22 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 2.0°C: Wall-to-wall clear if somewhat hazy. Light / moderate NNW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:44 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:05 – 09:10

(268th visit of the year)

A very busy start to the morning somewhat faded away. Surprisingly few large gulls

Bird notes:
- As I was watching an approaching group of ducks – they turned out to be nine Goosanders – four apparent waders flew together from somewhere down the Wesley Brook to the E of Castle Farm Way and towered away to the S. The size and behaviour fits Common Snipe but at that range...?
- A group of c.25 presumed Golden Plover were flying round to the far E from 07:20 for at least 15 minutes by which time there were more than 50 birds together.
- The c.300 Black-headed Gulls did not arrive until 06:45 and almost immediately settled on the water. Just four large gulls with them moved on.
- The Cetti's Warbler started calling along the N side 06:55 and soon moved off W, almost landing on my foot as it did so. In its excitement is gave me a full-blast song from inches away – they are LOUD. Later I heard a single song from near the Wesley Brook bridge.
- A tight group of c.20 Goldfinches bounced over the dam along with Redwings. Whether these were birds seen with Siskin at the W end later is a moor point.

Overhead:
- 9 Goosanders: too dark to sex
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 172 Wood Pigeons: 146 of these in six tight groups – various directions!
- c.50 Golden Plover to E: see notes
- 4 possible Common Snipe: see notes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 unidentified large gulls
- 117 Jackdaws
- 4 Starlings: together
- 2 Fieldfare: together
- 42 Redwings: six groups
- >37 Pied Wagtails heard
- c.20 Goldfinches: see notes

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler

Counts from the lake area:
- 20 Canada Geese: arrived 07:55
- 7 Greylag Geese: one departed c.07:00; six arrived with Canadas
- *5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 35 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens only
- 45 Coots
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls again
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

At / around the frost-covered street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:

None

Spiders and Harvestman:
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Noted later:

Nothing

"What a difference a day makes" © Maria Grever & Stanley Adams. Not quite got the two moons the same relative size or the same tone (for some reason). Must try harder! On the left the moon as it was Sunday morning; on the right today (Monday 22nd).

Everybody's favourite: a drake Gadwall!

So we had better have another view.

A Common Buzzard trying to look camouflaged in a tree.

Pollution? What pollution? Actually what you can see is water vapour formed in the same way that you can sometimes see your breath at certain temperatures and humidity-levels. Seems we are underneath an airway! The front one is a Swiss International Airlines (Swiss) Boeing Triple-Seven (777) from New York JFK to Zurich. The one on the right is an Air Atlanta Iceland Boeing 747 Jumbo freighter leased to Magma Aviation and enroute from Greenville, North Carolina to Liege – a large freight hub in Belgium.

It was a busy morning overhead: this is an Emirates Boeing Triple-Seven enroute also from New York JFK, this time to Milan before continuing to Dubai.

The M- prefix indicates this helicopter – a Sikorsky S-76 – is registered in the Isle of Man, perhaps for tax reasons. No prizes for guessing that it is part of the JCB fleet.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:05

(243rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Mallard were hard to find: mostly tucked up under overhanging vegetation.
- Now three Great Crested Grebes again.
- A rather unusual date for a Meadow Pipit fly-over. Perhaps a refugee from frost on the hills?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Siskin

On /around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 31 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 54 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (1♂) Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

On the lamp poles:

Nothing on any of them

On / around the Ivy (in the sunny but cold conditions):
- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 fly of unknown species

Of note:

Nothing else

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013

Priorslee Lake

8 Wigeon

6 Gadwall

4 Teal

2 Shoveler

2 Pochard

116 Tufted Duck

2 Water Rails

222 Coots

1 Snipe

c.90 Lapwing over

4 Yellow-legged gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

A Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid

134 Fieldfare

22 Redwings

171 Jackdaws

3 Ravens

3 Siskins

3 Redpolls

(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood/JW Reeves)

Horsehay Pool

Caspian Gull

1  Yellow-legged Gull

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

1 Kingfisher

12 Goosander

Raven

(JW Reeves)

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall

8 Pochard

24 Tufted Ducks 

152 Coots 

8 Redwings

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

8 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cormorant

56 Greylag Geese

12 Pochard

187 Tufted Duck

1 Goosander

2 Water Rails

149 Coot

c.800 Black-headed

c.2200 Lesser Black-backed

<20 Herring Gulls

1st winter Common Gull

50 Redwings

8 Fieldfare

1 Treecreeper

c.1000 Starlings left a roost

c.20 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

23 Greylag Geese

27 Pochard

55 Tufted Ducks

3 Buzzards

>1650 Black-headed Gull

>4022 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

246 Wood Pigeons

1 Kingfisher

26 Robins

27 Blackbirds

4 Fieldfares

34 Redwings

male Blackcap

1 Willow Tit

246 Jackdaws

160 Rooks

8 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)