwall
- 15 (8♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Pochard
- 34 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 12 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 181 Coots
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- c.59 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 51 pre-sunrise: just eight more later.
- 2 Herring Gull-types: immatures not seen well-enough to specifically ID.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 fly sp., perhaps the root-maggot fly Pegomya bicolor
- 1 probable Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
- 1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.

Later:

Nothing of note

As good as the sunrise got (but better than the forecast). The 'missing' cygnet was just out of view to the left.

As the sunrise moves around in to the SE for Winter it is harder to put 'interest' in the foreground of any sunrise.

A record shot of the drake Eurasian Wigeon leaving. Identify by the white area in the inner forewing and the rather pointed rear.

About half of the c.150 Wood Pigeons that seemed to leave trees on the S side of the M54 and / or the Stafford Park area and head off North. Strange.

Superficially similar to the all rufous fly on one of the lamp poles pre-dawn yesterday this specimen has a black thorax. It may (or may not) be a root-maggot fly with a common species being Pegomya bicolor. This species is noted as favouring Dock (Rumex sp.) which is abundant in the area.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:35

(236th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The 'water-logged' adult Lesser Black-backed Gull looking even more sorry for itself.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 64 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 36 (20♂) Mallard
- no Pochard
- 61 (>23♂) Tufted Duck
- *17 (>5♂) Goosanders
- *1 Grey Heron still
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 12 Moorhens again
- 37 Coots
- 67 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Herring Gull: immature, briefly

On the lamp poles:

Nothing

Around the Ivy
- >25 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- many flies.'

Of interest elsewhere:
- 1 Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
- active Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) still around their nest.
- both Brick Tuft fungus (Hypholoma lateritium) and ...
- ... Sulphur Tuft fungus (Hypholoma fasciculare) still present

It would not be The Flash in Winter without the obligatory Goosander photo.

Standing up straight and looking alert is currently almost resident Grey Heron.

Watch out Buzzard - there is a Magpie after you.

I fear we will not be seeing this adult Lesser Black-backed Gull much longer. It does not look too well. I suspect that it is only because it is in the water that the local Crows or Magpies have not killed it.

Not the best - this Treecreeper was a long way up a large tree. It shows the really impressive hind claw used to hold the bird as it climbs up - always up - tree trunks looking for food in all the nooks and crannies.

Another chance to see (© BBC) what I have previously identified as Brick Tuft fungus (Hypholoma lateritium).

And here right alongside what I think is Sulphur Tuft fungus (Hypholoma fasciculare).

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2018

Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Wigeon 

5 Gadwall 

2 Teal 

69 Tufted Duck 

215 Coots 

19 Lapwings 

c.400 Black-headed Gulls

c.220 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

21 Herring Gulls 

74 Starlings

8 Fieldfare

38 Redwings 

93 Jackdaws

19 Rooks

3 Ravens

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

12 Greylag Geese

3 Wigeon

1 Shoveler 

3 Pochard 

11 Tufted Ducks 

Snipe

c.35 Redwings

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Caspian Gulls

8 Yellow-legged Gulls

1,600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

30+ Herring Gulls

4 Great Black-backed Gulls

Hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull

(Tom Lowe)

2007

Priorslee Lake

140 Golden Plover

1 Gadwall

2 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

4 Cormorants

29 Pochard

54 Tufted Ducks

>675 Black-headed Gulls

2571 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

3 Herring Gulls

272 Wood Pigeons

32 Robins

26 Blackbirds

212 Fieldfares

5 Song Thrushes

50 Redwings

7 Mistle Thrushes

5 Goldcrests

563 Jackdaws

144 Rooks

33 Starlings

1 Redpoll

6 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)