21 Dec 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 5.0°C: Mostly cloudy with a few brighter spells. Light SE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:19 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:40 – 09:20

(294th visit of the year)

Definite highlight was the appearance of three Peregrines, more or less in line astern, high over at 08:55. Strangely they looked of very similar size: as in many birds of prey females are significantly larger than males. I would hazard a guess that they were all males but they were high and zoomed straight over so....

Bird notes:
- No gulls roosted. c.300 Black-headed Gulls arrived 07:30 with numbers building to at least 500 before they started to leave again.
- I did not hear a Cetti's Warbler at dawn but one was calling – and then glimpsed – at the W end c.09:00.

Overhead:
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 6 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 male Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- *3 Peregrine Falcons
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 60 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (exactly)
- 20 Jackdaws only
- 3 Pied Wagtails heard
- 3 Siskins

Birds leaving roost sites around the lake:
- 12 Redwings

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: calling

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 41 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens only
- 49 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only again – perhaps more?
- >500 Black-headed Gulls
- *21 Herring Gulls again
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived again

Around the street lamps pre-dawn in cool and damp conditions:

Moths:
- 3 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 male Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria) once more

Also:
- *1 Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Biorhiza pallida)

Spiders and harvestmen:
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Noted later:
Nothing

A very poor photo of one of the trio of Peregrines. The pointed wing-tip, typical of all falcons, is about all that is discernible here.

A poor photo of one of the other Peregrines that at least shows the silhouette somewhat better.

I initially thought this immature Herring Gull-type might be clean-headed enough to be a Yellow-legged Gull. When it took off it was clear it was 'just' a Herring Gull and critical examination of the photo shows too much head-streaking for it to be anything else. The dark bill with the pale tip is not typical of second-winter Herring Gulls which is otherwise suggested by the plumage.

Yet another Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Biorhiza pallida). I had never been aware of this species until 10 days ago and now I have seen four!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 11:00

(269th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Four Teal were lurking underneath overhanging trees at the top end: three drakes and a duck.
- Four Goosanders seen circling high overhead seemed to be different from any birds seen on the water.
- A Song Thrush was singing near the surgery today – different bird?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 (?♂) Goosander
- 1 Herring Gull
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Siskin

On /around the water:
All numbers again potentially affected by light levels
- 5 Canada Geese only
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (27♂) Mallard
- *4 (3♂) Teal
- *1 (1♂) Pochard again
- *60 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- *12 (3♂) Goosander
- *12 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around various street lamps:
- *3 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 male Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman

Around the Ivy:
Nothing

Elsewhere
- 1 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata) beside security light beside the surgery.

One of the three drake Teal.

And here is the lucky(?) duck Teal. The best I could do against the light. The white at the side of the tail on duck Teal is a handy identification feature usually visible at long range.

 It is still here – the drake Pochard.

And size-comparison with the slightly smaller drake Tufted Duck. This tufty is still to complete the moult to get the pure white flanks of a breeding condition drake.

Mrs. Grumpy Tufted Duck is making waves.

My books tell me that white around the base of the bill is only shown by duck Tufted Ducks and, by implication, not by first winter drakes. If that is so then the extent of the pale on the flanks of this bird seems exceptional for a duck.

More Goosanders for you. A pair here, drake at the top.

It was all coming and going this morning

For me this is a fairly typical shot of a drake.

This bird looks pleased with itself. I think a first winter duck – a hint of a white line between the bill and the eye: but also a (rather soggy) crest eliminating any thoughts of an immature drake.

A trio of brownheads. The bird in the foreground with the shaggy crest is certainly a duck. I cannot decide whether the darker more contrasting heads on the other two is due to the angle of the light or whether they are first-winter birds. All my bird books state that the head colour of first winters birds is "like female". I would expect moulting drakes to darken as the green head develops but neither of these shows any developing white on the body. Pass.

Best foot forward. An adult Moorhen steps out

Also stepping out is this Wood Pigeon.

You will not get any food sitting there.

They are rather striking in close-up. The eyes are very strange though.

 Even more so from this angle!

A rather fierce-looking third-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Apart from the extensive dark on the bill note that the wings have a brown tinge towards the tips rather than the overall slate-grey of adults.

Another Christmas Robin – still with no snow.

And another. There may be fewer around the balancing lake but they are not in short supply here.

Two (perhaps three?) for the price of one. Top right is a male Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata). Bottom left is a male Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria). But what is that top middle? I did not notice it until I looked at the photo on the PC. It could just be detritus. But could it be a wingless female Winter Moth? I think not – it is too small.

(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
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
7 Pochard 
74 Tufted Ducks
221 Coots
2 Fieldfare
65 Redwings
228 Jackdaws
119 Rooks
13 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall.
12 Pochard
12 Goosanders
51 Tufted Ducks
145 Coots
c.280 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
c.265 Jackdaws
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
12 Goosanders
4 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
12 Goosanders
7 Coots
42 were Herring Gulls
44 Black-headed Gulls only on the water
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool
32 Mute Swans
42 Tufted Duck
168 Coots counted
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
8 Great Crested Grebes
22 Swans
1 Gadwall
51 Pochard
148 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Woodcock
274 Coots
8000+ gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
7 Redwings
16 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/Martin Adlam/Jim Almond)

2005
Priorslee lake
9 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gull.
c.200 Coot 
1 Water Rail
15 Pied Wagtails
243 Rooks
532 Jackdaw
31 Siskin
2 Redpoll
16 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)