19 Jan 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 8.0°C: Some cloud clearing away to the E for a while. A band of showery rain moved through between 09:15 and 09:45. Light WSW wind, veering NW and increasing moderate after passage of rain. Good visibility with early hazy; less so during rain.

Sunrise: 08:11 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 07:05 – 09:35

(18th visit of the year)

>70% thin ice. The temperature was above freezing when I arrived and I was surprised to see more ice than there had been mid-morning yesterday.

Bird notes:
- The Mute Swans were all hauled out on the concrete ramp enabling me to confirm the blue Darvic rings: the adults are 7JNU and 7JSS; the two ringed cygnet 7JVI and 7JVJ. The third cygnet is not ringed.
- A Woodcock seen in flight again c.07:10. All my recent sightings have been of birds flying in different directions unlike previous years where the probable location of the day-roost has been easy to gauge.
- At least 300 Black-headed Gulls on the ice by 07:20 with very many more arriving. I reckoned at least 1000, though numbers were more difficult than usual to judge as they were standing and reflecting on the ice.
- Fewer large gulls than recently. Again it was Herring Gulls that seemed more likely to stop off for a bathe.
- At least 40 Siskins were wheezing away in trees near the Teece Drive gate. These probably included the party of 13 that flew over the dam earlier. Strangely I could find no Goldfinches amongst them and did not see or hear any Goldfinches here this morning.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 3 unidentified geese, distantly
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 29 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 66 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- no Gadwall
- 4 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 29 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen only
- 43 Coots
- Little Grebe(s) heard only
- c.1000? Black-headed Gulls
- 22 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

On and around the rather soggy lamps poles:
- 1 'winter midge' only

Later:
Nothing else noted

The Wolf Moon just after full moon as evidenced by the craters in the four and six o'clock areas slightly cross-lit.

The first hint of the approaching rain with a faint partial rainbow just left of centre in the sky.

The other part of the same rainbow.

Now this is what I call a rainbow (and I was about to get wet!). Indeed a double rainbow with gold somewhere in the Ricoh building.

A motley collection of gulls. Centre foreground is an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and a rather small one at that. Flanking it in the front are three Herring Gulls with the bird on the left a third winter bird and the other two adults. Despite the difference in back colour I cannot turn any of these in to Yellow-legged Gulls as that species would show an unmarked white head. The bird on the right is likely a male: these average larger. Also note the variability in leg colour - 'pink' it says in the books: a multitude of sins. Behind are five Black-headed Gulls (count the brighter red legs and divide by two).

Someone has been felling a few trees that seem to me to present no danger to people using the area. Still at least they have left the wood on the ground to decay and provide a home and food for all manner of insects and fungus. This array of fungus could be found amongst the moss and lichen. There seems to be two if not three species here.

Today's aircraft photo. Another Boeing 747 Jumbo this time the latest (and last) longer 800 series. It is operated by UPS with yellow and black around the rear fuselage and is en route from UPS' huge distribution hub at Louisville in Kentucky to their smaller European equivalent in Köln (Cologne).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:35

(17th visit of the year)

>25% very thin ice.

Bird notes:
- Just a duck Teal eventually emerged from hiding. Calls suggested a drake somewhere.
- A surfeit of drake Mallard.
- The drake Shoveler for its fifth day.
- A Treecreeper was climbing the NW trees: my 47th bird species here this year.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard

On /around the water:
- 29 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (0♂) Teal
- 46 (31♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 30 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 24 Coots again
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both first winters
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- no Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons again

On the street lamps:
Nothing on any of them

Also noted:
- *Two different fungus sp. one probably Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus).

A drake Tufted Duck flaps to disperse surplus water after having a bathe.

And settles back.

Why do Black-headed Gulls insist on standing on the ice? I suppose they are safe from some dangers. The legs especially are colouring up in to breeding plumage.

The upper wing pattern of adult Black-headed Gulls is well seen here.

A first-winter Herring Gull caught at the right angle to show the ID features. Note especially the way the tail-band rather fades in to blotches on the upper tail. A Lesser Black-backed Gull at this age would show a more solid band and fewer marks on the upper tail. Also note the paler inner primaries and that the secondary coverts are also paler than the visible secondaries. These would all be almost uniform dark on a first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull.

And again.

Here settled on the water apparently blowing bubbles!

 Is this the same adult Lesser Black-backed Gull as seen yesterday?

This fungus looks rather similar to those I found at the lake. No idea as to species.

I can't believe I have walked past this bracket fungus several times recently and not seen it. Surely it can't have developed this size overnight?

Another example on the same dead trunk. These look to be what is known as Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus).

(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 female Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup - 1st winter male, 2 1st winter females
(David Barnes / Tony Beckett / Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)

2007
Priorslee Lake
8 Cormorants
3 Pochard
31 Tufted Ducks
9 Goosanders
c.50 Golden Plover
>1100 Black-headed Gulls
133 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
250 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
17 Blackbirds
8 Fieldfares
4 Redwings
43 Magpies
279 Jackdaws
136 Rooks
5 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1100 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Gadwall
8 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
198 Coot
376 Jackdaws
265 Rooks
200 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
21 Blackbirds
22 Siskins
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)