27 Nov 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 6.0°C: Barely broken medium-level cloud. Calm. Mainly good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:54 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:19 – 09:27

(264th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The drake Red-crested Pochard was present though more mobile. It visited the NE, S and W areas before I lost track of where it was.
- What seemed to be the semi-regular Caspian Gull dropped in for a few minutes. I did not get close-enough to be 100%.
- A tight group of c.90 Wood Pigeons flew W to the N c.08:15. Otherwise just a few local birds flying around.
- Rather fewer Jackdaws as there has been for several days.
- Bumper number of Rooks by recent standards.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 22 Canada Geese: outbound in three groups
- 3 Tufted Duck: too dark to sex
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves: duo
- c.114 Wood Pigeons
- 164 Jackdaws
- 114 Rooks
- 16 Starlings: two groups
- 4 Redwings: with Rooks!

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- no Starlings
- 3 Redwings
- no Reed Buntings
Note: I flushed c.15 Magpies out of their roost area in the NW trees when it was too dark to see them properly. An historic roost site that was much reduced in number last year, perhaps because of the new houses and / or building work.

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Red-crested Pochard
- 7 (5♂) Pochard
- 41 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Cormorants: all arrived and departed singly
- 1 Grey Heron
- 9 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 190 Coots
- >175 Black-headed Gulls
- *25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: just eight pre-dawn; 17 later
- 3 Herring Gulls: all (near) adults later
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: third winter, briefly
- 1 Caspian Gull: second-winter, briefly
- *1 Kingfisher

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- *4 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- *>5 winter crane-flies (Trichocera sp.)
- *>5 plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus)
- *1 very small spider sp.

Noted later:
Nothing

The forecast was wrong yet again. There was no fog, the cloud was not especially low and a few breaks threatened to give a red sky in the morning. This was as good as it got.

"Shall we dance?" An adult (on the left) and second winter Lesser Black-backed Gull consider the options.

"Bless you both". Another immature Lesser Black-backed Gull does the anointing honours.

The low light-level necessarily means there is quite some 'noise' to the photo. Unmistakeably a Kingfisher.

I tried a different camera setting but the result was not really any better.

The speckled form of a Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) - speckled with dew that is. Plan view.

Side-elevation of a different Winter Moth. They do not usually rest with wings closed, as here.

One of this morning's plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus). Only the males have the plumed antennae shown here.

I have been calling these as winter gnats but from the close-up that I managed of this specimen it is clear from the 'separated head' that it is a species of small crane-fly in the genus Trichocera. The shadow was cast by my torch.

Another torch-light special. A tiny spider - alongside a bead of dew for scale. Attractive markings on the abdomen. Not been able to ID this.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(245th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The / a Grey Wagtail put in an appearance again.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all single adults
- 4 Feral Pigeons: together
- 3 Wood Pigeons: together
- 2 Jackdaws: together

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
-*24 Canada Geese: six of these arrived
- *25 (14♂) Mallard
- 45 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- *8 (>3♂) Goosanders
- 2 Grey Herons
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 36 Coots still
- 37 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: the floating mortal remains linger on.

On various lamp poles:
- *2 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)

Around the Ivy.
Nothing

Elsewhere
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Whatever it is that flows through their veins, I want some. How could this Canada Goose take a bath in such cold water?

"Like water off a duck's back": or in this case a goose's back.

Oh very clever.

Seems to be setting a trend. A drake Mallard takes the plunge.

And this really is water off a duck's back.

And now a brownhead Goosander is joining the communal bath. I was NOT tempted.

This is the quickest way to dry the wings. The white secondaries with grey coverts indicate this is a duck rather than an immature drake which would have whiter secondary coverts.

This drake Goosander is well in to breeding plumage with the bottle-green head and white flanks - these still a bit blotchy.

This drake is moulting out the brown head and the flanks are starting to get some white feathers.

Doing is best to hide in a fold in a lamp pole is another Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata). I am not often able to get this close to these, especially in daylight. One of the best-marked specimens I have seen - the fringes on the wing-edges suggest this is a very recently emerged individual.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
930+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
95 Herring Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Goldeneye
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
8 Redwings
151 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

2005
Priorslee Lake
50+ Golden Plover
4 Pochard
39 Tufted Duck
1 duck Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
2 Little Grebes
200+ Coot
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
12 Redwing
5 Fieldfare
8 Siskin
5 Reed Bunting
(Martin R Adlam)