Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:45
Woodhouse Lane area: 07:45 – 08:20
3°C > 8°C: Thin high cloud and decaying trails: otherwise fine and clear apart from a few mist early patches. Frosty start. Very light wind. Very good visibility after mist dispersed
Sunrise: 07:05 BST
Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:45
(118th visit of the year)
Most unexpected this morning were 2 Sand Martins that flew W at 08:40
Other bird notes:
- even more Tufted Ducks
- a 5th apparent adult Great Crested Grebe. I wonder whether one of these is the now full-grown juvenile from the NW pair. This species is notoriously difficult to count spending long periods underwater and moving considerable distance while so-doing. Perhaps it has been here all along?
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 14 Canada Geese [14 (1 group) inbound]
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 2 Feral Pigeons again
- 25 Wood Pigeons
- 158 Jackdaws
- 60 Rooks
- 2 Skylarks
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 6 Pied Wagtails
Hirundines etc. noted
- 2 Sand Martins as highlighted
Warblers noted:
- 4 Chiffchaffs
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans as usual
- 7 (5♂) Mallards
- 33 (>5?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 5 + 1 (1 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 136 Coots
- 91 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
And other notes
- my log today consisted of just
- [no wasps! too cold?]
- 1 Common Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina)
- 1 Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly)
The moon is decidedly lop-sided after just 3 nights.
The colour this morning was only very pre-dawn with the street lights still on.
As the colour faded the mist rose over the water.
Like this.
A burning bush sunrise.
One of the Tufted Ducks comes in to land.
The parent Great Crested Grebe has caught breakfast for junior.
And teases junior by placing the fish in front of it.
And then swimming off.
The juvenile has another go at grabbing the fish.
And now has it firmly in its bill. Seemed to be all part of a teaching process.
A different bird showing the upper wing markings more clearly.
A Song Thrush looking at me and wondering what to do.
My first Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly) for a while.
(Ed Wilson)
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Notes from Woodhouse Lane area [07:45 – 08:20]
- >40 Black-headed Gulls in newly sown field to E of Castle Farm Way. Good news in that if the farmer is still working the fields here the outline planning permission for houses is unlikely to be exercised soon
- 3 Stock Doves in the same field
- 12 Rooks also in same field
- 1 Skylark over
- 2 Chiffchaffs in the area
- 2 Pied Wagtails in and over the fields
- 1 Linnet over
- 2 Yellowhammers in the hedges
Rather misty this morning.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2017Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
2 Sparrowhawks
24 Swallows
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
Siskin
105 Greenfinches
Swallow
House Martin
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)