24 Dec 22

Season's Greeting to all my readers


Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 3.0°C > 6.0°C: Mainly clear. Just frosted in sheltered areas. Very light SSE breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Seasons greeting to all my readers.

Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:25

(259th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The only Greylag Goose on the lake flew off apparently paired with a Canada Goose.
- A steady passage of Lesser Black-backed Gull: probably more as my view was blocked by trees as I walked along the North shore.
- I possibly heard Rook(s) overhead at c.07:15 when it was too dark to see anything. Sounds rather drowned by the traffic noise.
- A Coal Tit was heard in full song.
- At least 42 Redwings were on the football field c.09:15.
- No Pied Wagtails seem to be roosting in the area at the moment. The only ones I see at the moment are two in the Castle Farm lay-by after crumbs dropped from the Classic Catering van. What will they do the next few days?
- The three Reed Buntings flushed out of a different area from the traditional West end roost..

Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 5 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 2 Wood Pigeon only
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 152 Lesser Black-backed Gull: see notes
- 8 Jackdaws
- Rook(s) heard?: see notes
- 1 Raven
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 3 Redwings
- 3 Reed Buntings: see notes

Counts from the lake area as best I could:
- 59 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 24 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 176 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.400 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 22 large gulls pre-dawn
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 4 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- *2 unidentified plumed midges
- *1 unidentified springtail
- *1 unidentified beetle

Later:
Nothing seen

After days with rather poorly-marked individuals here is a pristine and very well-marked Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria).

A plumed midge covered in dew. Only males have plumed antennae to detect the females' pheromones.

A female of a different species of midge

This small beetle is also bespattered in dew. I have previously noted this species with swollen hind femurs. I didn't have an identity for it then either. Note also what I believe to be a tiny springtail at the top right.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(249th visit of the year)

No ice remains.

Bird notes:
- *At least seven Redwings were feeding on berries alongside the access road to The Priorslee.
- Both Coal and Great Tits were heard in full song.

Noted flying over:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Noted on / around the water
- 20 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 41 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 16 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (0♂) Goosanders
- 20 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Grey Herons
- 2 Cormorants

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)

Noted elsewhere:
- *possible Leafy Brain fungus (Tremella foliacea)

The cob Mute Swan with wings slightly raised. He had just finished chasing the one cygnet that is not in this view. I am wondering whether that cygnet is a male and therefore a threat to his territory and these other three are all females and no threat. None of the local swans seem to have been ringed this year so I have no further information about any of them.

I wonder whether this is the same adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull that I photographed on Wednesday?

Who is that hiding? A Redwing of course.

A different bird feeding on the few remaining berries on the ornamental shrubs alongside the access road to The Priorslee. One berry remains.

Gone! It is now inside the Redwing.

It is strange that the Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria) here was also a very well-marked individual.

My best effort at identifying this fungus would be Leafy Brain (Tremella foliacea).

Here is another view. It is growing on the pollarded (and dead?) tree beside the path near the back entrance to the academy.

(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
5 Gadwall 
7 Pochard 
34 Tufted Ducks 
204 Coots counted 
123 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Grey Herons
126 Canada Geese
110 Tufted Ducks 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes 
2 Shoveler 
71 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
125 Coots
>40 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
1 Tufted Duck 
19 Goosander 
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
13 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
178 Coots
Peregrine
14 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
5 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes 
10 Swans
28 Pochard 
77 Tufted Ducks
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
60 Herring Gulls
1 Water Rail heard 
299 Coots counted 
4 Redwings 
2 Willow Tits again 
c.5 Goldfinches
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/ Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Little Grebe
41 Pochard
38 Tufted Ducks
8 Redwing
2 Fieldfare
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)