8 Dec 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 3.0°C: Clearing after overnight rain though mostly cloudy and a rain shower c,09:00. Moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:09 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:10

(283rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The first Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:30 with the largest number seen for many days arriving by 07:45 – at least 650. Exactly why they fly in from wherever they roost (Trench Middle Pool? The Flash?) and spend a short while here doing nothing much before is dispersing is a bit of a mystery. There were just five by 08:15.
- Jackdaw numbers on roost dispersal have generally been much lower than in any previous year. Today numbers were particularly poor with those that did pass much later than usual and in pairs or very small groups.
- The calls of any Pied Wagtails flying over would have been drowned out by the M54 road noise this morning.

Overhead:
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 152 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: single and one loose group
- 29 Jackdaws only
- no meaningful count of Pied Wagtails

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 1 Redwings

Warblers noted:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 61 (27♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 49 Coots
- >650 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 31 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn after wet and windy night:

Nothing seen

Later:

Nothing noted

This does not help keep the early arriving gulls happy. Bright arc lights on the JCBs (other makes of digger are available) working on the erstwhile fields to the E of Castle Farm Way.

I am glad someone found the idea that I was getting wet funny. A drake Gadwall.

A very different-looking gull. The white head suggests a Yellow-legged Gull, which is what I think it is. The unusually dark secondary coverts give me some concern as I cannot match this feature to any of the Herring/Yellow-legged/Caspian complex. I did see the bird in flight but the light was too poor for any features to show in a photograph. It did show slightly paler inner primaries, supporting the Yellow-legged theory.

Talking of poor light... this Grey Wagtail was rooting about along the Wesley Brook by the footbridge. I needed some of those arc lights.

Thanks to sleuthing by Martin Adlam this insect has been identified as neither a bug nor a beetle but an Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Biorhiza pallida). I did think the way the antennae stuck out sideways was very wasp-like... This wasp, as the vernacular name implies, is responsible for the apple-like growths on the twigs of Tentaculate Oaks (Quercus robur). These growths contain the developing next generation of insects. Each gall contains insects of just one sex. This generation is succeeded by an agamic generation (females that reproduce asexually) on the roots of Oak trees. The NatureSpot web site notes the "apple like gall caused by this wasp is more likely to be seen than the adult wasp". It notes adults as emerging in June / July though the only photo is of one taken in December which, as with my photo. shows an insect without wings without any explanation as to why that should be.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 09:55

(258th visit of the year)

Another quick canter around in light shower.

Bird notes:
- At least one Teal put in a reappearance amongst the Goosanders resting beside the island. I may have glimpsed a second bird – too briefly to sex it.
- Only two Pochard located – drakes as always at the moment.
- The passage of large gulls had almost ceased before I left the lake but restarted with a vengeance here. All heading WSW.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 54 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

On /around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 54 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 20 (10♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes as ever
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult; departed
- 2 Grey Herons

On / around street lamps or around the Ivy:

Nothing

Elsewhere
- large group of fungus in very different location. Perhaps Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis)?

A collection of fungus has appeared along the E side.

One of them conveniently lying on its side to show the gills and stem pattern. I think it might be Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis) or a similar species.

(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

2 Wigeon

3 Gadwall

9 Pochard

41 Tufted Ducks

3 Goosanders

166 Coots

Peregrine Falcon

118 Black-headed Gulls

>500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.40 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

43 Redwings

2 Fieldfares

c.469 Jackdaws

53 Rooks

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Black-necked Grebe

4 Great Crested Grebes

33 Swans

31 Pochard

70 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

308 Coots

c.1300 Black-headed Gulls

1 Common Gull

c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull

102 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

225 Jackdaws

3 Siskins

2 Redpolls

(Ed Wilson)

Trench

2 Great Crested Grebes

3 Cormorants

8 Pochard

60 Tufted Ducks

drake Mallard x Pintail

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull 

6 Herring Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

12 Pochard

56 Tufted Ducks

1 drake Ruddy Duck

2 Goosanders

3 Lapwings

1 Snipe

>1700 Black-headed Gulls

865 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

22 Robins

22 Blackbirds

6 Redwings

243 Jackdaws

133 Rooks

22 Chaffinches

1 Brambling

12 Greenfinches

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Water Rail

6 Pochard

27 Tufted Duck

247 Coot

402 Jackdaws

483 Rooks

37 Siskins

1 Redpoll

21 Fieldfares.

2 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)