26 Jan 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 3.0°C: Some thin high cloud and a few areas of lower cloud early, otherwise refreshingly clear. Almost calm. Mainly good visibility, though rather misty.

Sunrise: 08:02 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:20

(24th visit of the year)

>50% thin ice

Bird notes:
- Another Woodcock sighting: this time apparently going to day-roost in the NE area – yet another location I have noted this year.
- c.80 Black-headed Gulls flew in low from the W at 07:25 but did not settle at that time, circling around and around before being joined by 12 Herring Gulls and 25 Lesser Black-backed Gull. They all eventually settled at 07:35 but someone with a noisy unleashed dog arrived to photograph the sunrise and all the gulls took off and flew away.
- In better weather I could specifically identify all the overflying gulls.
- Two very different sized corvids flew over with the larger one rolling and tumbling. On the size of the head and bill it was clearly a Raven: try as I might I could not identify the other as anything other than a Carrion Crow, presumably one of the local birds harassing the Raven.
- Four small groups of Siskins flew W over the dam but were probably among the 40+ in trees at the W end later.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: outbound
- 2 Feral Pigeons: singles
- 1 Stock Dove
- 8 Wood Pigeons only
- 36 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gulls
- 92 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: loosely together
- 44 Jackdaws
- 1 Raven

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 10+ Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- no Gadwall
- 4 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 26 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen only
- 37 Coots
- *c.80 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Herring Gulls
- 97 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *6 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

On the frosted street lamps:
Nothing on or around them

Made rather watery by the thin high cloud. However after all the recent clouds it was good to see the fast-waning Wolf Moon.

 Hand-held a rather fuzzy beginning to the sunrise. The bright light in the sky in the planet Venus.

Slightly later.

And again with different foreground.

Here, at its brightest.

A trio of adult Black-headed Gulls showing different stages in acquiring the chocolate-brown hood of breeding plumage. Note how they develop white eye-lids.

Two of this morning's six Cormorants. Note the one on the left has brighter yellow skin under its bill and that the yellow is bordered by an extensive white area as it comes in to breeding plumage.

Here with wings spread it is possible to see the start of the breeding plumage white thigh patch.

And a third, head-on with its bill open showing extensive white plumes beginning to emerge on the neck and larger white thigh-patch.

In the Wesley Brook was this Grey Wagtail. There is no suggestion that this will acquire the black bib of a male. It was a male that was seen wearing colour rings last winter.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30

(23rd visit of the year)

c.75% mainly thin ice.

Bird notes:
- Where do all the Moorhens go when the pool is mainly ice and the grass is frosted?
- Another bumper number of Herring Gulls present.
- It was reported that several of the gulls "were dropping stones to break the ice". I did not notice this myself but wonder whether in fact they were dropping Swan Mussels on the ice to try and break them open?
- The Cormorant came and had a look and then flew away only to circle in the distance and return.
- I heard the distant singing Mistle Thrush again.
- Four male Greenfinches were eating buds in the trees by The Priorslee pub. Later one was heard giving it nasal territorial 'song'. Always an early songster, though I usually record Chaffinches starting to sing before Greenfinches.

Bird noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw

On /around the water:
- 18 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal
- 55 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens only
- 26 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 189 Black-headed Gulls
- *15 Herring Gulls: three (near?) adults; one third winter; two second winters, and nine first winters
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adults
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

On the same street lamp pole as yesterday:
- 1 Early Moth (Theria primaria)

Looking rather surprised is a Wood Pigeon. I guess I had startled it while it was eating Ivy fruits.

One of today's nine first-winter Herring Gulls. This bird shows clearly notched markings on the tertial feathers. The tertial feathers in this view are those lying horizontally ahead of the solidly dark tail-feathers. Lesser Black-backed Gulls never show any notching, not that these feathers are easy to see.

Magpies are hard to photograph. They are rather wary: point a camera at them and they fly quickly away. Here is one flying over.

One of the four male Greenfinches seen eating buds as if they were Bullfinches. These are rather handsome birds: the wheezy, rasping territorial call rather spoils the effect.

Today's aircraft photo. This is an El Al (Israeli Airlines) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flying non-stop from New York's JFK Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The Star of David is just about visible on the tail-fin.

(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
Velvet Scoter
2 Scaup
(Martin and Ian Grant)

2013
Priorslee Lake
39 Wigeon
8 Gadwall 
24 Pochard 
74 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
173 Coots
169 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
18 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)