6 Dec 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 2.0°C: Clear and frosty start: soon clouded. Light NNW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:05 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Lake: 06:37 – 09:06

(248th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A distinct dearth of gulls again.
- Most of the Jackdaws passed a long way to the East at extreme visual range. Probably more, though no others were heard.
- Despite the cold conditions a Mistle Thrush was singing away in the Ricoh copse.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 8 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 8 Feral Pigeons: together
- 51 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.100 Jackdaws
- 10 Rooks
- 5 Fieldfare: together
- 4 Redwings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

Warblers noted:

None

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 1 Redwing
- 4 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 54 Canada Geese: c.30 of these departed together c.09:00
- 2 Greylag Geese: departed together c.07:15
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 111 (68♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 183 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls only
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull only
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron: flew in but not seen again

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.

Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

The early clear sky was rapidly being replaced by clouds.

Just a brief hint of a red sky. Some of the 54 Canada Geese can be seen on the left of the view.

Not a good photo of a Grey Wagtail, here in the gloom of the Wesley Brook. The important thing to note is that this is the bird with bands on its legs first noted at The Flash in late 2019. It had been ringed as a juvenile that year in Lancashire.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:09 – 10:10

(241st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Stock Dove was on its favourite roof of a building in Westcroft Walk.
- For the last few visits I have heard Collared Doves singing. Two were doing so this morning after many weeks of silence.
- A rather unlikely total of 26 Moorhens. They seemed to be everywhere but I suspect there must have been at least some double-counting as birds moved after the food being proffered.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 3 Canada Geese again
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 34 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 (2♂) Goosander
- 26 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 5 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Scarce Umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria)



Noted later around the Ivy bank:

Nothing

One of the two drake Goosanders. This in beginning to show a slight pink tinge to the flanks.

Here it is again with one of the brownheads.

A Stock Dove on its favourite roof in Westcroft Walk. Note the two black bars on the wing: also the lack of the white patch on the neck which is shown by Wood Pigeons. In the dull light the iridescent blue / green patch on the neck is barely visible.

Two of the three Great Crested Grebes are beginning to act as a pair. I have seen no display as yet.

The bold Grey Heron was even bolder. This photo taken unretouched from the camera (though it was on full zoom).

A Nuthatch looking for food.

 Seems to have found a small morsel.

Another Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) seen on a different street lamp pole to the moth seen on Sunday.

This is a Scarce Umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria). Moth species #33 for me here this year. I last recorded one in November 2021 which was my first for over eight years. Despite its 'scarce' epithet it a common species albeit less abundant than the similar Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria).

(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

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

2 adult Caspian Gulls (one with a green ring suggesting a German/Polish border origin).

8 Yellow-legged Gulls

80+ Great Black-backed Gulls

c.1000 Herring Gulls

2000+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

1st w Viking Gull (hybrid Glaucous x Herring Gull)

2 ad hybrid Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Tom Lowe)

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall

9 Pochard

44 Tufted Ducks

176 Coots

c.200 Black-headed Gulls

c.650 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.20 Herring Gulls

2 Great Black-backed Gulls.

5 Redwings

2 Fieldfares

234 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

1 Little Grebe

1 Cormorant

35 Mute Swans

2 Shoveler

48 Tufted Duck

3 Goosander 

162 Coots

228 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill

Caspian Gull

7 Yellow-legged Gulls

3500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

500 Herring Gulls

Common Gull. 

(Tom Lowe)

Buildwas

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

500 Lapwings

(Tom Lowe)

2006

Priorslee Lake

5 Pochard

52 Tufted Ducks

1 eclipse drake Ruddy Ducks

9 Golden Plover

>2000 Black-headed Gulls

>2526 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

3 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull

22 Robins

24 Blackbirds

c.45 Fieldfares

4 Song Thrushes

10 Redwings

348 Jackdaws

132 Rooks

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

2 Ravens

1 Cormorant

c.400 Black-headed Gulls

4 Pochard

39 Tufted Duck

1 Little Grebes

233 Coot

14 Redpolls

17 Siskins

24 Pied Wagtails

9 Redwings

12 Fieldfares

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)