29 Dec 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 6.0°C: Early sprinkles of showery rain. Cleared to scattered clouds with some sun. Moderate / fresh WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT still

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:35

(263rd visit of the year)

Two highlights:
- Seven Lapwings circled over at 08:50. Apparently only my second record of this declining species here this year. My previous record was on 01 January!
- *A Common Kestrel was seen briefly at 08:45, strangely hovering above the new housing development to the East of Castle Farm Way. Also only my second record here this year of another declining species. My previous record was on 14 March.

And two that got away and are not included in any totals below:
- Eight ducks were flying around c.07:25. They were about the size of Mallard but I could not hear the distinctive wing noise that this species gives in flight so they remain unidentified.
- At more or less the same time what might have been either a Common Snipe or a Woodcock dropped in to sedges / brambles beside the small copse along the South side. I had a search later, staying on the pathways, but could see nothing.

Other bird notes:
- At least 75 Black-headed Gulls were on the water by 07:25 with a few more arriving, unusually, from the South. These had all gone by 07:35. Birds then started to arrive from their usual westerly direction after 07:40 with at least 150 noted. Were these the same birds? Almost all had gone again by 08:00.
- There is currently almost no early arrival (or early passage) of large gulls. For several winter-periods recently a roost on factory roofs in Hortonwood has delivered up to 200 birds to bathe and drink before they set off for the day scavenging food. In the absence of these gulls on the water then later passing gulls seem disinclined to drop in.
- A Mistle Thrush was seen in the south-east trees before flying off East giving it football-rattle call notes [does anyone know what a football-rattle is these days?]
- A single Reed Bunting was heard calling from the usual West end roost site. Two other roosting birds flew off from the South side reeds unusually.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 2 (2♂) Goosander: separately
- 12 Wood Pigeons only
- 7 Lapwings
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 1 Sparrowhawk: female on size
- *1 Common Kestrel
- 84 Jackdaws
- 34 Rooks
- c.30 Fieldfare: together

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 24 Canada Geese: 11 departed in two groups
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 14 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 181 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *3 Cormorants: arrived separately


Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *2 Northern Winter Moths (Operophtera fagata)
- *1 small red-eyed fly
- 1 plumed midge

Seen later:

Nothing of note

An adult Cormorant showing its breeding condition white thigh patch and head plumes. Also the short black crest.

A VERY distant Common Kestrel very much enlarged. The long tail is perhaps the most obvious feature. The wings do not look pointed as is typical in falcons, probably as the bird turns – the head is twisted away from this view.

A slightly different view. It is just about possible to make out some streaking along the flanks.

A species I do not often photograph: they are usually moving around too quickly. Not this Blue Tit.

At the time I thought this moth was a pale and poorly-marked Mottled Umber moth but looking at the photo I realise it is my first Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata) for several years. This species is larger and typically more strongly-marked than Winter Moth (O. brumata). Perhaps more importantly the underwings tend to extend beyond the upperwings at rest, as here. It takes my moth species total for the year to 95.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 09:40 – 10:35

(254th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *The cob Mute Swan was chasing some of the Canada Geese.

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

Noted on / around the water
- *11 Canada Geese
- *5 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 21 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) Goosanders
- 12 Moorhens
- *37 Coots
- [Great Crested Grebe not seen]
- *118 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *3 Grey Herons
- 2 Cormorants

On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:

Nothing noted

One of the five Greylag Geese that arrived.

The cob Mute Swan was in Canada Goose chasing mode.

"What a clever swan am I"

I hope his partner and the children are impressed.

The feisty Coots were at it again.

An apparently one-legged adult winter Black-headed Gull.

And a headless first winter Black-headed Gull! First winter because of the black band on the tail tip.

Here it is resurfacing where the brown in the wings confirm the age.

No. It hasn't got a drip on its bill. It is the tip of the left wing just showing as this adult flies by.

This one is OK.

A headless Grey Heron. It seems sufficiently confident about its resting place alongside one of the footbridges it is happy to go sleep.

A Wood Pigeon takes off

Flapping hard to lift its not inconsiderable bulk.

Here it is dashing past. Upperwing and...

...underwing.

Plane of the day: this is a Beech 200 Super KingAir and is one of 15 aircraft owned by RVL Aviation Ltd., of East Midlands Airport. This one used be operated by the Royal Air Force with the serial ZK452. It seems to have acquired the lumps and bumps since its military days. The RVL web site notes they operate "specialist services" working with "Government organisations and non-government bodies". Perhaps it is best not to know... 

(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

2012

Priorslee Lake

Drake Scaup

2 Yellow-legged Gulls

3 Great Black-backed Gulls

(Martin Grant)

2011

Priorslee Lake

4 Yellow legged Gull

22 Great Black-backed Gulls

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

Tundra Bean Goose

(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake

9 Goosander

(John Isherwood)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Black-necked Grebe

4 Gadwall

2 Water Rail

2 Caspian Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Ring-billed Gull

(John Isherwood/Richard Vernon/Dawn Balmer/Peter Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Cormorant 

3 Wigeon

30 Tufted Duck

4 Pochard

180+ Coot

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

4000+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls

65 Herring Gulls

1000+ Black-headed Gulls

(Martin Adlam)

2006

Priorslee lake

1 Little Grebe

3 Pochard

10 Tufted Ducks

1 Lapwing

>550 Black-headed Gulls

>108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

c.40 Redwings

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee lake

c.3200 Lesser black-backed Gulls

c.1700 Black-headed Gulls

c100 Herring Gulls

8 Great Black-backed Gulls

4 Yellow-legged Gull

(Martin Adlam/Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)