19 Nov 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 6.0°C: Early light rain: a few light showers much later: a few brighter / sunny bits in between. Moderate WNW wind gusty at times. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:40 GMT

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:06 – 09:25

(255th visit of the year)

Thanks again to Tom Lowe for confirming the second winter Caspian Gull from yesterday.

Bird notes:
- Two 'spare' drake Gadwalls together and in company with one of the pairs.
- The gulls were late arriving today with the first c.30 Black-headed Gulls not arriving until 07:00 and the first of 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls not before 07:04. The number of both species on the water was lower than yesterday. A higher number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls passed S / SW overhead without stopping.
- 45 of the 66 Wood Pigeons overhead seemed to have been put up from the fields to the E and were heading off SW in a single group.
- I failed to locate what was probably the largest of the Jackdaw groups. With a tail-wind birds typically fly high to avoid stalling in to the ground if the wind stops. One noisy group was heard at 07:06 but I could not find it against the dark overcast at that time.
- Six Siskins were overhead but not recorded as such because they flew in to Alders near the Teece Drive gate, joining the Goldfinches feeding on seeds in the cones.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 5 Greylag Geese: one group inbound
- 3 Cormorants: together
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 73 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 66 Wood Pigeons
- c.275 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 4 Rooks
- 2 Pied Wagtails again

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 5 Starlings: one group from N side
- 6 Redwings again
- 2 Reed Buntings again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Pochard
- 41 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 10 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 172 Coots
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 28 pre-dawn: 24 flew in later.
- 1 Herring Gull: adult pre-dawn
- *4 Herring-gull types: 'immatures' not all seen well-enough to ascribe a positive ID.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata): a different individual on a different pole
- 1 winter gnat (Trichocera sp)
Everything else hiding from the rain

Noted later:

Nothing of interest

An immature gull that is indisputably a Herring Gull with its extensive paler inner primaries. It is a second-winter bird with most of the back pale grey, unmarked secondary coverts and a small pale tip to the bill. Usually there would be more pale at the base of the bill - "individual variation"!

A brief sunny spell cast splendid light on this Goldfinch tucking in to Alder cones. Cones develop from the female flowers: the male catkins can be seen in the background. The pointed bill of the Goldfinch is ideal for prising out the seeds. Some of the cones look well-eaten.

Head-on Goldfinches always look fierce. Some books suggest you can separate males from females by the shape of the trailing edge of the red face. I have never noticed any real difference.

Also tucking in to the Alder cones was this male Siskin - males have the black cap and are a brighter yellow.

Here he is looking quizzically skywards. No doubt checking for predators. Seems to have been sticking his whole face in to the cones and will need a wash. The male Alder catkins are better illustrated here.

I do like Siskins. There were a few less colourful females around but they would not pose.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:28 – 10:44

(239th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was bemused to see six Greylag Geese after I thought it was just five that had flown over the lake headed this way. I was relieved when five departed.
- I probably did just just overlook the Great Crested Grebes yesterday.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
- 5 Feral Pigeons (one group)
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 Greylag Geese: 5 departed together
- 30 Canada Geese: 8 of these arrived together
- 27 (14♂) Mallard
- 58 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- *7 (1♂) Goosanders
- *2 Grey Herons
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 62 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: same presumed deceased

On the lamp poles.

Still nothing.

Around the Ivy
- at least 3 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) braving the chilly wind.

Elsewhere:

Nothing of interest

Some more brownhead Goosander photos of course.

I initially wasn't sure whether this one was using its bill to clean its toes or using its toes to scratch its bill. Either way it is not something I can do.

This seems to show it had - and still has - a problem. That is not a fish in its mouth. What is it?

Answer: I don't know.

A very well-dressed Grey Heron. The many long plumes and the orangey bill suggest it is coming in to breeding condition. I know they are early nesters - before the end of February - but this seems a bit premature.

I am not sure whether this is the same bird. There were two about. When I took this photo, near where the second had been, the first was no longer visible. Looks much the same, though we can also seen the aigrettes hanging from its back.

This adult winter Black-headed Gull is losing airspeed as it prepares to ditch in the water. Basic aerodynamics requires there to be low pressure across the top of the wing to provide 'lift'. As a result the secondary coverts are 'sucked up'.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2018

Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Local area

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

26 Greylag Geese

5 Wigeon 

5 Gadwall 

134 Tufted Duck

2 Goosander

2 Water Rails 

229 Coots

>400 Wood Pigeon

302 Fieldfare

88 Redwings 

309 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall 

7 Pochard 

17 Tufted Ducks

146 Coots 

244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

7 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow-legged

c.145 Wood Pigeons

47 Redwings

82 Fieldfares

238 Jackdaws

2 Siskins

11 Bullfinches

(Ed Wilson)

2008

The Flash

10 Goosanders

c.30 Tufted Ducks

c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gull

c.200 Black-headed Gull

1 Buzzard

(Mike Cooper)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Gadwall

8 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

The Flash

4 Goosander

4 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Woodcock

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

25 Greylag Geese

1 drake Teal

34 Pochard

48 Tufted Ducks

drake Ruddy Duck

11 Lapwings

>1080 Black-headed Gulls

1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

202 Wood Pigeons

28 Robins

16 Blackbirds

142 Fieldfares

15 Redwings

158 Jackdaws

100 Rooks

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

c.3000 Black-headed Gull

c.2000 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls

12 Pochard

55 Tufted Duck

1 Wigeon

2 Ruddy Duck

3 Water Rail

1 Snipe

5 Redwing

23 Fieldfare

13 Reed Bunting

8 Siskin

170 Rooks

220 Jackdaws

c.500 Starlings in roost

c.500 Wood Pigeon

(Martin Adlam)