6 Mar 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 4.0°C: Clear start soon gave way to cloud again. Flat calm early; light and variable breeze later. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:46 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:45 - 08:55

(25th visit of the year)

Another quiet morning with the best being a Little Egret that flew E at 07:45

Other notes:
- A drake Goosander was a rather unexpected fly-over SW at 07:10.
- Low number of Moorhens probably because of frost on the SW grass.
- Also low number of Coots. This is probably not for the same reason of frosted grass. So why?
- After several days of only single figures of Black-headed Gulls a group of 45 arrived at 06:00 with c.35 more arriving soon after.
- Just seven Great Crested Grebes. Three pairs and a single.
- A / the Chiffchaff singing near the Wesley Brook bridge again early only.
- A few weeks ago up to 11 Song Thrushes were noted singing. For the last few days just five noted. Those in the hedges alongside the M54 seem to have given up the struggle to make themselves heard.
- A male Bullfinch heard in quiet song again.
- More than 10 Siskins overhead. Probably those heard high in the trees at the W end later.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: pair outbound; pair, perhaps the same, inbound later.
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 47 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls again
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Little Egret
- c.105 Jackdaws
- 9 Rooks

Counts from the water:
- 2 Canada Geese: departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck also
- 4 Moorhens only
- 24 Coots only
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- c.80 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: all immatures, briefly
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults, three first years
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons

My 2021 bird species list for moves on to 69 with:
- Goosander
- Little Egret

Also noted:
- The dead Tench (Tinca tinca): still just here.

This was a change - the waning Snow Moon was visible! At least for a short while. It was really at this angle - honest. Clouded up before there any chance of a sunrise.

Another gull that sent me scurrying to my reference books. An immature Lesser Black-backed Gull but what age? The pale tip to the bill and its extensive pale base seemed at odds with the retained immature flight feathers. I conclude it is a bird moulting from first-winter to second-summer.

This Grey Heron is being seen off by another - still rather dark at the time. Note the rather large feet.

In silhouette the easiest ways to separate Great and Little Egret is not readily apparent - the colour of the bill and feet, either diagnostic, cannot be determined. Also without any point of reference the size is not obvious. This can best be identified as a Little Egret by the length of the trailing legs. On a Great Egret they would be obviously longer than the body.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:00 - 10:25

(15th visit of the year)

Notes:
- Yesterday's 'missing' Tufted Ducks seem to have returned.
- One Great Crested Grebe returned.
- Four Jays making a lot of noise in squirrel alley.
- Two Redpolls: one high in the trees; female at the top-end briefly.
- At least 10 Siskins, all very mobile probably because of the increased numbers of dog-walkers, and (sometimes socially distanced) joggers / walkers.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 24 Canada Geese
- 3 Mute Swans still
- 25 (18♂) Mallard
- 76 (41♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 20 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gulls: the usual second year throughout.

My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 52.

This Black-headed Gull has moulted in to full summer-plumaged hood and white eye-lids.

Jays are very wary birds and hard to approach. Four were jumping around in squirrel alley and despite the rather poor light I managed a couple of decent shots.

This is a different individual.

Very flighty this morning but I did manage a couple of shots of Siskins. A male here, typically upside down.

Another male here.

So who is this buried in the dead willow-herb heads?

Ah! A female Lesser Redpoll. This shows the yellow bill clearly.

In profile the darker culmen can be seen.

This shows the neat white fringes to its flight feathers.

(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

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

1 Mediterranean Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull

(Gary Crowder)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

1 Iceland Gull

1 Caspian Gull

(Tom Lowe)

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Goldeneye

1 Shoveler

27 Wigeon

1 Great Black-backed Gull

2 Common Gull

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Raven

3 Lapwing

Linnet

Pheasant

Skylark

Yellowhammer

(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

1 Caspian Gull

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

(Tom Lowe)

2012

Priorslee Lake

2 Mute Swan

6 Great Crested Grebe

(Martin Grant)

2010

Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes

6 Gadwall

36 Pochard

60 Tufted Duck

1 Barn Owl 

Stock Dove

c.25 Siskins

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2007

Priorslee Lake

12 Tufted Duck

332 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Merlin

c.200 Wood Pigeon

(Martin Adlam)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

9 Great Crested Grebes

2 Herons

1 Teal

6 Pochard

44 Tufted Ducks

1 Ruddy Duck

106 Coots

1 Water Rail

c.450 Black-headed Gulls

c.410 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

26 Herring Gulls

275 Wood Pigeon

178 Jackdaws

27 Starlings

4 Redwings

16 Greenfinches

19 Siskins

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)