25 Dec 22

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******** MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS *********
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Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Broken medium cloud under high overcast. Cleared for a while with sunny intervals. Moderate SE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT again

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:35 – 09:25

(260th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Six Canada Geese flew in from the East at 07:25 joining many already on the water. 60 were counted flying off in seven groups leaving just five on the lake.
- Another steady passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls: a few Herring Gulls among them today.
- Six Cormorants all arrived together. They did not all stay.
- 82 Jackdaws and Rooks over in two groups. I think 10 Jackdaws and 72 Rooks but...
- A Blackbird heard in quiet song near the Teece Drive gate well before dawn. In the 2021/22 winter I first heard song on 9 February.
- No Redwings seen on the football field today.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 6 Wood Pigeon
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 10 Jackdaws
- 72 Rooks
- 1 Fieldfare
- 2 Linnets

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting

Counts from the lake area as best I could:
- 65 Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 3 (3♂) Mallard: only
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 31 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 192 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: arrived together
- 1 Kingfisher again

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
- *1 Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- *1 springtail sp.

Seen later:
- 2 Grey Squirrel

A very late date to see this specimen of a November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.), here amongst the detritus at the top of a street lamp pole.

Well it is 'mottled' and it is 'umber' so it must be a Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria). Looks nothing like the one I photographed here yesterday.

This a species of globular springtail. There are so many to choose from!

Plane of the day. A struggle today as there are very few flights on Christmas Day and there was much cloud around. Here is one of the few to escape the 'bomb cyclone' in the US, an American Airlines Dreamliner descending in to Heathrow from Philadelphia. Here is the data...

...... courtesy of FlightRadar24 App Here..

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30

(250th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Song Thrush was singing at the top end. Still none at the lake though.

Noted flying over:
- 1 Herring Gull
- *11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water
- 12 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 39 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 24 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 (2♂) Goosanders
- 19 Moorhens
- 42 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Cormorant

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Elsewhere:
Nothing noted

One of the two Herring Gulls on the water was this adult winter bird. No trace of black on either mandible.

No sign of any translucence on the trailing edge of the inner primaries and a dusky trailing edge to the whole wing indicates this an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. The head-streaking indicates it is in winter plumage.

Today's only Cormorant today atop its perch.

Even finding this Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) lurking among the lichen on one of the street lamp poles in squirrel alley was a challenge. I then had to photograph it!

(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
1st-winter female Great Scaup

Horsehay Pool
Kittiwake

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
14 Pochard
29 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
178 Coots
2 Redwings
4 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Pochard
44 Tufted Duck
28 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
30 Mute Swans
40 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
161 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
18 Swans
4 Gadwall
41 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
311 Coots
600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
12 Goldfinches
10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
3 Cormorants
32 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
c.100 Black-headed Gulls
23 Redwing
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee lake
10 Pochard
15 Tufted Duck
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
1 Water Rail
20 Pied Wagtails
365 Rooks
325 Jackdaw
1 Kingfisher
51 Siskin
7 Redpoll
13 Greenfinch 13
12 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)