1.0°C > 3.0°C: Mostly sunny. Light westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:22 GMT yet again!
A Happy New Year to all my readers. Thanks again for your interest. And particular thanks to Martin Adlam. He has performed another year of sterling work updating the web site and posting on Facebook my ramblings.
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(no visit)
Fall on sword time. I am once again indebted to Tom Lowe for pointing out that the two egrets I photographed flying over on Monday were Little Egrets and not the Great (White) Egrets I recorded. My wimpish excuse is that because they were against the light I could not see any of the bare part colouration. Looking again the legs are too short, there is too little 'keel' to the neck folded back in flight and the bill is too slender. As I have reminded myself before "never assume...". Add that to my New Year resolutions.
Fall on sword time. I am once again indebted to Tom Lowe for pointing out that the two egrets I photographed flying over on Monday were Little Egrets and not the Great (White) Egrets I recorded. My wimpish excuse is that because they were against the light I could not see any of the bare part colouration. Looking again the legs are too short, there is too little 'keel' to the neck folded back in flight and the bill is too slender. As I have reminded myself before "never assume...". Add that to my New Year resolutions.
Correction: not much light when these two Little Egrets flew over. Re-identified as this species by the relatively short legs, no bulging 'keel' from the neck held back in flight and a thinner bill. Apologies for getting them wrong.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35
(311th visit of the year)
About 20% ice
Bird notes:
- *two Mute Swans present, perhaps a pair and seemingly content with each other's presence.
- no Shoveler located.
- some of the Pochard seem to have departed.
- only four Great Crested Grebe seen.
- the overflying Herring Gull was trailing several feel of, possibly, string, fishing line?
- *a Great (White) Egret (honest!) present
- a Marsh Tit was calling in squirrel alley. I failed to locate it: I did find both Nuthatch and *Tree Creeper and among the tit flock.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull: see notes
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults, singly
Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- *2 Mute Swans
- no Shoveler
- 31 (21♂) Mallard
- 5 (2+♂) Pochard only
- 45 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens only
- 42 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter, departed
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Great (White) Egret
Noted around the area:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35
(311th visit of the year)
About 20% ice
Bird notes:
- *two Mute Swans present, perhaps a pair and seemingly content with each other's presence.
- no Shoveler located.
- some of the Pochard seem to have departed.
- only four Great Crested Grebe seen.
- the overflying Herring Gull was trailing several feel of, possibly, string, fishing line?
- *a Great (White) Egret (honest!) present
- a Marsh Tit was calling in squirrel alley. I failed to locate it: I did find both Nuthatch and *Tree Creeper and among the tit flock.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull: see notes
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults, singly
Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- *2 Mute Swans
- no Shoveler
- 31 (21♂) Mallard
- 5 (2+♂) Pochard only
- 45 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens only
- 42 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter, departed
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Great (White) Egret
Noted around the area:
Flies:
- *1 Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina: the only insect on the sun-lit Ivy.
- *1 Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina: the only insect on the sun-lit Ivy.
Springtails:
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Araneus-type Orb-weaver spider probably from the genus Zygiella.: same as yesterday
One of the two Mute Swans present today. This I believe to be a cob (male) by the size of the swelling at the base of the bill. The colour of the bill suggests a full adult in breeding condition.
Close behind was what appears to be a pen (female). There is a smaller swelling at the base of the bill and the neck is noticeably thinner.
...Treecreeper getting stuck in to the task of digging morsels out of the moss and lichen on the tree trunk.
The same Araneus-type Orb-weaver spider in a very similar place, also on the same street lamp pole as yesterday. The only change was that it was in the sun.
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st-winter female Scaup
(Ian Grant)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
(Jim Almond and Paul Spear)
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee lake
11 Great Crested Grebes
31 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
237 Coot
Golden Plover
1 Water Rail
700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1250 Black-headed Gulls
300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
37 Herring Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gull
374 Jackdaws
178 Rooks
1 Kingfisher
1 Willow Tit
2 Redpolls.
2 Redwings
14 Robins
19 Blackbirds
13 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
- *1 Araneus-type Orb-weaver spider probably from the genus Zygiella.: same as yesterday
Yes: it really is a Great (White) Egret. It cannot be anything else with a long, dagger-like yellow bill.
A not very cooperative Long-tailed Tits distracted me from the...
The slender curved bill helps get in the nooks and crannies. Note the stiff tail-feathers being used as a prop.
Another view showing the bill-shape.
Poking away.
Tail-on view of a Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina: the only insect on the sun-lit Ivy.
Same insect head-on.
A springtail Tomocerus vulgaris on the same street lamp pole as yesterday.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st-winter female Scaup
(Ian Grant)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
(Jim Almond and Paul Spear)
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee lake
11 Great Crested Grebes
31 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
237 Coot
Golden Plover
1 Water Rail
700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1250 Black-headed Gulls
300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
37 Herring Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gull
374 Jackdaws
178 Rooks
1 Kingfisher
1 Willow Tit
2 Redpolls.
2 Redwings
14 Robins
19 Blackbirds
13 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)