10 Dec 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 3.0°C > 5.0°C: Passing rain / sleet showers with clear spells between. Moderate WNW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:10 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:40 – 09:05

(285th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Even fewer Black-headed Gulls arrived after 07:30: c.80
- *One adult Lesser Black-backed Gull found dead on the concrete slipway. No obvious signs of injury. Reported to DEFRA on 03459 33 55 77 in case they want to check it for avian flu.
- There may have been more Jackdaws: the first large and rather distant group was unexpectedly c.20 minutes earlier than any noted on the previous two days and caught me unawares.
- I may have heard the Cetti's Warblers calling briefly pre-dawn from the NW area – it was rather distant and inconclusive.

Overhead:
- 4 Wood Pigeons only
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 172 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 177 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 7 Redwings: three groups
- 4 Pied Wagtails heard

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 6 Redwings
- 3 Reed Buntings

Warblers noted:
- 1 possible Cetti's Warbler: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 (6♂) Mallard again
- 42 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 6 Moorhens
- 49 Coots
- 2 Little Grebes
- c.80 Black-headed Gulls only
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Also
- *1 larva
- *1 earthworm, probably Common Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)

Spiders or harvestman:
None

Noted later:
Nothing

A dead adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. There may be some blood around the base of the bill: otherwise it looked uninjured. With the current widespread outbreak of avian flu we are advised not to touch dead birds and to report them to DEFRA on 03459 33 55 77, which I did. The local Magpies had not heard the recommendation not to touch and were dragging it away when I last saw it. I thought they might so I took this photo pre-dawn by flash.

Well you've got to try... a very distant Lesser Black-backed Gull passing a very bright rainbow.

An unidentified larva caught by the camera just as it dropped off the lamp pole, presumably having detected me. No idea as to its identity.

This earthworm is probably a Common Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) though not very 'terrestris' in trying to climb a lamp pole! (Next to it is a fixing bolt attaching the electric box to the pole).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:10 – 10:20

(260th visit of the year)

Nothing unusual to highlight

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

On /around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *35 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 75 (41♂) Tufted Duck
- *24 (15♂) Goosander
- 16 Moorhens
- 26 Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: two adults and one immature
- *2 Grey Herons

On / around street lamps:
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Around the Ivy:
- A few Muscid flies again

Clap hands! A drake Mallard sorting out his wing feathers.

The light was reasonable here and so I concentrated on those Goosanders that deigned to stay reasonably close. A 'brownhead', though at this date this plumage is probably safely ascribed to a duck rather than an immature of indeterminate sex.

And another duck keeping her beady eye on me.

Drakes continue to outnumber ducks. A trio in full plumage here.

A drake having a scratch. You would think those bright feet would scare the fish away.

After the scratch you have to sort your wings out and settle the feathers. On drakes at all ages and in all plumages the white area extends across the width of the wing. On ducks only the back half shows white.

Two drakes and a duck. As I have previously noted the drakes often show a very different head profile, presumably part of a display.

But not always. Perhaps as he is on his own with a duck he feels no need to display. She does not seem very interested.

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull making a lot of noise.

A second-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. With tail spread wide it is possible to note that the extensive black tail band is reduced to just the tip on the outermost tail feathers. This bird has rather more extensive pale at the base of the bill than is usual at this age.

One of the two Grey Herons caught between the overhanging vegetation.

Do you ever get that sinking feeling? The other Grey Heron attempts a landing at the edge of the water and misses.

They are all at it – posing for photos. A different friendly Robin.

(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
2 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
6 Gadwall 
4 Pochard 
2 Teal 
4 Raven
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
3 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool
Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
3 Gadwall.
6 Pochard.
46 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Water Rail
155 Coots
23 Redwings
6 Fieldfares.
151 Jackdaws
63 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
c20 Herring Gulls.
(J W Reeves)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Yellow-legged Gull
An adult Little Gull
(Jason/Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Merlin
3 Buzzards
>500 Black-headed Gulls
234 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
24 Robins
22 Blackbirds
122 Fieldfares
178 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
139 Jackdaws
66 Rooks
12 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
160 Golden Plover
1500 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Little Grebes
13 Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
239 Coot
1 Water Rail
142 Jackdaws
251 Rooks
2 Redpolls
47 Siskins
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)