26 Dec 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Some clear spells; some light rain; some low cloud. Calm start; light WSW breeze later . Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT still

* = a photo today

Another triumph for the Met Office: "low overcast with 10% chance of rain all morning" was the forecast when I checked at 06:30. As I stepped outside I could see stars. By the time I got to the lake it was raining.

Priorslee Lake: 06:52 – 09:33

(289th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Searched specifically at / for the Gadwall. Pre-dawn I heard the rather Teal-like calls that I associate with duck Gadwall as well as the rather creaky calls of drakes. I was unable to find any duck Gadwall. Recourse to the xeno-canto site failed to resolve the issue with the calls.
- Five Great Crested Grebes: I only noted three yesterday so did I overlook two?
- I think many Coots were probably hidden from my view on the SW grass, obscured behind the boat piers, when I did the count.
- Big arrival of c.400 Black-headed Gulls after 07:30
- In contrast there were rather few large gulls. No obvious separate early arrival with a small number wandering in throughout. As yesterday Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls dropped in. Today a second-winter Great Black-backed Gull also arrived.
- Caution over the split between Jackdaws and Rooks. A mixed group of c.100 birds flew very high well to the East. As far as I could tell there were about equal numbers of each. This is what I have included in the totals.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming again

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 1 (?♂) Goosander
- 7 Cormorants: together
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- c.250 Jackdaws
- c.94 Rooks

Birds seen / heard leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Gadwall
- 6 (3♂) Mallard
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 45 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant: arrived again
- 1 Grey Heron
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens again
- >117 Coots (see notes)
- c.400 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: second winter?
- 1 Caspian Gull: second winter
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull: second winter

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- >5 winter gnats
- 1 ant sp.: possibly a Myrmica sp.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 probable Larinioides cornutus (orb-web spider)

Noted later:

Nothing

Here is the view of the forecast low overcast. I think I'll send the Met. Office some sea-weed.

I think my best photo so far of a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).

This Larinioides spider, probably L. cornutus, has caught a midge - one wing in its mouth. It seems to have only seven legs - one missing on the right side.

One of the midges I noted today. Note all the spurs on its legs.

Seen from an angle it seems to have an unusually deep-sided thorax. No idea of its identity.

A different variety of midge showing long legs. No idea of this identity either.

Obviously an ant. Probably one of the Myrmica genus.

Another strange insect, also with spurs on its legs. What is the white at the sides of the head? Could it be feathered antennae. This was just too high on the lamp pole to get a better photo.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:38 – 10:36

(271st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Cuan Wildlife Rescue were obviously successful in capturing a second Mute Swan cygnet: there were only five present this morning. Just one of these cygnets is ringed - 7JUB.
- The only Goosander was the drake fly-over.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 17 Racing(?) Pigeons

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- 10 Canada Geese again
- 30 (18♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 86 (52♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 10 Moorhens again
- 38 Coots
- 49 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles and around the Ivy

Nothing

Also noted:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

I think this is a different Grey Heron to the one I photographed yesterday. It does not seem to have any breeding plumes.

Here setting off to look for breakfast.

I doubt I can really claim credit for the camera focussing on this male Bullfinch's eye through many layers of twigs.

Almost as sharp.

(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

2013

Priorslee Lake

Two 1st-winter female Scaup

(Unknown)

2012

Priorslee Lake

A drake Scaup

4 Gadwall

10 Great Black-backed Gull

(Kriss Webb)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Black-necked Grebe

5 Great Crested Grebes

4 Gadwall

26 Pochard

97 Tufted Ducks

3 Goosander

327 Coots

5 Redwings

4 Fieldfare

10 Goldfinches 

14 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)