17 Nov 20

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

11.0°C > 14.0°C: Initially scattered cloud below a medium/high overcast. A threatened clearance from the W once again induced the 'Telford hat' of low cloud. Brighter at Trench. Almost calm start with light SW wind developing (where does the wind go at night?). Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:37 GMT

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:11 – 09:20

(253rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Pairs of Gadwall were flying around all the while. There may have been a fourth pair. I did not see any 'spare' drakes.
- At least 200 Wood Pigeons flew high N at 08:10. Unlike yesterday they were much too high to have left the local area. Within the next 10 minutes further parties of 72 and 29 were noted flying N, both distantly to the W. 48 more were noted making local movements.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- c.350 Wood Pigeons
- c.525 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 3 Starlings
- 2 Redwings: duo
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.30 Starlings: one group from N side
- 4 Redwings
- no Reed Buntings
I was not in my usual position to see any Reed Buntings leave their roost/

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 36 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Little Grebe
- 12 Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 Moorhens
- 178 Coots
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 26 pre-dawn: 29 more later.
- *2 Herring Gulls: one adult; one second year
- 3 Herring-gull types: all 'immatures' not seen well-enough to ascribe a positive ID.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata): same pole, same position as yesterday.
- *1 leafhopper, probably Eupteryx urticae
- 1 Tipula pagana cranefly
- *1 blow fly type, possibly Calliphora vicina
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 orb-web spider sp.

Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

A non-sunrise photo. This is looking to the west and the clearance that never materialised, the infamous Telford 'hat' of low cloud deciding to take precedence.

There is nothing like getting ahead of the competition. This Black-headed Gull is starting to get its breeding 'hood' rather early. It is possible it has not lost it from the season just gone though as I have not seen any like this for several weeks I rather favour the idea of an early moult.

It makes a change to get a real Herring Gull. A typical adult winter bird.

I was so pleased I took another shot.

Unless anyone tells me otherwise this is a second-winter Herring Gull.

Another tiny insect: it is another leafhopper. Almost certainly Eupteryx urticae which, as its scientific name implies, favours Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Excuse time: it was a long way up a lamp pole in the dark and I was rather pleased the camera managed this well.

After different rufous flies over the last two days there was an all-black one today. One with many hairs. It may be the blow fly Calliphora vicina which is known to be active late in the year. Not quite sure why the wings show rainbow colours. Obviously caused by my camera flash. I guess the wings must have been damp with dew?

A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) sitting well-posed though those first two pairs of legs are often held completely together.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:23 – 10:18

(237th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I could not decide whether the adult Lesser Back-backed Gull was still alive or not. It was even lower in the water and I saw no obvious movement.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 21 Jackdaw
- 1 Redwing

Counts from the water:
- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 27 Canada Geese
- 35 (19♂) Mallard
- 62 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- *14 (>4♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron still
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 1 Moorhen only: why?
- 33 Coots
- 52 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: note sure it was still alive

On the lamp poles:

Nothing on any of them

Around the Ivy
- >1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Of interest elsewhere:
- just about active Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) around their nest in overcast but mild conditions.

Most of the time the seven Mute Swan cygnets take themselves for flights around the water, as here. I have still to see them explore beyond the boundaries.

Make my neck aches just to look at the brownhead Goosander on the right as it adjusts its feathers.

A clever trick by this drake Goosander to stand up in the water.

Perhaps it helps to flap hard?

Nothing like a good scratch. Note the serrations on the inside of the bill for gripping slippery fish.

All smart again. Well actually still a bit soggy around the neck.

I fear our sickly adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull is no more ....

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 10:27 – 10:50 // 11:40 - 11:52

(35th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Black Swan that had been retrieved by its owners has escaped again and was happily out-competing the Canada Geese for the proffered food. An RSPCA man arrived with bread as it had been reported the swan had a fishing hook in its mouth. One of the fishermen told me the water bailiff had removed two hooks, and several feet of line and attached weight earlier this morning. The swan seemed fine and none the worse for its ordeal. It is obviously used to people and was taking food from the palm of the hand.
- Grey Wagtail yet again.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
[The local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws not included]
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Starling

Counts from the water:
- 1 Mute Swan
- *1 Black Swan
- 98 Canada Geese
- no Tufted Duck
- 1 Great Crested Grebe remains
- 1 Moorhen
- 12 Coots
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Star of Facebook I was told. I missed this Black Swan last week as it had been captured and returned to its owner. Seems to have escaped again. A species native to Australia. It ranges widely in search of fresh water remaining in Australia. There is a feral breeding population in New Zealand and it is kept in wildfowl collections around the world.. On this bird it is just possible to see the white of what are the flight feathers. It is a big surprise when they fly as they show a huge white panel in the wing and don't look particularly black.

These birds often hold their head and neck at this very distinctive angle.

Imperious. It didn't seem any worse for having two fishing hooks removed this morning.

"Are you looking at me?"

It didn't stand any nonsense from the Canada Geese and they wisely kept their distance - as did the resident cob Mute Swan.

I will not necessarily get another chance of a portrait...

...still less a close-up.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:55 – 11:35

(35th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Canada Goose with some albino-type extensions to its white chin-strap. A bird I have not noted previously.
- The white feral goose / duck was a challenge to locate - lurking inside the island.
- Only one of the second brood Great Crested Grebes located. Seemed independent and hopefully the other two fledged and departed.
- Several Chaffinches were my first here since late March.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

Nothing

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans as ever
- 5 Greylag Geese
- *78 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 24 (17♂) Mallard
- 15 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Moorhen
- 53 Coots
- 94 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult

Also noted
- 1 Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
- *several groups of fungus, most too ravaged to ID.

I have not seen this Canada Goose with white extending over the back of the neck and the top of the head before.

As noted there was plenty of fungus around the wet corners of the path, mostly covered in leaf litter and damaged by all those creatures that live off fungus. These were fresh specimens that I could isolate with a bit of 'gardening'. They look a bit like Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) though I think the stem is too thick. They also look a bit like Wood Mushroom (Agaricus silvicola) but ...

...that species has a collar to the stem that these do not seem to have. So I will have to pass.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2018

Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Wigeon 

2 Gadwall 

2 Teal 

62 Tufted Duck 

214 Coots 

9 Lapwings over 

c.210 Black-headed Gulls

c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

2 Herring Gulls

7 Fieldfare

10 Redwings 

2 Siskins

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

Caspian Gull

(Andy Latham)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

37 Pochard

55 Tufted Ducks

 >625 Black-headed Gulls

2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

2 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

424 Wood Pigeons

23 Blackbirds

374 Fieldfares

58 Redwings

379 Jackdaws

151 Rooks

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)