6 Jan 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C: Some clear spells, especially early. More cloud later with a slight rain shower. Light SSW breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:40

(5th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
Three more species added to my 2023 list from here:
- A Treecreeper was heard at its traditional roost and nest site c.08:20
- A Peregrine was flying around high above the East end at 08:40. A male on size.
- A Grey Heron was by the boat launching platforms at c.09:20.

This takes my 2023 bird species count to 53.

Other bird notes:
- The 26 Greylag Geese flew over some distance away at 07:35 when it was too dark to see whether there were any of the three mainly white feral geese among them.
- Yesterday's two drake Pochard gone. Perhaps the birds seen at The Flash later.
- Once again Herring Gulls significantly outnumbered Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- I was ostensibly well-positioned to see the roost dispersal flight of Jackdaws and Rooks. I noted a single Jackdaw (with another overhead much later). Where were they all?
- The Cetti's Warbler sang again. This was preceded by a rapid-fire series of call-notes that had the right timbre for this species. I have searched the literature and the recordings on xeno-canto and can find no reference to such calls. I have no idea what else it could be.
- There were at least 40 Redwings in the trees alongside Teece Drive at 09:35.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 27 Greylag Geese: outbound together: see notes
- 7 Feral Pigeons: together
- 37 Wood Pigeons: just 11 of these seen flying high North
- 62 Herring Gulls
- 24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 17 unidentified large gulls pre-dawn
- 1 Cormorant
- *1 Peregrine
- 2 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 1 Siskin again

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 8 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- *3 Canada Geese
- *4 + 8 (2 broods) Mute Swans: a visiting pair with four cygnets arrived and were dispatched in a few minutes
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall: one of the ducks was on her own, well away from the other trio.
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 38 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 10 Moorhens
- 171 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- c.120 Black-headed Gulls
- *33 Herring Gulls
- *4? Yellow-legged Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 31 unidentified large gulls pre-dawn
- *3 Cormorants: arrived separately
- *1 Grey Heron

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn
Light rain probably moved most things on.
- *1 Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 unidentified winter midge
- several springtails

Noted later:
- *Daisy (Bellis perennis): my first flower here this year.

 Early on it did not look like being a decent sunrise.

A somewhat better prospect. The resident Mute Swan family get in on the action.

Even better.

Better still.

The trio of Canada Geese present decided to spend time on the dam top. The left-most bird is the one with a very reduced white 'chin-strap' that I noted one morning at The Flash last October. The one in the middle looks rather short-legged.

When I saw this family party of Mute Swans with four cygnets fly in I assumed it was the residents that had been for a fly.

Not so: here the resident adults arrive to see them off. My view of the water was largely obscured at this time and by the time I could get a clear view the visitors had gone.

Just as I was about to leave I checked back on the water and a group of 31 Herring-type gulls were just arriving. As quickly as I could I made my way back to get a closer view. From the distance one or more looked like Yellow-legged Gulls. By the time I got to a closer viewing position they had almost all departed. Just these four remained. Still really too far to be certain but the second from the left seems to have the clean white head which is one characteristic of Yellow-legged Gull in winter. Also the back looks slightly darker than the Herring Gull with a well-streaked head to its left. As for the other two... perhaps the right-most bird is another Yellow-legged Gull.

One of the three Cormorants arriving. White on the belly indicates it is an immature.

My first Grey Heron of the year here. From this angle it looks to be wearing a great-coat.

 By the time I could get the camera on the Peregrine it was a long way away and against the light.

 I was quite surprised the camera managed to 'see' the distant dot and focus on it.

My first Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria) of the year. Like almost all winter-flying moths only males are fully-winged. It is several years since I noted any females on street lamp poles.

A flower that can be seen almost any time of the year is the Daisy (Bellis perennis). This was the first I have managed to find this year.

And then I found another.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:45 – 10:40

(5th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
One addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- A Coal Tit was singing lustily as it moved along the West side with a Long-tailed Tit party.

This takes my 2023 species count from here to 37.

Other bird notes:
- One of the Mute Swan cygnets seems to spend long periods of time separate from its siblings and its parents.
- The two drake Pochard were perhaps refugees from the Balancing Lake. In turn some of the Tufted Duck seem to have gone the other way.
- The Grey Heron that has been by one of the footbridges for many days was not there this morning.
- Four Song Thrushes were singing away. Another was seen hunting worms etc.

Birds noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water
- 13 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 30 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- *8 (2?♂) Goosander
- *17 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe seen
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: second winter
- *4 Cormorants: two of these arrived
- 2 Grey Herons

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

I think this is an immature drake Goosander. The flanks look rather pale, there only the merest hint of white on the chin and the white in the folded wing all support its identity as a drake moulting in to adult plumage. But drakes should not show head plumes...

The Moorhens were fighting again.

 Take that!

 I give in.

yes, yes, I'm going.

This second winter Herring Gull was flying around most of the time. The tail band looks rather darker than usual for a bird of this age, I think because the tail is being held tightly closed.

Here from below. On this species the tips of various wing feathers are not so dark as on Lesser Black-backed Gulls which looked heavily marked when seen from underneath.

Make room for me! Another Cormorant joins two others in the trees on the island.

(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

2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup
5 Great Black-backed Gulls - 4 adult and a 1st winter
(John Isherwood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1st winter Caspian Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Caspian Gulls
10+ Yellow-legged gulls (most adults and 3rd-winters, at least 1 1st-winter)
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
(J W Reeves)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Pair of Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Evening Report
An adult winter Ring-billed Gull at about 3:15pm
3 adult Common Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

Daytime Report
4 Common Gull
2 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
Black-necked Grebe
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)