7 Mar 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 4.0°C: Early cloud clearing somewhat with bright and then sunny spells later. Moderate WNW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:44 GMT

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 09:00

(56th visit of the year)

*Best bird this morning was my third Little Egret of the year. A single bird flew East at 07:05

Other bird notes:
- In addition to the Stock Dove seen flying high North with Wood Pigeons another was seen displaying over the North side trees where I heard one calling on Sunday.
- Even with an earlier start I failed to see or hear any Jackdaws or Rooks on their pre-dawn roost dispersal. I saw none later.
- *Just one Mistle Thrushes was noted flying across Castle Farm Way to settle in trees at the South end of the dam. Later two were on the grass in front of the sailing club shelter. Still no song heard.
- Several House Sparrows had escaped from the estate and were in bushes in the academy grounds.
- At least 30 Siskins flying around and calling. I could not locate the trees they were feeding in.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 9 Canada Geese: four flew South to the West and then presumably the same flew East a few minutes later; five flew inbound together
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove: high North with Wood Pigeons
- 38 Wood Pigeons: of these six flew very high North together with the Stock Dove
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 1 Black-headed Gull flew high South
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Little Egret

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese: a trio and then a duo departed; a duo arrived and also departed
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall only
- 3 (3♂) Mallard only
- 2 (1♂) Pochard again
- 19 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 64 Coots again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 54 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: all adults

On the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Nothing

Later:
Nothing of note

Hardly an inspiring sunrise but after a series of mornings with wall-to-wall cloud I'll take it!

 Was it better or worse later?

As with my previous two sightings here this year the Little Egret was well passed me before I noticed it. These days it is necessary to eliminate the similar-sized Cattle Egret, one of which has been at Belvide Reservoir, 12 miles to the East, for a month. The best separation is the yellow feet of Little Egret but that does not help here. The feature in this shot to confirm it as a Little Egret is the way the neck is held hunched-up in flight. The shorter-necked Cattle Egret would not show this so clearly.

One of the two Mistle Thrushes that were in front of the sailing club shelter. Noticeable are the pale fringes to the flight feathers.

A Grey Wagtail on the dam-top. It is clearly not the ringed individual that has been present, on and off, since November 2019. Reminder: wagtails are named after the colour of the back so despite the yellow under-tail and (in breeding plumage) the yellow on the breast this is a Grey Wagtail. Yellow Wagtails, summer visitors, are the ones with yellow backs and heads.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:05 – 10:20

(52nd visit of the year)

Highlight here and an addition to my site bird list for this year (#53) were two Skylarks that flew north-west overhead just as I arrived. It is 2017 since I recorded these here on Spring passage (25 March). All subsequent years I have only seen them passing in Autumn from late September onwards.

Other bird notes:
- A pair of Common Teal was tucked up against the island again. Last noted by me on 21 February. Could they have been lurking inside the island all this while? [see photos: an unidentified duck was with them]
- Two 'brownhead' Goosander flew off before I could have a good look at them to determine age / sex. Neither adult drakes obviously.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling alongside squirrel alley today.
- Long-tailed Tits seen in two different locations. They did not seem to be nest-building.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Skylarks: together

Noted on / around the water
- 28 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 30 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 49 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (?♂) Goosander
- 13 Moorhens only
- 33 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 67 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: all second years
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults and a second year
- 4 Cormorants: two departed and one arrived

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

Look carefully! Tucked up against the island and left to right: a duck Common Teal showing her green speculum and white in the side of her tail; a drake Common Teal recognisable by his brown head and yellow flash along the side of his body; and another duck. But what is the other duck? Good question and I don't know. I did not see it until I looked at this photo. It looks too large to be another Common Teal but too small to be a duck Mallard. I suspect it might be the duck Shoveler that was here yesterday but on this view... It is not in the log totals above.

A smart Great Crested Grebe. This adult-plumaged bird was between the island and Derwent Drive. Another adult seems to like it under the overhanging willows at the top end. A first year bird, still growing its head plumes, seems to appear near either location.

One of three second year Herring Gulls present.

There were no cooperative Long-tailed Tits today. So a Blue Tit photo instead. Just how many different shades of blue are there in its plumage? Unlike Great Tits male Blue Tits cannot be reliably separated from females (except, one assumes, by Blue Tits).

Cute.

(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 Yellow-legged gull

(Gary Crowder)

Horsehay Pool

1 Iceland Gull

(Ian Grant)

2011

Priorslee Lake

4 Wigeon

2 Gadwall

5 Teal

8 Goosander

15 Pochard

40 Tufted Ducks

7 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cormorant

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

8 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cormorant

6 Gadwall

26 Pochard

5 Goosanders

62 Tufted Duck

1 Water Rail

76 Coots

62 Magpies

2 Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

3 Cormorant

2 Grey Heron

16 Tufted Duck

1 Ruddy Duck

1 Woodcock

425 Wood Pigeon

2 Grey Wagtail

37 Robin

26 Blackbird

7 Song Thrush

6 Redwing

47 Magpie

146 Jackdaw

10 Greenfinch

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebe

6 Great Crested Grebes

2 Herons

4 Pochard

52 Tufted Ducks

1 Ruddy Duck

106 Coots

1 Water Rail

1 Curlew 

23 Blackbirds

11 Greenfinches

2 Siskins

3 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)