27 Feb 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 7.0°C: Clear and frosty with some early light mist. Calm. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:02 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 - 09:35

(18th visit of the year)

Notes:
- A pair of Canada Geese flew in from the W c.06:50, proceeded to mate and soon after departed to the S. Then c.08:50 a pair (the same?) arrived from the E and were forced on to the SW grass by the resident Mute Swans.
- I could only find six Great Crested Grebes this morning. One pair was confusingly displaying at multiple different locations making it hard to keep track of them.
- Very unusual behaviour from the Black-headed Gulls. The few first were noted high overhead at 06:30, apparently arriving from the N. Numbers built up until >200 were circling very high. Two groups, each of c.30 birds, dropped out of the main group towards the water. Only a few of these briefly settled before rising back to rejoin the main group which drifted off SE. There was none of the usual arrival from the W. Thereafter never more than six birds on the water and I logged 10 singles flying high over in various directions.
- Several Cormorants approached and circled, seemingly noted that fishermen were present and decided to fly on.
- A Woodcock flew over to its roost site c.06:20.
- I assume that the over-wintering Jackdaw roost is breaking up as birds prepare to breed. Passage started early at 06:10 and was in small groups along multiple flight lines, passing both to E and W of the lake with some birds field-skimming to the E and others very high. Many fewer in total today.
- Presumably the same Chiffchaff was heard singing at c.06:40 and thereafter seen actively hunting insects etc. high in the trees near the Wesley Brook. It seems probable that this is a migrant rather than an over-wintering bird. At nearby Belvide the first three Chiffchaffs of the year were also recorded yesterday, one of them singing.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 20 Canada Geese: 8 outbound; 12 inbound
- 5 Greylag Geese: all outbound
- 2 Stock Doves
- 43 Wood Pigeons
- >150 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- c.205 Jackdaws
- 18 Rooks yet again
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 4 Siskins

Counts from the water:
- 4? Canada Geese: two? pairs - see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 32 Coots again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- c.60 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Grey Herons

My 2021 bird species list remains at 65.

On /around the street lights pre-dawn:
Nothing


Noted later
- 1 Grey Squirrel yet again
- 1 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax): very different location to the one seen yesterday

Not (for once) a dirty camera lens but mist over the lake diffusing the sunrise.

I'll keep trying the 'arty' shots until I get one right.

Just 60 or so of the many Black-headed Gulls high over the lake. The main group was so high that I could not persuade the camera to 'see' them to focus for a picture.

A summer adult Lesser Black-backed Gull showing the unrelieved dusky tone on the trailing part of the underwing. All the head streaking now gone and only the merest hint of dark remaining on the upper mandible. The less said about the yellow legs of this species the better - mainly hidden here and the feet are supposed to be flesh-coloured (that must be a pre-PC term)

Of course it was hiding behind twigs: a Goldfinch.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 - 10:45

(8th visit of the year)

Notes:
- No juvenile Mute Swans seen. The ménage a trois of adults continues.
- The drake Pochard apparently gone. Improbable number of exactly 100 Tufted Duck. So why are there none on the lake?
- A trio of all-white Feral Pigeons flew over together: not noted these previously.
- The Grey Wagtail with rings seen again and photographed, confirming it is the same bird as first identified on 20th December. Now moulting in to male plumage.
- At least three female Siskins at the top end.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the water:
- 22 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose again
- 3 Mute Swans
- 25 (15♂) Mallard
- 100 (47♂) Tufted Duck exactly
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 7 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 8 Black-headed Gulls

My 2021 bird species list for here moves on to 46: new today was:
- Jay calling from trees alongside squirrel alley

This presumed male Canada Goose was returning to its partner and crowing about having seen off a rival.

Stick your tongue away please

"There: wasn't I a protective partner?"

The cob Mute Swan seems to have singled out a particular Canada Goose and was pursuing it relentlessly, forcing it to fly. The swan can paddle faster than the goose. I have no idea how the swan recognises his quarry - the geese look the same to me except that in any pair one of them, the female, is slightly smaller.

A drake Tufted Duck looking rather surprised that it can just hang in the air.

No visible means of support indeed.

A different drake. With light at the right angle there is a mauve gloss to the head. Less often a slight green tinge can occur.

No problem separating the sexes at this time of year. A duck Tufted Duck without the brilliant white flanks and, at the correct angle, only a hint of a 'tuft' on the nape.

Coal Tits usually sing from the top or very near the top of tall trees. For a photographer there is the added challenge to avoid all the twigs!

A rather different view of a Grey Wagtail. Remember that wagtails are named after the colour of their back so despite all the yellow on this species it is a Grey Wagtail. Yellow Wagtails are summer visitors and will not be here for another month or more.

This is the bird I first identified on 20th December as having been ringed at Middleton Nature Reserve, Heysham, Lancashire on 10 September 2020. From this view it can be seen to be acquiring a black bib and yellow on the breast indicating it is a male. Some females, thought to be older birds, show an indistinct black bib but never a yellow breast.

Quite a challenge to get a clear shot. Here the yellow is seen to extend right under the belly towards the even brighter yellow under tail.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 Iceland Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Greater Scaup
26 Wigeon
4 Gadwall 
33 Tufted Ducks 
84 Coots 
c.800 Black-headed Gulls
c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.60 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull 
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
1 Glaucous Gull
(J W Reeves )

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Shelduck
4 Pochard
30 Tufted Duck
35 Robins
24 Wrens
15 Dunnocks 
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron 
4 Gadwall
35 Pochard
51 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
103 Coots 
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
c.225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
Common Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
2 Willow Tit
124 Jackdaws
86 Rooks
1 Linnet
14 Siskins
2 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Iceland Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Pochard 
19 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
600 Black-headed Gulls
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
36 Wren
28 Robin
7 Redwing
20 Magpie
134 Jackdaw 
8 Greenfinch
4 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorant
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
110 Coots
150 Starlings
23 Pied Wagtails
21 Wrens
15 Robins
17 Blackbirds
2 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
16 Greenfinches
38 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)