29 Jan 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 8.0°C: Another mainly overcast start with some breaks, sun even, around The Flash. A calm start with a light westerly wind developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:58 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:15

(24th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The first gulls to arrive this morning were two Herring Gulls at 07:26. The first of just c.100 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:42.
- At c.08:00 a tight group of 29 Black-headed Gulls flew south-east after circling high over. They may have been some of the birds seen on the water earlier though these typically leave by streaming out low. Certainly unusual behaviour.
- Two Mistle Thrushes flew South along the line of the dam in to the trees in the south-east corner. They were likely a different pair to the birds in the Ricoh Copse alongside Teece Drive, one of which was in song later.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Goose: outbound
- 3 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Collared Dove
- 29 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Cormorants: all singles
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Jackdaws
- 11 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 13 Canada Geese: nine of these departed
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 10 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 7 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens again
- 111 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants: arrived separately; two departed together.

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- several winter midges.
- *1 very small spider
No moths despite the mild and dry night.

Noted later:
Nothing

A perky Wren with its tail held out.

And now with tail down. I need another photo with the tail cocked.

Not much to say about this tiny nondescript spider that was on one of the street lamp poles.

Plane of the day: it is a Reims-assembled Cessna R182 Skylane RG II. The 'R' before the 182 indicates a model with retractable undercarriage: not common in light aircraft. On the lower fuselage you can see where the undercarriage retracts. In operation it looks rather Heath-Robinson and seems too fragile but it clearly works well on this 43-year old aircraft. It used to be based at the small airstrip at Knockin – with an appropriate registration. It is now owned by a syndicate and flies out of Sleap Airfield near Wem.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(21st visit of the year)

No ice remains.

New Bird Species
Another addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker bounded out of the island and away South
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 46.

Other bird notes:
- Several Coots can be seen sitting on nests. Whether this is to claim the site or they are already sitting on eggs is hard to say. I doubt they could hatch a brood this early in the year.
- A Jay was heard calling at the top end again.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 10 Redwings

Noted on / around the water
- 30 Canada Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 45 (30♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 53 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- *3 (1♂) Goosander
- 17 Moorhens
- 61 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *95 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both immatures
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: three very briefly
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles
- 1 Dotted Border moth (Agriopis marginaria): same lamp; same place

Elsewhere.
Nothing of note

At last: the light in the right direction on this first year drake Goosander. Is this my best side?

...or this?

The light also shows the feathering detail in the wings of this adult winter Black-headed Gull. No sign of the head changing to breeding plumage as yet, though I am always surprised how quickly it happens.

 I'm coming to get you. Nice feet by the way.

Another flying Magpie photo. It seems to have a feather missing from its left wing.

A Robin looks at me. Rather wistfully I feel.

A Dunnock with a gleam in its eye.

Now frowning. It may be the archetypical 'small brown bird' but the markings are both subtle and intricate.

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

Ed Wilson's visit to the National Nature Reserve of Fenn's, Whixall at Bettisfield Mosses on 28 Jan 23 can be found Here

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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

2014

Priorslee Lake

14 Pochard

71 Tufted Duck

3 Greater Scaup

1 Velvet Scoter

103 Coots

1 Yellow-legged Gull

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

141 Redwings

502 Jackdaws

383 Rooks

2 Ravens

(Ed Wilson, Gary Crowder)

The Flash 

89 Tufted Ducks

2 Goosander

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

Drake Scaup

26 Wigeon 

12 Gadwall 

12 Pochard 

60 Tufted Ducks 

181 Coots

c.400 Black-headed Gulls

246 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

34 Herring Gulls

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

21 Redwings

147 Jackdaws

c.30 Siskins

(Ed Wilson, Unknown Observer)

Trench Lock Pool

18 Swans

8 Pochard 

45 Tufted Duck 

1 Goosander 

99 Coots counted

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes

21 Pochard

51 Tufted Duck

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

109 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

1 Great Black-backed Gull

c.250 Black-headed Gulls.

1 Buzzard

1 Merlin

(Martin Adlam)

2007 

Priorslee Lake

1 Goldeneye

(Ed Wilson)