1 Feb 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 10.0°C: Started with low overcast and drizzle. Breaking after 07:30 and clearing from W by 08:15. Moderate / fresh W wind. Mainly excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:53 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:40 – 09:20

(30th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I am sure the two Little Grebes have been here all along. This morning they chose to fly along the N side together after which, typically, they were not seen again.
- Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls appeared overhead at 07:30: they circled for a while and then in the absence of any gulls on the water left again. A lone Herring Gull did the same a few minutes later.
- The first Black-headed Gulls were just four at 08:00. Eventually 38 settled.
- Almost all the gulls passing overhead were in one widely-scattered group which consisted of 11 Herring Gulls and 108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- A bumper number of Jackdaws this morning after yesterday's comment about their relative scarcity. Number still well below previous years counts.
- The Cetti's Warbler was heard giving a spluttering mixture of call notes and song notes.
- Yet again a single Starling was seen leaving the reeds soon after dawn – from right beside me today.
- Seven Redwings left trees where they often roost at 07:45 – rather late for roost departure? Later two singles and, alongside Teece Drive, a group of seven were noted.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: circled overhead and left to?
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Wood Pigeon only!
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Common Buzzards
- 16 Herring Gulls
- 129 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 195 Jackdaws
- 1 Redwing

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 34 Coots again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 38 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- *4 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants: all arrived separately; one departed
- no Grey Heron

On or around the street lamps:
- several midges
- *2 different unidentified springtails
- *1 unidentified weevil sp.
- *1 unidentified small beetle
- 2 unidentifiable money spiders

Also noted
- 1 Grey Squirrel

This very clean-looking white-headed gull having a bathe looked to be a good candidate for a Yellow-legged Gull. But...

..the markings on the outer primaries suggest otherwise. On a Yellow-legged there is usually a white 'mirror' on the outermost primary only (P10) whereas on this bird the 'mirror' all but reaches the end of the feather and there is also a 'mirror' in P9. The tongue of pale grey on the inner webs of the primaries is also too extensive for Yellow-legged Gull and seems to rule out Caspian Gull as well. It must be a Herring Gull that has already moulted in to breeding plumage. If anyone disagrees.... let me know what I have got wrong please. It does look rather beady-eyed, as do some Caspian Gulls.

A Cormorant in breeding plumage. The white head plumes end in a crest as shown here. This bird does not show red tones in the bare skin behind the bill. Over the years there has been much debate about the origin of birds that become white-headed. Originally they were thought to be Continental birds of the race sinensis. Then it was decided that the extent of the white was age-related, with older individuals being whiter (I know what they mean). My latest guide suggests that it is the shape of the bare skin that is the way to separate the sub-species. This bird with rear edge of the yellow angled backwards is therefore of the sinensis race. I remain slight sceptical.

Look: a Siskin the right way up!

We'd better have another before...

...normality is restored.

The NatureSpot web site seems to have added more information to its Springtail section. These insects are abundant in soil and all very small. Positive identification without a microscope is impossible. This is likely one of the Tomoceridae group and may be Tomocerus vulgaris. Or not. It is less than 5mm long (0.2 inches for oldies like me).

Another group of springtails – Katiannidae – show this general shape. Again it is impossible to specifically identify them from photos. This insect is even smaller!

Weevils do not have quite the same appeal as ladybirds even though they are all part of the same order of insect – Coleoptera. There are several hundred species in the UK. I cannot match this with any illustration on the web.

Probably even more difficult than weevils are the very many small brown beetles. This will also have to remain unidentified.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:25 – 10:20

(29th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The drake Teal was heard only.
- The Coots were being very territorial, chasing each other around even more than usual. Several birds are standing in nests as if claiming their spaces.
- A Grey Wagtail was briefly in the roadway along Derwent Drive but flew off before I could check for any leg rings.

Bird noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese flew N
- *1 Common Buzzard

On /around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *34 (21♂) Mallard
- *1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- Teal heard only
- *2 (2♂) Pochard again
- 69 (31♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 62 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls: two second winter; three first winters
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

On /around the street lamp pole and elsewhere:

Nothing of note

I noted recently that the all-white drake Aylesbury / Mallard had convinced a duck Mallard of his worth. Here they are. I wonder what their off-spring will look like?

A handsome drake Mallard with its head glossing in the sun.

One day I will be able to get the contrast correct and show the fine vermiculations on the back and flanks of drake Pochard in full detail. My best attempt so far.

One of the local Common Buzzards having a soar on a, by now, clear morning.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake

1 Goosander

1 Little Grebe

(John Isherwood)

2013

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

3 Caspian Gulls

Iceland Gull

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

(Tom Lowe)

2012

Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes

21 Pochard

59 Tufted Duck

1 Water Rail

3 Dunlin

c.200 Black-headed Gulls

c.120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

19 Herring Gulls

Glaucous Gull

3 Great Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood, Martin Grant, Andy Latham, Jim Almond)

Priorslee Flash

1 Teal

64 Greylags

32 Tufted Ducks

c.400 Black-headed Gulls

65 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

17 Herring Gulls (Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake

40 Goosander

(John Isherwood)

2011

Priorslee Lake

3 Yellow-legged Gull

Glaucous Gull

6 Pochard

25 Tufted Ducks

(Ed Wilson, Richard Vernon)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

7 Pochard

29 Tufted Ducks

>200 Black-headed Gulls

113 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

7 Herring Gulls

107 Wood Pigeons

21 Wrens

40 Robins

26 Blackbirds

6 Fieldfares

10 Song Thrushes

10 Redwings

1 Willow Tit

54 Magpies

2 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

c.450 Black-headed Gulls

c.650 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

26 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull.

10 Great Crested Grebes

16 Pochard

27 Tufted Ducks

168 Coots

200 Wood Pigeons

3 Redwings

2 Willow Tit

17 Siskin

5 Reed Buntings.

(Ed Wilson)