10 Dec 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud. Light covering of snow in sheltered areas. Light SW wind. Very good visibility

[Sunrise: 08:10 GMT]

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 12:45 – 13:10

(249th visit of the year)

Viewing only from the Castle Farm Way lay-by and dam-top. c.50% mainly thin ice.

Bird notes:
- The increase in Tufted Duck numbers likely due to the frozen water at The Flash (and elsewhere?)

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Gadwall
- 12 (9♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 120 (68♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 189 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 58 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants

Noted later

Nothing else.

The white patch toward the trailing edge of inner part of the wing identifies these as drake Gadwall. The fourth bird, almost hidden, with only a hint of white in the wing is a duck Gadwall.

She is more clearly seen in this shot.

The drakes are handsome birds when the lighting is right. A rustic bird with a twig in its mouth!

Another view of the same drake Gadwall. Note the black bill.

And here a duck Gadwall, more soberly marked than the drake. Strangely there appears to be a significant white area in her folded wing. It is mainly underwater here but her bill is dark horn coloured with orange sides.

An adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull stands head and shoulders above a gaggle of winter plumaged Black-headed Gulls, all adults.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 13:15 – 14:00

(242nd visit of the year)

Mostly iced over with one clear area around one of the footbridges likely kept open by the feeding frenzies.

Bird notes:
- The Tufted Duck presumably gone to the Balancing Lake.
- A higher Coot count probably because they had nowhere to hide.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Noted on / around the water
- 1 Canada Goose only: not the 'angel wing' bird
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 52 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- no Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 16 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes
- 146 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- no Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles or later on / around the Ivy bank:

Nothing noted

A Moorhen walking across the snow-covered ice.

A quintet of adult winter Black-headed Gulls standing around on the ice. Their feet are obviously by the cold less than mine.

This one is starting to acquire its black hood ahead of the breeding season.

One of two second winter Herring Gulls shows its paler inner primaries.

Here they both are, one having a preen. Perhaps a trick of the light but the legs on the right-hand bird look almost greenish rather than the typical pink tones shown by the other one. Black-headed Gulls in the foreground.

A feeding frenzy. Five drake and five duck Mallard, one Coot and two adult winter Black-headed Gulls.

"I'm coming to get you".

All you need to do is Photoshop a bit of Holly in to the picture and the design of next year's Christmas Card is done.

It looks a bit too sad in this view.

(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

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Yellow-legged Gull

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

6 Gadwall 

4 Pochard 

2 Teal 

4 Raven

(John Isherwood)

The Flash

3 Goosander

(John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool

Caspian Gull

(Jim Almond)

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe.

3 Gadwall.

6 Pochard.

46 Tufted Ducks

1 Goosander

1 Water Rail

155 Coots

23 Redwings

6 Fieldfares.

151 Jackdaws

63 Rooks

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull

2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Caspian Gull

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

c20 Herring Gulls.

(J W Reeves)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Black-necked Grebe

Yellow-legged Gull

An adult Little Gull

(Jason/Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

9 Pochard

53 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

1 Merlin

3 Buzzards

>500 Black-headed Gulls

234 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

24 Robins

22 Blackbirds

122 Fieldfares

178 Redwings

1 Willow Tit

139 Jackdaws

66 Rooks

12 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake

160 Golden Plover

1500 Black-headed Gulls

400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

2 Little Grebes

13 Pochard

34 Tufted Duck

239 Coot

1 Water Rail

142 Jackdaws

251 Rooks

2 Redpolls

47 Siskins

6 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)