19 Jan 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 1.0°C: Low/medium overcast. Light / moderate southerly wind. Moderate visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:10 GMT]

I decided not to peer in to the early gloom and performed by usual routes later than usual.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 08:55 – 10:20

(17th visit of the year)

No ice remains.

Bird notes:
- back to seven Gadwall (three drakes): there probably always are with some of them hiding in the reeds some days.
- *a quintet of (Eurasian) Wigeon (two drakes) were new arrivals.
- only one duck Pochard confirmed. Yesterday they were together at the East end. Today one at the East end was seen paddling off and assumed to be the bird seen at the West end later.
- a second Grey Heron present for at least some of the time again.
- *12 Redwings were on the football field.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Geese: single outbound
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the lake area:
- 19 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (3♂) Gadwall
- *5 (2♂) (Eurasian) Wigeon
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 23 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 242 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Great (White) Egret

Also noted.

Nothing else

New Bird Species
Two additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
59 (Eurasian) Wigeon
60 Redwing

Apologies for the poor quality of all the photos today. The light was just too poor for crisp shots. Here are the five (Eurasian) Wigeon the two drakes with the yellow crown front-left and on the right. The 'Eurasian' moniker is strictly necessary to distinguish this species from its New World congener American Wigeon, a species that turns up in small numbers in the UK every winter.

The Great (White) Egret is still here. I could only shoot at 1/125th of a second which was to slow to "freeze" the action.

One of 12 Redwings on the football field. This species does have red on the underwing but it is the red on the flanks that are usually what it visible. The pale eyebrow (supercilium) separates this species from all other thrush-like birds.

The best I could manage with a male Bullfinch among the twigs.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 10:25 – 11:15

(15th visit of the year)

No ice remains.

Bird notes:
- the Little Grebe put in another brief appearance – until it saw me and scurried back in to reeds.
- no ice apparently means no (or very few) large gulls.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 42 (28♂) Mallard
- [no all-white feral Aylesbury Duck seen]
- 88 (58♂) Tufted Duck
- 17 Moorhens
- 51 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 137 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: (near) adult and second winter, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed

Noted elsewhere:

Nothing

New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:


(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
1 female Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup - 1st winter male, 2 1st winter females
(David Barnes / Tony Beckett / Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)

2007
Priorslee Lake
8 Cormorants
3 Pochard
31 Tufted Ducks
9 Goosanders
c.50 Golden Plover
>1100 Black-headed Gulls
133 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
250 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
17 Blackbirds
8 Fieldfares
4 Redwings
43 Magpies
279 Jackdaws
136 Rooks
5 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1100 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Gadwall
8 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
198 Coot
376 Jackdaws
265 Rooks
200 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
21 Blackbirds
22 Siskins
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)