13 Jan 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C: Clear and frosty. Light and variable wind. Mainly good visibility though rather hazy.

Sunrise: 08:15 GMT

* = very few photos today

Priorslee Lake: 07:00 – 09:20

(11th visit of the year)

Very quiet indeed.

Bird notes:
- Two duck Gadwall have joined yesterday's two drakes.
- Only five Wood Pigeons noted overhead and only three around the lake. One of these was 'singing' before dawn, ever hopefully.
- >700 Black-headed Gulls by 07:20 often settling on the water in several large groups. I could find only one Lesser Black-backed Gull with them at this time.
- Small movement of Black-headed Gulls in with the groups of mostly Lesser Black-backed Gulls overhead.
- Only a single Herring Gull and one more Lesser Black-backed Gull noted on the water.
- I only noted two Cormorants arrive separately. As I was leaving four birds left to the W overhead as if they had come from the water. How these four relate to my previous sighting is unclear.
- An overflying Greenfinch was my first of the year here. I recall that c.15 years ago >300 Greenfinches had a winter roost in the small copse near the sailing club shelter and / or in the that once bordered the football field. Depressing thought.

Overhead:
- 2 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 5 Wood Pigeons only
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 106 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants together
- 51 Jackdaws
- 1 Greenfinch

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 31 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen again
- 44 Coots
- >700 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls only
- 4? Cormorant: arrived: see notes
- no Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps:

Moths:
- 1 Early Moth (Theria primaria)

On same lamps as yesterday.

Spiders:
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider: same lamp for its fourth day though it has moved slightly since yesterday.

Most of the lamp poles were again covered in thick frost.

Later
Nothing noted

Two additions to my 2022 bird log for here:
Greylag Goose; Greenfinch

Year to date: 59 bird species

The very early sunrise hand held at a very slow shutter speed! Just visible above the trees on the left-most part of the view is a 'haze' of distant circling Black-headed Gulls.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25

(18th visit of the year)

c.80% ice. The counts went rather better for most species than I expected.

Bird notes:
- Two Coal Tits singing away.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 4 Stock Doves: two duos
- 1 Herring Gull
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk: female on size

On /around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 37 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal
- no Pochard
- 54 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 63 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 2 Grey Herons again

On the street lamps or on / around the Ivy:
Nothing on any of them

One addition to my 2022 bird log for here:
Stock Dove

Year to date: 45 bird species

Autumn already? Most unusually the lake and The Flash were clear but when I got back to Newport it was very misty and foggy. Here in squirrel alley there are hints of the mist with shafts of sunlight between the trees.

To complement yesterday's special liveried Emirates Airbus A380 here is today's flight using a standard liveried aircraft.

(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

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
2 female Scaup
(Paul King)

2013
Priorslee Lake
103 Coot
147 Black-headed Gulls
25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
63 Tufted Duck
1 drake Scaup
2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Priorslee Flash
4 Goosander
38 Tufted Duck
(Tony Beckett)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
5 Great Crested Grebe
20 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
92 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
24 Redwings
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
66 Tufted Duck
236 Black-headed Gulls
36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

East of Priorslee
Willow Tit
Skylark
Brown Hare
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
69 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
8 Swans
4 Gadwall
23 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
256 Coots
c.800 Black-headed Gulls 
c.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull 
c.40 Herring Gulls 
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Willow Tit
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson and unknown observer)

2007
Priorslee Lake
38 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
15 Goosanders
2 Buzzards
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
>215 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
32 Robins
15 Blackbirds
179 Fieldfares
104 Redwings
274 Jackdaws
266 Rooks
218 Starlings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
13 Cormorants
10 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
207 Coots
2 Lapwings
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls 
96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
61 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
309 Jackdaws
493 Rooks
12 Pied Wagtails
10 Fieldfare
15 Robins
12 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)