28 Nov 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

1.0°C > 3.0°C: Early fog: remained misty. Thin high cloud. Light wind. Moderate visibility.
[Sunrise: 07:55 GMT]

It was fog that delayed my start today. A visit to The Flash then other things to do. Later an early afternoon visit to see whether there was a pre-roost aggregation of gulls: there wasn't!

* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:20 – 11:30

(259th visit of the year)

From the dam-top area only.

Bird notes:
- what is presumably the same Great (White) Egret put in another appearance.
- the Cetti's Warbler could be heard above the traffic noise.

Counts from the lake area:
- 12 Canada Geese
- 20 + 2 Mute Swans
- *3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 7 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 242 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret

Of note:

Nothing else

Record shot of the Great (White) Egret. As luck would have it there is a pair of Gadwall at the right with the drake the left bird of the pair.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 14:05 – 14:35

(262nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a duck and an immature drake Shoveler reappeared.
- two Common Teal by the island: one was a drake; in the haze I could not be sure about the sex of other.
- still the three adult and one first-winter drake Pochard.
- the drake Goosander was present again.
- even more Moorhens than the recent high counts. Perhaps the small pools between the lake and The Flash were frozen over and those residents had sought refuge here.
- a Coal Tit was singing again.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 40 (23♂) Mallard
- 2 (1?♂) Common Teal
- *4 (4♂) Pochard
- *50 (28?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 26 Moorhens
- 112 Coots
- 17 Black-headed Gulls
- *3 Herring Gull: two adults and one second winter
- 1 Cormorant
- *1 Grey Heron: arrived

Of note around The Flash:

Nothing else

"My what big feet you have". For some reasons the four 'extra' adult Mute Swans that are normally two well-separated pairs flew the length of the water. This is one of them preparing to touch down.

A typical view of a Shoveler, head in the water and spinning around to stir up the sediment for the bill to sift the goodies. I took over 20 shots of this duck to get sight of the bill and not once did she lift it further out of the water than it is here. On all species of duck the nostrils are at the base of the upper mandible so she has barely to lift her bill to breathe.

A soggy-looking drake Pochard. The camera has managed to capture many of the fine vermiculations formed by barring on the grey back feathers.

An equally soggy-looking is this first winter drake Pochard. He has an all-dark bill.

 A drake Tufted Duck flies...

...by and...

...under-carriage coming down. Apologies for the distracting out-of-focus gull in the background.

A trio of action shots of an adult winter Herring Gull. One.

Two.

 And three.

The Grey Heron arrives. I get the impression I am being watched.

"Where are my meal-worms?" A Robin looks accusingly at me.

"Say that again. I am hard of hearing".

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years without links are below

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
c.373 Wood Pigeons
2 Woodcock
17 Redwings
29 Fieldfares
c.490 Jackdaws
56 Rooks
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
10+ Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2009
The Wrekin
Firecrest
(Martin & Ian Grant)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
26 Pochard
47 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
895 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Fieldfares
24 Redwings
191 Jackdaws
123 Rooks
53 Starlings
16 Greenfinch
13 Goldfinches
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
A duck Wigeon
Cormorant
c.75 Lapwing
2 Fieldfares
1 duck Pochard
34 Tufted Duck logged.
200 Coot
(Ed Wilson)