17 Dec 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C: Mostly cloudy at medium level. A small amount of fresh snow on the ground. Slight thaw from trees. Very light SSE breeze. Good visibility

[Sunrise: 08:17 GMT]

* = a photo from today.

Once more it was carefully around The Flash before visiting the lake.

Priorslee Lake: 11:50 – 12:20

(255th visit of the year)

Viewing only from the Castle Farm Way lay-by and dam-top. Surprisingly rather more ice than yesterday after a less cold night. As a result, apart from the gulls that were happy to stand on the ice, most the birds were jammed together and even harder to count.

Bird notes:
- Yesterday's visiting Mute Swans had left / been driven off.
- Yesterday's Eurasian Wigeon had gone.
- Bumper number of Mallard.
- No Little Grebes found.
- Gulls were drifting in and out with more (uncounted) passing over.

Counts from the lake area:
- 25 Canada Geese: 22 of these arrived together
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 24 (17♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Pochard
- 69 (27♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 Moorhens
- 189 Coots
- [no Little Grebes]
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.165 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Common Gulls: both adults
- c.55 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls
- 2 Caspian Gulls
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Also noted.

Nothing else

I am not sure the Robin would want to swim anyway but it does look a bit glum. It is a pity the locals don't always respect the sign.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 11:05 – 11:45

(245th visit of the year)

Still mostly iced over.

Bird notes:
- A mini-invasion of Canada Geese mostly feeding on the East side grass.

Noted on / around the water
- 60 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 52 (35♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 16 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 103 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron

Of note.

Nothing else

A quartet of Mallard suspect there is food on offer somewhere and fly off to see. Three drakes and a duck.

Some of the Tufted Ducks also went for a fly about. Also a quartet here and also with three drakes (with whiter flanks) leading a duck.

Synchronised landing by the three drakes. You can just about count the number of tail feathers as the tail is spread to act as an air-brake. There should be 14 in this species.

This one seems to be trying to walk on water.

A Grey Heron is still stalking the sedges alongside one of the footbridges. Amazingly I looked back a minute later and it had walked inside and disappeared from view.

A winter adult Black-headed Gull concentrating on the perfect touch-down.

Oops. Ice!

Wood Pigeons are hard to photograph in flight partly because they are so fast-flying; and partly because they have learned that anyone pointing anything at them is likely to have a gun and they need to take evasive action. So I was pleased to get this shot. Note the white feather shafts on the leading edge of the primary feathers (but not the first primary for some reason).

In case you think Carrion Crows are all black here is proof they are not. The back is faintly glossed purple and green. This individual also shows some pale in the folded wing. This is not uncommon in crows and many of the local birds show this feature. Pale feathers wear more quickly than dark feathers so that by Spring the pale will likely have worn away. I read that Rooks never show this feature and I have certainly never seen one with other than all-dark plumage.

Helicopter of the day. This is an Agusta A109E Power operated by Castle Air head-quartered at Trebrown near Liskeard in Cornwall. They own twelve helicopters which they charter out. They also operate and maintain helicopters for other companies. They have other bases at Gloucestershire Airport and at London's Biggin Hill Airport. This aircraft was flying too low to show on the flight trackers but by seriously over-enlarging and over-editing this photo I was able to specifically identify it.

(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

2013

Priorslee Lake

40 Golden Plover

4 Great Black-backed Gulls

5 Gadwall

2 Teal

4 Siskins

2 Redpolls

8 Pochard 

83 Tufted Ducks

249 Coots

83 Fieldfare

54 Redwings

216 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash

Greater Scaup

1 Little Grebe 

179 Tufted Ducks 

1 Goosander 

(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake

30 Goosander

1 Little Grebe

(John Isherwood)

2012

Priorslee Lake

4 Gadwall

11 Pochard

48 Tufted Ducks

Snipe

1 Water Rail

163 Coots

6 Redwings

227 Jackdaws

3 Redpolls

2 Siskin

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Pochard

33 Tufted Duck

30 Goosanders

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Black-necked Grebe

5 Great Crested Grebes

29 Swans

36 Pochard

97 Tufted Ducks

3 Water Rails

291 Coots

6 Redwings

c.230 Jackdaws

c.30 Goldfinches

7 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

18 Pochard

41 Tufted Ducks

35 Fieldfare

19 Redwings

216 Jackdaws

132 Rooks

11 Greenfinches

2 Redpoll

7 Reed Buntings

(Martin Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake

c.1500 Black-headed Gulls

c.400 Lesser Black-backs

18 Pochard

77 Tufted Duck

7 Shoveler

5 Great Crested Grebe

2 Dabchick

3 Water Rail

1 Snipe

40 Siskin

2 Redpoll

19 Reed Bunting

(Martin Adlam)