12 Feb 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 6.0°C: Scattered cloud under a high overcast with some clear areas to the E initially. A few spits of rain after 09:00. Fresh SSE wind, gusting strong. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:33 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 08:55

(39th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Two of the Mute Swan cygnets seem to be declaring UDI, often (but not always) spending time away from their parents and their other sibling.
- c.30 Black-headed Gulls arrived to fly up and down at 06:50, soon increasing to c.60. Most settled on the water for a while.
- Arriving soon after and also settling separately on the water were nine Herring Gulls, one adult Yellow-legged Gulls and 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Once they had bathed and departed no more gulls arrived.
- Some of the Magpies seem to have moved out of the communal roost and are spending the night at their, under refurbishment, nest sites.
- At least 28 Redwings were on the workings for the extension to the Holy Trinity Academy – no site-workers on Saturdays.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Canada Geese: two duos and a trio all outbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls
- 126 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 66 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: a single present early but left after a duo arrived
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.60 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed early at 07:40
- 1 Grey Heron

On and around the street lamps: rather breezy
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

The forecast was wind and rain later so the "red sky in the morning" was perhaps not unexpected.

A longer view.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:00 – 10:05

(37th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- It was mainly Black-headed Gulls this morning. Otherwise little change.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing 'on site' today – from trees around The Priorslee pub.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws

On /around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese: two duos of these departed
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 5 (5♂) Pochard remain
- 88 (49♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: adults again
- 103 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Grey Herons

On /around street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing

Different lighting so I had another go at trying to show the fine vermiculations on back and flanks of drake Pochards. A rather soggy-headed one here.

 A different bird.

Again

Not as many Herring Gulls as yesterday. As before most of them were first winters.

As was this.

The extent of grey on the back and the pale at the base of the bill indicate this is a second winter Herring Gull.

Look: no branch in the way of this Grey Heron!

Rather dull weather to photo birds in the vegetation. The best I could do with this Long-tailed Tit. It only appears to be standing on one leg: the other leg is barely discernible due to the angle of the light.

A Siskin. Naturally it is a male.

(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 Velvet Scoter

1 Mediterranean Gull

(Observer Unknown)

2013

St Georges

5 Waxwings

(Observer Unknown)

Horsehay Pool

1 Caspian Gull

(Jim Almond)

2009

Priorslee Lake

2 Iceland Gulls

( Pete Jordan)