31 Dec 21

Best wishes to everyone for

2022

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 13.0°C again: Very mild again. Mainly overcast with broken low cloud and occasional light drizzle. A few brighter, even sunny, spells later. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT still

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:20

(301st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The whole family of Mute Swans went for a fly-about. Perhaps the adults are making sure the cygnets stay in trim for when they get chased away!
- The first three Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:50, quickly followed by two large groups, settling immediately in the middle of the water. I reckoned c.550 in total.
- No large gulls were noted at this time with just two immature Herring Gulls dropping in briefly at 08:35. It was almost 09:00 before any gulls started passing overhead and then there were, unusually, more Herrings than Lesser Black-backs.
- I relocated what I assume is the same Cetti's Warbler in the SW area. It sang just once and then called several times before 08:00 but I did not hear it later.
- Five Song Thrushes were singing this morning.
- I spent some time by the usual Reed Bunting roost area at the W end. I only heard one bird calling and saw none leaving.

Overhead:
- 4 Canada Geese: outbound, together
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 170 Jackdaws
- 1 Redwing
- no Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roost sites around the lake:

None

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler

Counts from the lake area:
- *2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 12 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- c.550 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 3 Cormorants: arrived singly

On the lamps:
In more damp and mild conditions:

Moths:
- *1 female Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Also:
- *1 small ichneumon wasp.
- *1 leafhopper, probably Eupteryx urticae
- 1 cranefly sp.
- *1 blow-fly type
- 1 plumed midge
- several different small flies
- *several barkflies of at least two species

Spiders / Harvestmen:
- *1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Elsewhere:
- 1 male Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) beside a security light at a house in Teece Drive.

The resident cob Mute Swan and one of his off-spring in flight.

This was one of three Cormorants that flew in. Here it is in the process of hauling itself out to dry. Note that while the small amount of white in the breast suggests this could be the bird seen at The Flash two days ago this individual is showing a hint of the white thigh patch acquired by adults in breeding condition. So it is probably a different bird.

Two for the price of one again: top left is a Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman. Bottom right a female moth...

Here is the moth in more detail (a struggle to make it stand out from the moss/lichen-spattered lamp pole). There are three species of more or less wingless female moths likely at this time of year: Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria) has no wings; Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) has tiny vestigial wings; and Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata) has very small but obvious wings. This individual with a few 'fluffy shoulders' is therefore a female Winter Moth.

A leafhopper, probably Eupteryx urticae. A sharper photo today as I took a different camera, one better suited to close work. It does not have as much flexibility at longer range and with flying birds: all photography is a compromise at my level.

This small plumed midge was a challenge against the moss/lichen and I had to resort to cross-lighting from a torch to make it stand out. The plumes on the antennae are still difficult to see. This is a much thinner bodied species than many. Unlike yesterday's example the body is (just) longer then the folded wings.

Large flies are unusual on the lamp poles other then sunning themselves later in the day. One of the many 'blow fly' species I suspect.

Two barkflies here: the more usual brown species (whatever that might be) at the top right; and a dark-bodied individual with a green thorax at bottom left.

Another brown barkfly here in company with a small ichneumon – note the long antennae. It looks rather odd as its hind-legs are stretched out behind it and are accentuated by casting shadows on to the background.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:20

(278th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A drake Pochard reappeared
- The Tufted Duck were moving about again, probably spooked by the submarine Cormorant.
- Rather more Moorhens than yesterday but still fewer than a week ago.
- A few more Coots: I made a special effort to count them this morning. I usually log them 'in passing'.
- I could only ever find single Great Crested Grebes but as they were at opposite ends of the water it is likely there were still two present.
- Strange behaviour from the Magpies with up to eight birds flying around chasing and flying higher than typically.
- Two Song Thrush noted singing.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 13 Wood Pigeons: one group SW
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 8 Jackdaws
- 5 Siskins

On /around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck) again
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- *68 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (0♂) Goosander again
- 10 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- *1? Great Crested Grebe
- 41 Black-headed Gulls again
- 1 Cormorant

On one of the street lamps:
- *1 Neriene montana spider

Around the Ivy.

Warm enough but no direct sun so..
- a few flies of at least three species.

In my narrative I noted that the Tufted Ducks seemed very jumpy, probably because of the submarine Cormorant swimming about. Here ten (three drakes) get together for protection (with a Great Crested Grebe looking on)

Not a very good photo of a Buzzard overhead, the interest being in the bird chasing it. It is a Carrion Crow! Some crows show variable amounts of white in the wings, usually only when in flight. There has been a family of crows in the area for some years with this trait in their genes. This is the first time I have been able to photograph one. It is a rather scruffy-looking bird, likely because white feathers wear more quickly than black ones. It is worth noting that while a very few Jackdaws can show similar white areas in the wings it is unheard of in Rooks – which are also our only 'crow' with a glossy plumage.

One of the eight high-flying Magpies that were chasing around. Clearly visible here is the extent of the white in the wing tip. I have no idea why this bird seems to have a crest!

A Neriene montana spider about to disappear in a crack in a street lamp pole. My logs suggest this is my first record at this site.

(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

(Ian Grant)

2012

Priorslee Lake

Drake Scaup

(Jim Almond and Paul Spear)

2010

Priorslee Lake

c.1500 Black-headed Gulls

1 Common Gull

1 Great Black-backed Gull

Water Rail

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee lake

11 Great Crested Grebes

31 Pochard

48 Tufted Duck

237 Coot

Golden Plover

1 Water Rail

700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.1250 Black-headed Gulls

300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

37 Herring Gulls

6 Great Black-backed Gull

374 Jackdaws

178 Rooks

1 Kingfisher

1 Willow Tit

2 Redpolls.

2 Redwings

14 Robins

19 Blackbirds

13 Greenfinches

5 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)