15.5°C > 12.5°C: Clouding up from W with occasional mainly light drizzle and low cloud later. Light SE at first, then light / moderate NW. Very good visibility to start becoming moderate, even poor, in drizzle
Sunrise: 06:14 BST
First day back after three weeks in Brazil’s Amazon jungles was a shock to the system
Priorslee Lake: 05:35 – 06:50 // 07:40 – 08:45
(92nd visit of the year)
The work on and around the dam is now complete with several access covers on and around the dam
For some reason the Council or its contractors have seen fit to flail some of the hedges around the football field, removing hips and haws that would have been food for winter thrushes later in the year
Notes from today:
- probably more geese than I logged: many of the parties very distant both to the N and S with some barely above tree-height
- one pair of Great Crested Grebes still with 4 now well-grown juveniles; another pair with 3 quite new juveniles; 2 more pairs not showing any inclination to nest; and a fledged juvenile
- many Black-headed Gulls flew overhead directly from roost (Middle Pool?) to the fields to the E. These may have been among the c.175 birds seen on the lake later – there were <60 earlier
- >95 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew SE mainly to the NE early with a few of these stopping off at the lake for a while. Later >20 large gulls dropped in to the lake for a while
- single Jackdaw and Rook this morning: perhaps I arrived too late for the overhead roost dispersal?
- for the first tine this year there were no Song Thrushes singing today
- Robins now back in full song – 36 logged this morning. A month ago I was logging as few as 12
- no sight or sound of any Reed Warblers: they have likely left, but is always difficult to prove the absence of anything
and
- two moths on the lamps: a Six-stripe Rustic which is a new species for me; and my first Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella) of the year
- single Syrphus sp. hoverfly seen, not well-enough to specifically ID
- probably too late arriving to see any pipistrelle-type bats
- lots of Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) on the dam – rather late this year?
On with the bird totals
Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 4 Greylag Geese: 4 (1 group) outbound
- 138 Canada Geese: 138 (11 groups) outbound
- 1 Cormorant
- >88 Black-headed Gulls
- >83 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook
- 3 Pied Wagtails
Hirundine etc. seen or heard today
- c.40 House Martins
Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 23 (?♂) Mallard
- 8 + 8 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 + 4 Moorhens
- 66 (>3 juveniles) Coots
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher
A new moth for me: a Six-stripe Rustic.
A very common grass moth – Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella): my first this year.
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash alongside the path
- juvenile Moorhen(s) heard from the upper pool
- two Chiffchaffs heard calling
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:55 – 07:30
(71st visit of the year)
Notes from here
- higher than expected number of Tufted Ducks
- were the Coots just hiding or have some left?
- most of the gulls flew off while I was present – to the lake?
- many House Martins heard high overhead as I arrived but I could not locate them: possibly the same party of c.40 birds seen over W end of the lake a few minutes earlier
Birds noted flying over
None
Hirundine etc. noted
- ? House Martins (see notes)
Warblers noted
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs
The counts from the water
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 16 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose
- 22 (16♂) Mallard
- 21 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 1 Moorhens
- 7 + 2 Coots
- 49 (>5 juveniles) Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's News Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
Whinchat
(John Isherwood)
2011
Nedge Hill
Peregrine
(John Isherwood)
Priorslee Lake
Today's News Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
Whinchat
(John Isherwood)
2011
Nedge Hill
Peregrine
(John Isherwood)