26 Dec 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C: Low cloud descending to become mist and eventually fog . Light E wind. Moderate visibility, becoming poor.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT

* = a photo today

Another depressingly dull morning with most of yesterday's changes having gone

Priorslee Lake: 07:10 – 09:15

(299th visit of the year)

All the rain meant the entry sluices from under the academy and the housing development were all running brown, tainting almost half of the water. Possibly the reason why the Pochard and some of the Tufted Duck had departed. As usual the Wesley Brook itself

Bird notes:
- The Black-headed Gulls had a Sunday / Boxing Day lie-in and only arrived at 07:44. Again at least 500 arrived.
- Many fewer large gulls arrived early. The cloud and mist meant very few were noted later even if the were there.
- Two Blackbirds were seen having a real scrap, tumbling over and over as a spinning ball of feathers looking intent on murder.
- A party of 28 Siskins flew E over the dam. Probably some / all of the birds in the W end Alders earlier.

Overhead:
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 3 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 77 Jackdaws
- 3 Pied Wagtails heard
- 28 Siskin: see notes

Birds leaving roost sites around the lake:

None

Warblers noted:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (5♂) Mallard again
- 35 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 49 Coots again
- >500 Black-headed Gulls again
- 3 Herring Gull
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Around the lamps:

After a very wet night.

Nothing

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:05

(274th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan was, for a time, being aggressive toward the 'spare' adult
- The all-white duck gave better view today. I am sure there is drake Mallard in its genes and similar to what is often known as Aylesbury Duck.
- Four Siskins in Alders along the E side.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

On /around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 39 (24♂) Mallard
- *1 (?♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 34 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 (3♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens only
- 24 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron again

On a street lamps:
- *1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus): moribund or dead?

A good view of the all-white feral duck. Well it is almost certainly a drake and has a Mallard somewhere in its lineage – the curled tail-feather is the give-away. It is rather strange that it is somewhat smaller than a typical Mallard. I read that the feral form of Mallard with a yellow bill is typically called 'Aylesbury Duck'.

I found this spider on a lamp pole. I is a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus). It seemed to be 'hanging by a thread'. I could not tell whether this was by accident or design. It was not moving and may well have been either moribund or dead.

(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

Two 1st-winter female Scaup

(Unknown)

2012

Priorslee Lake

A drake Scaup

4 Gadwall

10 Great Black-backed Gull

(Kriss Webb)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Black-necked Grebe

5 Great Crested Grebes

4 Gadwall

26 Pochard

97 Tufted Ducks

3 Goosander

327 Coots

5 Redwings

4 Fieldfare

10 Goldfinches 

14 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)