4 Dec 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C: Overcast with occasional mostly light rain. Light ENE wind. Good visibility

[Sunrise: 08:02 GMT]

Early light rain delayed my visit. I got wet anyway!

Priorslee Lake: 08:55 – 09:50

(247th visit of the year)

Viewing only from the Castle Farm Way lay-by and dam-top.

Bird notes:
- The Mute Swan family went for a fly again. Once more it was just a short flight the length of the water and again one of cygnets seemed to be struggling once it got to halfway. In previous years by this date the cygnets have been taken by the adults for long flights, sometimes staying away for several days.
- See notes for The Flash: many of the Tufted Duck likely flew off after I departed.
- Very few gulls noted.

Birds noted flying over here:
Not specifically counted but...
- c.80 Wood Pigeons flew East together

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 83 (43♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens only
- 172 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants

Later.
Nothing noted

Some not very good shots on another dull morning. Here a departing Cormorant shakes itself to rid its feathers of excess water. Caught at strange angle the bill looks almost thin-enough to suggest its smaller salt-water relation, the Shag.

Another view of this bird which I presume is moulting its inner secondaries. Adult birds will very soon start moulting to show a white thigh patch and white head-plumes as they come in to breeding condition.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:55 – 10:45

(240th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The drake Gadwall was only seen distantly.
- Most of the Tufted Duck (and the duck Pochard) arrived together, presumably flushed off the Balancing Lake by the arrival of the Sailing Club.

Birds noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water
- 3 Canada Geese again
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 43 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 1 (0♂) Pochard: see notes
- 127 (64♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 7 (2♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 7 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)

Later on / around the Ivy bank:
Nothing

I took this distant shot of some of the many Tufted Ducks that flew in from the Balancing Lake. Look carefully in the far distance and from the left: part of a drake Mallard; the white on the tail of a duck Mallard; and then a brown bird with a black rear end – a drake Gadwall. This was the only time I saw this bird.

Overcast conditions are better for photographing the very contrasting plumage of drake Goosanders. A bit more light would have been appreciated.

Two drakes this morning. Here is the other.

One of the Grey Herons was happy to stand in the sedges alongside one of the footbridges.

"I see no fish." This Grey Heron likes to stand on one of the bridge handrails.

You would not want to be a fish looking at that bill.

"Little and large" (with apologies for the few errant twigs). An adult winter Black-headed Gull looks on while the Grey Heron still searches for food.

A different adult winter Black-headed Gull on its own.

And, considering the conditions, a surprisingly sharp picture of another in flight. This bird seems to have one or more missing inner primary feathers in its right wing.

A Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) I found on one of the street lamp poles. My first of the season here but not new for the calendar year as I noted several in January.

This Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria) had the decency to look 'mottled' unlike the cleanly-marked example that I photographed at the lake yesterday. Pity it was at the very top of the tallest street lamp pole where the camera flash could not really reach. Also my first of the season here though again not new for the calendar year as I noted one on 12th January 2022.

(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

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
9 Pochard
20 Tufted Ducks
1 (1) Goosander
155 Coots
28 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
14 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
c.368 Jackdaws
97 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorant
33 Mute Swans
Water Rail
13 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks 
274 Coots
1000 Black-headed Gulls
2000 Lesser Black-backs
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Great Black-backed
5 Redwings
2 Willow Tit
c.325 Jackdaws
20 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
15 Pochard
45 Tufted Ducks
1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck
2 Sparrowhawks
2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>700 Black-headed Gulls
324 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
649 Wood Pigeons
25 Robins
22 Blackbirds
16 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
6 Redwings
322 Jackdaws
224 Rooks
2 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
140 Golden Plover
8 Cormorants
900 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
13 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
2 Little Grebes
225 Coot
371 Jackdaws
313 Rooks
6 Redwings
32 Fieldfares.
8 Reed Buntings
19 Robins
30 Blackbirds
16 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)