19 Feb 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 8.0°C: Areas of medium- and high-level cloud with some clear intervals. Light W wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:19 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:10

(41st visit of the year)

Some more signs of Spring:
- My first singing Chaffinch of the year [last year I noted my first on 05 February]
- My first singing Reed Bunting of the year [last year I noted my first on 08 February]

Bird notes:
- The adult Mute Swans were chasing one of the cygnets before 07:00. At c.08:00 all four cygnets took to the air, making an extended tour of the area to the East, West and North before returning. This is the first time I have seen them leave the confines of the lake and for a while at least they were not visible at all.
- A Cetti's Warbler was in full song along the North side.
- One of the many Blackbirds was heard singing briefly. Only my second record here this year: my first was 10 days ago.
- A Pied Wagtail was my first here for over two weeks which is unusual. I am also short of Grey Wagtail logs at present.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 22 Jackdaws
- 72 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: departed together
- *2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 14 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 94 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.80 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- *1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 moth sp. seen in flight only
- several 'winter midges'
- 1 small red-eyed fly without dark wing tips

Later:
Nothing of note

There looked to be too much cloud around early for there to be too much colour in the sunrise. This while the street lights are reflecting in the wind-ruffled water.

I was wrong. The sun had other ideas and coloured up a good proportion of the sky.

Maximum extent and maximum colour.

It all soon faded. Note less cloud evident by now.

All four Mute Swan cygnets head off.

And some ten minutes later here they are preparing to....

....come back in.

A very blotchy immature Cormorant.

A Coal Tit in song.

One of at least three groups of Long-tailed Tits that seem to be building nests around the area. Adult pairs are reportedly helped by juveniles from last year during both nest building and feeding duties.

This one carrying lichen to add to its nest.

And one from a different group.

And another.

The singing Reed Bunting.

Later it appeared in a more open area and here he is singing. The head will become jet black as the brown feathers on its head are moulted out.

And the back view of the same male.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:25

(37th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Some of the Canada Geese were disputing territories inside the island. The numbers present are likely to have been higher than my count below.

Birds noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water
- 32 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 37 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 53 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 34 Coots only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult and second(?) year
- 3 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons

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

A Treecreeper climbing up a tree. Their claws are such that they always climb up, unlike Nuthatches that can also descend. Here, unusually, it is not using its still tail-feathers as a prop.

They can manage sideways!

Just not enough light to freeze the action as it climbs up. It does show those long claws.

And Long-tailed Tits were nest-building here as well.

That's not very polite.

Adult male Blackbirds may often look glossy black but catch the light correctly and they are slightly blotchy.

(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
1 Little Grebe 
1 Cormorant 
7 Pochard 
24 Tufted Duck 
5 Greater Scaup 
92 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
163 Rooks
12 Siskins
1 Yellowhammer
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard 
169 Tufted Ducks 
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Pochard 
54 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
6 Tufted Duck 
3 Buzzards
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Paul King)

2010
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Heron 
2 Teal
4 Gadwall
48 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Sparrowhawk
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
126 Coots 
1 Lapwing
1 Oystercatcher
2 single Redwing
16 Fieldfare
15 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
12 Pochard
16 Tufted Ducks
107 Coots
2 Water Rails
425 Wood Pigeons
1 Sky Lark
20 Robins
12 Blackbirds
17 Greenfinches
45 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)