11 Jan 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C: A mainly clear start; increasing cloud with shower at 10:15. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:18 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:10

(8th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
No bird species were added to my 2023 list from here today.

Bird notes:
- At least 250 Black-headed Gulls were circling over the water by 07:10. Whether these were disturbed roosting birds or early arrivals I could not determine. More continued to arrive and fly around and around. They began to settle after 07:30 and by 07:35 I estimated at least 750 were in a single tight group on the water. By 07:40 they started to leave and by 08:00 they had all gone. The few seen later were likely returning birds.
- Only two large gulls arrived to join the melee – both Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- All the other very few large gulls seen were Herring Gulls. Two separate adults visited briefly; and a group of four immatures flew over.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 29 Canada Geese: 28 in two groups outbound; a single inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- c.75 Wood Pigeons: c.50 of these seen flying high North together
- 4 Herring Gulls: immatures, together
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 9 Jackdaws

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 24 Canada Geese: of these 15 arrived and three departed
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard again
- 24 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 139 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls: adults, singly
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults together

Found on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn.
- *1 Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata)
- *2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- *1 unidentified fly sp.

The waning Wolf Moon is definitely a bit lopsided now.

There is not much happening at the moment to show you. This Blue Tit was singing away.

A Goldfinch in the sun.

With the underwings visible beyond the end of the folded upperwings I believe this to be a Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata).

One of two very different Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria) I found. This individual is mottled and reasonably umber in tone but is lacking any of the frequently seen contrasting markings....

... as very evident here. It is a continual puzzle why some species are so variable yet in other closely related species visual separation is not possible.

Today's unidentified fly. Larger and more active than the species with dark-tipped wings I have been seeing recently. The wings have very obvious veins. The colour in the wing is likely a light interference pattern caused by the camera flash.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15

(8th visit of the year)

New Bird Species

One addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- Two Jackdaws flew over.

This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 40.

Other bird notes:
- One of the original two Cormorants present was seen to depart. Four arrived overhead almost simultaneously from different directions two of which settled in to the water, the other two flying on. Shortly after perhaps these two reappeared with one settling and the other flying on. Then two more appeared overhead with one also settling. Just how many different birds were involved is impossible to say.

Also worthy of mention was a report of a wintering Blackcap regularly visiting a fat-ball feeder in one of the local gardens.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Cormorants: see notes.
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water
- 31 Canada Geese
- Greylag Goose: heard only calling from inside the island
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 35 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *61 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- *6? Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing noted

A duck Tufted Duck.

Get the wind at the wrong angle and this is what happens to your tuft.

One of the immature Cormorants seen this morning. Note the neat tail.

Another with a ragged tail.

(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

2014

Priorslee Lake

3 Scaup

1 Common Gull

(Dave Tromans/Tom Lowe)

2013

Horsehay Pool

3 Yellow-legged Gulls

2 Common Gulls

2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

20+ Greater Black-backed Gulls

600 Herring Gulls

(Kris Webb and Jim Almond)

2010

Priorslee Lake

5 Bullfinch

4 Goosander

2 Water Rail

Common Snipe

Woodcock

4 Gadwall

Bittern

Peregrine

38 Swans

26 Pochard

57 Tufted Ducks

333 Coots

c.200 Black-headed Gulls

c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

3 Herring Gulls

12 Siskins

(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

2008

Priorslee Lake

1 Glaucous Gull

(Paul King)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

11 Pochard

62 Tufted Ducks

5 Goosanders

>1000 Black-headed Gulls

10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

16 Robins

13 Redwings

34 Magpies

378 Jackdaws

348 Rooks

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

c.20 Golden Plover

2 Gadwall

c.1100 Black-headed Gulls

145 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

52 Herring Gulls

3 Great Black-backed Gulls

11 Pochard

37 Tufted Duck

226 Coots

1 Water Rail

221 Jackdaws

392 Rooks

12 Siskins

13 Pied Wagtails

3 Reed Buntings

21 Robins

18 Blackbirds

1 Willow Tit

5 Bullfinches

(Ed Wilson)