2 Dec 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 3.0°C: Wall to wall clear. Moderate NW breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:00 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:35 – 09:20

(277th visit of the year)

Small passage of Redwings and a few Fieldfares, all W

Other bird notes:
- Just the one Mute Swan again.
- Many Tufted Duck seemed to have flown back from The Flash since early yesterday afternoon
- *Unusual to see a Goosander on the water here. If they do visit it is often for a very short stop. The drake this morning was busy feeding amongst the reeds in the NW area. A different drake from the one that flew over.
- At least 50 Wood Pigeons were also seen circling around flushed in to and out of trees to the far NE (Ward's Rough on OS Maps)
- At least 350 Black-headed Gulls were again on the water by 07:00.
- *One very large and long-billed adult winter Herring Gull - giving it something of an American Herring Gull look. Not seen well-enough to positively identify.
- A group of at least 120 apparently all Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew SW at 08:40 with 31 more (and six Herring Gulls and one Great Black-backed Gulls) arriving on the water. I tried to check all the gulls as there had been an immature Iceland Gull roosting at Belvide last evening. I could not find it, though the flight line of these bird suggested they had more likely come from Aqualate than Belvide.
- The four Redwings leaving the roost did so from the NE area. The scrubby area here has held over 100 roosting birds in previous years, a total much diminished recently perhaps due to the scrub having grown in to trees; and perhaps also due to disturbance from the house construction.
- Most oddly I heard what sounded like a House Sparrow calling from the Reed Bunting roost area at the W end – an area now considerably flattened by Storm Arwen. Three Reed Buntings left the area with the fourth hitherto unseen bird flying off exactly like a House Sparrow and in the opposite direction. Strange.

Overhead:
- 1 Greylag Goose: inbound
- 2 Goosanders: single brown and single drake separately
- 1 Stock Dove
- 17 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 2 Herring Gulls
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Cormorant
- *1 Common Buzzard
- 173 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 8 Fieldfare: two groups
- c.110 Redwing: singles and groups, one of 51 birds
- 15 Pied Wagtails heard
- 2 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 4 Redwings
- 1 House Sparrow: see notes
- 3 Reed Buntings

Warblers noted:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Mute Swan: presumed the local pen
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 50 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (1♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 41 Coots only
- 1? Little Grebe: heard only
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull: adult
- *8 Herring Gulls
- *46 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn in chill wind:

Not much

Moths:

None

Spiders and Harvestman:
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spiders

Later:

Nothing noted

 A cold clear start. The silver moon is almost clearer in the reflection than in the sky.

Something I have not seen too often at the lake - a Goosander (a drake here) searching for food. A Coot in the foreground (did I need to say that?).

Not a great shot. I was struck by the apparent size, particularly the length, of the Herring Gull's bill (top middle: all the others are Lesser Black-backed Gulls). A 'big snouty-looking Herring Gull' can indicate a different species – American Herring Gull. I would have needed a closer view and preferably a view of the spread wings to be able to go any further than a 'presumed extreme male adult Herring Gull'

Not a new species – Rufous-sided Buzzard! Presumably an effect of the low sun on this Common Buzzard.

Mrs. Bullfinch has found something to eat.

So has Mr. Bullfinch. He appears to be eating the shrunken remains of the Blackberries.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25

(253rd visit of the year)

No ice

Bird notes:
- Now only three Canada Geese. Where have they all gone?
- *Two drake Teal flew low across the water to the E side.
- *Four Redwings in trees alongside Derwent Drive: as usual flushed out.
- A mixed group of c.30 birds, mainly Goldfinches but with at least four Siskins, circling around the trees at the top end.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Starling

On /around the water:
- 3 Canada Geese only
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 27 (15♂) Mallard
- *2 (2♂) Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- *45 (18♂) Tufted Duck only
- *16 (9♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 37 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

Around the Ivy:

Rather too cold still despite the sun
- *A few flies of at least two species

Of note:

Nothing else

I had a very fortunate encounter with a drake Teal. I was long past the two footbridges when I first noticed two drakes flying towards the bridge furthest from me. With no-one else in sight I crept as quickly and carefully as I could toward where I had seen them land. I only found one of them but it gave excellent views. They really are a smart bird in breeding finery.

He apparently thinks something is funny.

Note how the feathers in both the rufous crown and the green face mask extend on to the nape in a sort of Mohican look.

A rear view of the effect. Note too the long scapular feathers hanging down toward the yellow at the side of the tail.

I have had to look long and hard at this duck. The extent of white on the face and some white feathers on the back point to (Greater) Scaup. However.... To my eyes the head shape in not rounded enough and anyway there is a hint of a 'tuft'. Also there is too much black on the bill tip. So 'just' a duck Tufted Duck.

A splendid sight – four drake Goosanders together. Note the head shape shown by the third from the left with a very steep crown: quite different from the presumably more relaxed first bird from the left.

When the light is right a bottle-green tone to the head.

A brownhead.

Redwings are typically rather shy birds. This was one of four calling from trees alongside Derwent Drive. Almost as soon as I stopped to take its photo they all flew off.

One of several very confiding Robins happy to pose. Need some snow for the Christmas Card!

I spent some searching the Ivy bank trying to find a wasp or hoverfly. A few flies were all I could find most of them looked to be this species. And no: it does not have a tail: it is its hind legs held together and sticking out from its abdomen. It is a Muscid fly but as to its specific identity I am unsure.

(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

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall.

8 Pochard.

51 Tufted Ducks

156 Coots.

1st-winter Great Black-backed Gull on the water. 

35 Redwings

c.407 Jackdaws

82 Rooks.

4 Siskins

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

3 Yellow-legged Gull

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

Caspian Gull

(John Isherwood / Another Observer)

2009

The Wrekin

Firecrest

(Pete Nickless)

2006

Priorslee Lake

21 Pochard

50 Tufted Ducks

1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck

73 Coots

>750 Black-headed Gulls

1904 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

29 Robins

25 Blackbirds

1 Fieldfare

6 Song Thrushes

31 Redwings

1 Willow Tit

258 Jackdaws

248 Rooks

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

1 Cormorant

3200 Black-headed Gulls

700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1st-winter Great Black-backed Gull

7 Pochard

36 Tufted Duck

208 Coot

246 Jackdaws

83 Rooks

(Ed Wilson)