27 Dec 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 2.0°C > 5.0°C: VERY heavy shower c.07:00 otherwise clear skies. Squally W breeze flee light on clearance. Very good visibility after shower.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT once more

* = a photo today

Santa brought me a belated present of my first Little Egret for two year at The Flash. Some compensation for getting soaked and chilled in the earlier shower.

Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:36

(290th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Greylag x Canada Goose was a very noisy bird. Its rather strangulated Greylags calls suggested to me that it might have been one of the previous days recorded single Greylag fly-overs.
- Gadwall gone again
- I had a better view of the Coots today: it is clear that a significant number of them have departed.
- All the gull species were few in number and late arriving. I had hoped that Storm Bella might blow something interesting in. It seems to have blown many of them out.
- Two Collared Doves flew N over the water. About 10 minutes later two flew S. Same pair?
- No sign of any Rook passage.
- Mistle Thrush seen around their usual nest area. No song heard.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese: duo inbound
- 5 Cormorants: together
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 49 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 20 Wood Pigeons
- 2 (or 4) Collared Doves
- c.275 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks only
- 10 Redwings: one group
- 4 Greenfinches: singles
- 2 Linnets

Birds seen / heard leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Starlings
- 2 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose: arrived and departed
- 2 Canada Geese: duo arrived and departed
- no Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Pochard
- 48 (31♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 5 Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 Moorhens
- 125 Coots
- c.80 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Caspian Gull: second winter

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- *>5 winter gnats
- *2 unidentified small flies
- *1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.

Noted later:

Nothing

The heavy (as in HEAVY) rain shower moving away just about sunrise time.

Today's winter gnat. Note that unlike the one I photographed yesterday there do not seem to be any spurs on the legs. Note also the banded antennae. Species? Pass.

Two small red-eyed flies with hairy legs. The left-most fly shows reddish and greenish hue. I am not sure whether that is light-interference on the wing or the body colour showing through the wing. Cannot venture any identification for these either.

'Stretch spider' would seem to be an apposite name. This one may think it is camouflaged on a leaf (as they often are): it is on moss growing on a street lamp pole. Has to go down in the log as Tetragnatha sp. as there are several species with the usual need to examine their genitalia.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:50

(272nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was told that the local Facebook feed reported one of the cygnets taken in to care had died. Apparently of starvation. The surviving cygnets all went for a short flight with all three adults and were taking part in the feeding frenzy whenever food was in the offing.
- The Little Egret is bird species #77 for me at The Flash in 2020. My previous record of this species here was on 24th December 2018.
- The Little Grebe seen again - in yet another different location. I am sure it has been here all along being typically shy.
- *Two Coal Tits were having a singing competition near the medical centre.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- *1 Sparrowhawk
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all single adults
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans: the new normal
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 10 Canada Geese yet again
- 35 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 81 (46♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- *1 Little Egret
- 2 Grey Herons again
- *1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens only
- 36 Coots
- 39 Black-headed Gulls only

On the lamp poles

Nothing

Around the Ivy:
- 1 unidentified fly sp. tempted out by the sun

Two drake Mallards have spied where the food is.

Another ready for splash-down.

The Little Egret was hiding behind branches from any direction other than head-on when apart from a white bird it was difficult to make out any features. From this angle the long black bill. Seems to have been busy prodding with the bill - it needs a clean. Just possible to make out the yellow feet.

The Little Grebe briefly popped out of cover.

I grabbed a few shots of a circling Sparrowhawk. With barring up to the throat this an adult. Males are barred rufous; females are barred grey. This seems to be a mixture. I guess it is more likely that it is a first-year male rather than it is exhibiting LGBT tendencies.

And away it goes.

Two Coal Tits were having a singing contest. Here is one of them.

Really shouting and with feathers raised on the crown.

The occasional pause to grab some food. Just visible is the white nape. Some Field Guides use this as an ID feature though beware: the much larger Great Tit also has a white nape though of a different shape.

(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

1 Little Grebe

7 Gadwall

7 Pochard

101 Tufted Ducks

1 Scaup

210 Coots

1 Great Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Little Grebe

69 Tufted Ducks

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

1 Caspian Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull.

(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)

2011

The Wrekin

Flock of Crossbills near summit

(Maurice Baker)

2010

Priorslee Lake

2nd-winter Mediterranean Gull

(Observer Unknown)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Black-necked Grebe

4 Great Crested Grebes

18 Mute Swans

59 Canada Geese

4 Gadwall

29 Pochard 

92 Tufted Ducks 

2 Water Rails

327 Coots

2 Redwings

16 Goldfinches

13 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee lake

2 Great Crested Grebe

22 Tufted Ducks

86 Coots

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

3 Buzzards

20 Pied Wagtails

c.200 Redwing

4 Mistle Thrush

c.500 Fieldfare

1 Willow Tit

3 Brambling

14 Chaffinches

13 Greenfinches

2 Redpoll

1 Siskin

3 Reed Buntings

(Martin Adlam)