1 Jan 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 3.0°C: A few mainly light sleet showers, A few sunny intervals. Light NNW wind. Moderate visibility in showers, otherwise good.

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT

* = a photo today

Happy New Year Folks.

Three 'Parish Notices'

- I have adopted the latest BTO systematic order for my bird sightings and this will take us all a while to get used to. Mainly affects the order of the species in the tables.

- On 30 December 2020 I paid a visit to the Wirral and managed to find a small group of Snow Bunting at Hoylake. Photos of these and a few other species from that day can be found on the Readers Corner tab of the web site Here

- I have produced both a summary narrative for 2020; and longer tables for birds, moths, butterflies, hoverflies and bees identified by me at the lake and The Flash in 2020. I am most grateful to Martin Adlam for helping to get these on the web Here.

Two highlights this morning:

- What is presumably the same drake Red-crested Pochard has reappeared on the lake.

- A second-winter Common Gull seen departing The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 06:54 – 09:34 // 10:48 - 11:05

(1st visit of the year)

- c.10% thin ice

Bird notes:
- Hard to know how many Little Grebes there were. Many calls heard when too dark to see. Three then flew to land in front of me to, typically, dive and never to be seen in the area again. Presumably birds seen elsewhere later?
- No Black-headed Gulls seen before 07:54 when just five arrived and departed. Thereafter no more than 10 at any one time until my second visit when a paltry 23 counted
- Large gulls were in short supply too - with almost none on the water passing birds were less disposed to stop off I guess.
- A Cormorant seen apparently leaving at 07:53: could it have been roosting in trees? And did it leave or just circle to land on the water? There were two fishing by 08:00.
- 30 Jackdaws passed during minimum visibility. Just a single bird seen after that and no others heard.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 26 Greylag Geese: four groups outbound
- 1 Stock Dove
- 32 Wood Pigeons
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 31 Jackdaws only
- 1 Redwing again
- 1 Greenfinch
- 3 Lesser Redpolls

The following birds were seen / heard leaving roosts around the lake.

Apart from uncounted Magpies:
- 1 Starling(!)

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: three departed with the Greylag
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose: departed
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Red-crested Pochard
- *7 (5♂) Pochard
- *66 (>37♂) Tufted Duck: eight unsexed birds departed 07:30
- 8 Moorhens
- 101 Coots
- 3 Little Grebes at least (see notes)
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >23 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both immatures
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants (see notes)
- 2 Grey Herons

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Nothing

Later:

Nothing of note

My 2021 bird species list for here: stands at 38

In sighting order
Robin
Coot
Blackbird
Magpie
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Wood Pigeon
Carrion Crow
Song Thrush
Mallard
*Tufted Duck
Mute Swan
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Grey Heron
Moorhen
Wren
Black-headed Gull
Cormorant
Blue Tit
*Pochard
Jackdaw
Starling
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Redpoll
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Bullfinch
Great Tit
Common Buzzard
*Red-crested Pochard
Chaffinch
Dunnock
Pied Wagtail
Herring Gull
Goldcrest
Stock Dove
Redwing
Mistle Thrush

It was very dark in the early sleety-rain. A 'safety shot' of the drake Red-crested Pochard hand-held at 1/10th of a second at 65x magnification. The camera must have pretty good stabilisation.

I went back later when the light was better. Here the drake Red-crested Pochard is asleep next to sleeping drake 'ordinary' Pochard with a duck Tufted Duck between them. Even though this duck has an extensive 'white face' and thoughts of duck Scaup founder on the white band across the bill.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:38 – 10:44

(275th visit of the year)

- c.75% ice

Bird notes:
- With much of the lake covered in ice many Tufted Duck had departed.
- The briefly seen departing second-winter Common Gull was my first of this species here since October 5th 2017.
- Grey Wagtail heard again.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 3 Starlings

Counts from the water:
- 15 Canada Geese
- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 (14♂) Mallard
- 24 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- *92 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Common Gull: second-winter, departed
- 1 Grey Heron

On the lamp poles, around the Ivy or elsewhere.

Nothing of note

My 2021 bird species list for here: stands at 28

In sighting order
Magpie
Feral Pigeon
*Black-headed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Robin
Starling
Canada Goose
Tufted Duck
Mallard
Coot
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Moorhen
Magpie
House Sparrow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Dunnock
Sparrowhawk
Blackbird
*Bullfinch
Common Gull
Carrion Crow
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Grey Wagtail
Herring Gull
Wren
Treecreeper
Goldfinch

A couple of these Black-headed Gulls starting to display with head lowered, neck outstretched and wings held apart. First winter birds with brown in the wings on the left and right. The adult winter bird in the middle with red and not orange legs and bill-base.

A lot of noise as well.

A female Bullfinch doing what bullfinches like to do - eat buds. Never seems to have a serious effect on the Blackthorn and Hawthorns they usually choose - still plenty of blossom later.

Late during a rare sunny moment a male Bullfinch popped in to view. Can those white bits really be the first indication of pussy-willow? I do believe they are. Spring is here! (perhaps not). 

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2020

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

Drake Scaup still showing well off dam

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull

21 Great Black-backed Gulls

(John Isherwood and Rob Stokes)

2011

Priorslee Lake

Tawny Owl heard - 2nd ever record 

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

About 30% ice.

Best bird remains the Black-necked Grebe.

Big gull roost:

c.3000 Black-headed Gulls

c.1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull

1 3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson and John Isherwood)