29 Dec 21

The Flash only

12.0°C: Thin high cloud and watery sun after early rain. Fresh WSW wind. Good visibility/

[Sunrise: 08:22 GMT]

* = a photo today

The morning was a washout (as was the whole of yesterday). I managed a quick look at The Flash only

The Flash: 13:55 – 14:55

(276th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- There were already many more Tufted Duck than on Monday before a party of 26 (17♂) flew in from somewhere.
- The low number of Moorhens probably due to the world and his wife (with children and dogs) out for a walk. The Moorhens were likely wisely hiding.
- One of the locals told me had seen a Cormorant catch a Bream – c.2 lb. he thought. I went back to try for a photo only to have five Goosanders appear. I had seen none during my earlier circuit.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Common Buzzard

On /around the water:
- 22 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 44 (27♂) Mallard
- no all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal
- 90 (49♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (3♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens only
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

On or around the street lamps:

Nothing

On around the Ivy:
- c.5 various Muscid flies

Black and white? Well not really: the Cormorant glosses mauve and green; and the drake Goosanders have a bottle-green head.

And here is that Cormorant. Not sure what it has on the tip of its bill preventing the rather lethal-looking hooked-tip from showing clearly. I guess it is not a full adult as it still shows a few white feathers on its breast.

On the lookout for scraps is this male Pied Wagtail.

This is the view that is needed when the migrant Continental race, known as White Wagtail, is suspected. That race would show a grey rump. No point looking for one at this time of year – mid-March onwards.

Wagging its tail of course.

Looking rather battered is this remnant White Dead-Nettle (Lamium album). Will it last in to 2022?

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Drake Scaup

2 Yellow-legged Gulls

3 Great Black-backed Gulls

(Martin Grant)

2011

Priorslee Lake

4 Yellow legged Gull

22 Great Black-backed Gulls

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

Tundra Bean Goose

(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake

9 Goosander

(John Isherwood)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Black-necked Grebe

4 Gadwall

2 Water Rail

2 Caspian Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Ring-billed Gull

(John Isherwood/Richard Vernon/Dawn Balmer/Peter Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Cormorant 

3 Wigeon

30 Tufted Duck

4 Pochard

180+ Coot

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

4000+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls

65 Herring Gulls

1000+ Black-headed Gulls

(Martin Adlam)

2006

Priorslee lake

1 Little Grebe

3 Pochard

10 Tufted Ducks

1 Lapwing

>550 Black-headed Gulls

>108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

c.40 Redwings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee lake

c.3200 Lesser black-backed Gulls

c.1700 Black-headed Gulls

c100 Herring Gulls

8 Great Black-backed Gulls

4 Yellow-legged Gull

(Martin Adlam/Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)