21 Dec 17

Priorslee Lake (twice), The Flash and Trench Lock Pool

8.0°C > 11.0°C: Patches of mist and fog to start: cleared after 10:00. Light SW wind. Poor / bad visibility, sometimes good and becoming very good

Sunrise: 08:19 GMT again

Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:30 // 11:15 – 11:30

(166th visit of the year)

The mist and fog failed to clear and I returned after visiting Trench to make the lake counts

No ice remaining

 Notes from today:
- the 2 visiting adult Mute Swans were present early on and the residents ignored them: they had gone when I returned
- seemed to be 33 Canada Geese on the water at 07:15 – not 100% certain as very misty. Later one stayed behind for a while
- the extra drake Gadwall not located the morning
- c.90 Black-headed Gulls by 07:40 when the visibility was good-enough to see the water. c.170 by 07:50, with many soon leaving. 64 seen arriving from the W at 08:25 – new arrivals? 105 present at 11:30
- just 2 Wood Pigeons over: and only 3 seen in the trees
and, all on the lamps
- 6 Mottled Umber on the lamps. one still in exactly the same place as the previous three days
- 3 winter moth sps. again
- 2 different ‘bugs’ one a probable Common Damsel Bug (Nabis rugosus)

 Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 Buzzards
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 112 Jackdaws
- 3 Redwings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

 Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpie roost not counted]
- 8 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting yet again

 The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 3 Mute Swans again (see notes)
- 33 Canada Geese (see notes)
- 10 (5♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard
- 49 (26♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Water Rail
- 9 Moorhens again
- 201 Coots
- >170 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (2nd visit only)
- 1 Herring Gull (2nd visit only)

Mist came and went first thing this morning making counts from the lake impossible at that time.

In the mist, here is a Mistle Thrush – note the pale edges to the primaries and coverts which, apart from size, separates from Song Thrush. Mistle Thrush leaves this area post-breeding and is then not often seen until singing recommences in late January / February.

Three moths here: top and bottom are different examples of the variable Mottled Umber moth. The middle moth is almost certainly a Winter Moth – it is probably too late in the year for Northern Winter Moth to be flying.

A somewhat better shot of what I believe to be a Common Damsel Bug (Nabis rugosus).

This seems to be a different bug – and one with only 5 legs too. The legs are somewhat longer than the presumed Common Damsel Bug and rather reminiscent of so-called ‘stilt bugs’. Not quite right as the antenna on that group of bugs are longer. So ...?
(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:25

(113th visit of the year)

Still a little ice debris on the surface in the sheltered NW area

Notes from here
- 4 drake Pochard new in: probably birds from the lake (as no doubt were some of the Tufted Ducks)
- good group of 11 Goosanders
and
- 3 Mottled Umber moths on the lamps. one still in exactly the same place as on 18th December

Birds noted flying over
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag x Canada Geese
- 24 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose
- 28 (18♂) Mallard
- 4 (4) Pochard
- 19 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 11 (6♂) Goosanders
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 10 Coots
- 35 Black-headed Gulls

Look away if you are squeamish: this is the remains of the last cygnet here. The scattering of feathers suggests to me that it is the work of a fox (or, dare I suggest, one of the improperly controlled local dogs?)

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 10:35 – 11:05

(40th visit of the year)

No obvious ice remaining

 Notes from here
- the strange duck(?) Pochard still present
- Little Grebes back again and an additional Great Crested Grebe

Birds noted flying over here [apart from the local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws coming and going]
- 4 Canada Geese

The counts from the water
- 1 + 6 Mute Swans
- 15 Canada Geese
- 11 (6♂) Mallards
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard again
- 3 (2♂) Shoveler remain
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 42 (23♂) Tufted Ducks
- 14 (10) Goosanders
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 132 Coots
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

No mistaking that ‘hooter’. A duck Shoveler showing the neatly edged flank feathers, quite different from duck Mallard. This bird was keeping company with two drake Mallard while the two drake Shoveler lurked out of sight.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

 2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here

 2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
7 Pochard 
74 Tufted Ducks
221 Coots
2 Fieldfare
65 Redwings
228 Jackdaws
119 Rooks
13 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

 2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall.
12 Pochard
12 Goosanders
51 Tufted Ducks
145 Coots
c.280 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
c.265 Jackdaws
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

 The Flash
12 Goosanders
4 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
12 Goosanders
7 Coots
42 were Herring Gulls
44 Black-headed Gulls only on the water
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

 Trench Lock Pool
32 Mute Swans
42 Tufted Duck
168 Coots counted
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
(Ed Wilson)

 2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
8 Great Crested Grebes
22 Swans
1 Gadwall
51 Pochard
148 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Woodcock
274 Coots
8000+ gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
7 Redwings
16 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/Martin Adlam/Jim Almond)

 2005
Priorslee lake
9 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gull.
c.200 Coot 
1 Water Rail
15 Pied Wagtails
243 Rooks
532 Jackdaw
31 Siskin
2 Redpoll
16 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)