12 Dec 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C: Early drizzle; then dry but cloudy for a while; more rain; then clearing after 09:00; still mainly cloudy. Moderate W wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:13 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:40 – 09:40

(277th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All the Mute Swans went for a fly this morning. I have still not seen them at any height and certainly never outside the confines of the lake. The previous two years the parents have taken strongly flying cygnets away in late October / early November.
- A Kestrel was hovering over the remnant part of the Celestica site yet to be converted in to houses.
- I confirmed Jackdaw(s) were calling pre-dawn near the Magpie roost. Too dark to see anything and none seen to leave here later.
- Some of the Jackdaws stopped off on the pylon and its surrounding wires to the ESE of the lake. They do this several times a year. I can see no obvious reason for this behaviour.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 4 Cormorants: two singles and a duo
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 73 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- c.500 Jackdaws
- c.80 Rooks
- 17 Redwings: party of 12 and singles.

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 1 Canada Goose: arrived and departed
- 11 (7♂) Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 45 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Grey Herons
- 3 Great Crested Grebes only
- 8 Moorhens
- 187 Coots
- >250 Black-headed Gulls
- 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 28 pre-dawn; 10 later
- *3 Herring Gulls: 1 (near) adult pre-dawn; two immatures later

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sun(?)rise:
It is rain that moths do not like; light drizzle is often good.
- 6 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- *3 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- *1 small black beetle sp., possible the flea beetle Crepidodera fulvicornis again
- 3 winter midges
- 2 Tetragnatha stretch spiders sp.
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen

Noted later:

Nothing

It is in the log as an immature Herring Gull - second winter I think. I was hoping for a better angle as the head seemed rather white though the mantle colour seemed OK for Herring Gull. Before I could get that better angle ...

... it was 'bounced' by this other immature Herring Gull. Too little light to stop the action. However the pale inner primaries show clearly.

After a few days' absence there were three male Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria), all on the same lamp. Perhaps they could detect the pheromones of a near-by female - I could not find one. This specimen is perhaps a typical example of this rather variable species - a wavy cross-line and a dark spot in each forewing. The ground colour can vary.

This specimen is certainly 'mottled'. It shows only a very indistinct cross-line and no dark spot in the forewings.

This looks to me the same as the beetle I noted on 2nd December. At the time I suggested it might be the flea beetle Crepidodera fulvicornis, noting that all flea beetles show a swollen hind leg to allow them to jump when threatened. I have no reason to dispute or amplify that statement.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:44 – 10:50

(259th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Some Pochard and Tufted Ducks seem to have returned from the lake.
- Only a single Great Crested Grebe for certain. Seen in several locations: could never find another.
- Yesterday and today a Collared Dove was 'singing' from a tree near Priorslee Academy. This species has been scarce for a number of weeks.
- Two Song Thrushes seen: relatively unusual.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese: 11 of these departed
- 31 (17♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 74 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosanders
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 11 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 48 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: yes: 'that' floating body.
- *2 Herring Gulls: one (near) adult; one second winter

On a lamp pole
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

On / around the Ivy or elsewhere:

Nothing of note

No doubt about this being an immature Herring Gull. The pale tip and base to the horn coloured bill are typical of a second-winter bird. The extent of the adult-like grey feathers on the mantle are also typical.

From a different angle note the head and bill profile giving it a 'snooty' look.

A muddy puddle due to a blocked drain (of many months standing) would not seem the ideal bath-water for this Blackbird.

Seems they have to work hard to get the feathers actually wet. Quite a few pale bits in the flanks. Blackbirds, and males in particular, are prone to stray while feathers - even 'albino patches'.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Scaup (imm/fem)

4  Pochard

2 Teal

2 Goosanders

101 Tufted Duck

Adult Yellow-legged Gull

c.478 Lesser Black-backed

c30 Herring

c.5 Great Black-backed Gulls

1 Water Rail 

245 Coots

18 Fieldfare

201 Redwings

2 Siskins

(Ed Wilson/Gary Crowder)

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Yellow-legged Gull.

Great Black-backed Gull

2 Gadwall

2 Teal

45 Tufted Ducks

1 Goosander

10 Redwings

2 Fieldfares

(Ed Wilson/Martin Grant)

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Yellow-legged Gulls

c300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

11 Great Black-backed Gulls

(Tom Lowe)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Black-necked Grebe

Little Grebe

36 Swans

29 Pochard

79 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

277 Coots

5 Redwings

(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

2 Yellow-legged Gull

7 Great Black-backed Gull

4 Gadwall

45 Golden Plover

( John Isherwood) 

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

5 Cormorants

25 Pochard

44 Tufted Ducks

72 Coots

>2000 Black-headed Gulls

228 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

15 Herring Gulls

25 Robins

16 Blackbirds

31 Fieldfares

5 Redwings

278 Jackdaws

105 Rooks

32 Starlings

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Water Rail

2 Little Grebes

7 Great Crested Grebes

16 Pochard

54 Tufted Duck

244 Coot

262 Jackdaws

285 Rooks

1 Redpoll

24 Siskins

21 Pied Wagtails

2 Grey Wagtails

8 Redwings

15 Fieldfares

13 Reed Buntings

13 Robins

19 Blackbirds

1 Willow Tit

14 Greenfinches

(Ed Wilson)