Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 07:35 // 08:30 – 09:40
The Flash: 07:40 – 08:25
8°C > 11°C: Broken cloud at multiple levels. A few bright bits to start but became more generally overcast. Light W wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:08 BST
With a bright overcast the conditions were ideal to see over flying birds. Sadly there were not too many
Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 07:35 // 08:30 – 09:40
(119th visit of the year)
Best bird today was the distant Common Kestrel over the fields to the NE. Only my second record of this declining species here this year
Bird notes:
- another increase in Tufted Duck numbers
- 4 Little Grebes noted
- 22 Black-headed Gulls seen on the football field: I assume these were on the lake later. Low number today
- an over-flying Collared Dove: now seen on 3 of the last 4 days after an absence of >5 weeks
- the main party of Jackdaws consisted of c.190 birds: in a tight group these had to be estimated in ‘groups of about 10’
- 85 Rooks was also a large count – parties of 72 and 13 preceding the Jackdaws
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose [inbound with the Canada Geese]
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose [inbound with the Canada Geese]
- 20 Canada Geese [20 (1 group) inbound]
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- c.196 Jackdaws
- 85 Rooks
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
Hirundines etc. noted
None
Warblers noted
- 3 Chiffchaffs
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (3♂) Mallards
- 39 (>9?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Little Grebes
- 3 + 1 (1 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 128 Coots
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
And other notes
- my log today consisted of just
- 1 dead wasp sp. caught in spider web
- 2 Garden Spiders (Arameus diadematus)
- - 1 Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
A quick scurry around the other end and a more traditional vista.
And here another view with its tongue buried in the flower of Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris).
A spider on one of the lamps this morning. Looks like a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) to me.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 07:40 – 08:25
(96th visit of the year)
An over flying Linnet was my first here since 2014. My 69th bird species at The Flash in 2018
Notes from here
- only 1 adult Mute Swan noted
- 2 Greylag Geese came from the W and circled several times and then left. Several minutes later what was presumably the same 2 reappeared and after circling for a while eventually decided it was safe to land. All the other geese presumably still out feeding somewhere
- juvenile Great Crested Grebe seen again
- another record low count of Coots
and
- many 100s of fruiting bodies of one or more species of fungus found on fallen trees in squirrel alley
Birds noted flying over or near to The Flash
- 1 Wood Pigeon once more
- 1 Linnet
Warblers noted
- 2 Chiffchaffs
The counts from the water
- 1 + 3 Mute Swans only
- 2 Greylag Geese
- no Canada Geese
- 44 (26♂) Mallard
- 11 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe
- 5 Moorhens again
- 5 Coots only
- 19 Black-headed Gulls
This is a close-up of some of the larger fruits.
There were also some small fruiting bodies: the same species?
And these were around the base of an apparently healthy Ash tree.
Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- party of 12 Greylag Geese inbound to The Flash
- Moorhen(s) heard from the upper pool
- 1 Grey Squirrel yet again
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2011Priorslee Flash
This morning an adult Wryneck, popped up on a wall while I was walking along the footpath along the West side of The Flash at c.09:45. I managed a quick record shot and when I looked up from the camera the bird had gone - probably dropped in to the garden the other side. The gardens are higher than the path so looking over the wall is not possible. Hung around for some 10 minutes but nothing appeared. (Ed Wilson)
Wryneck - 2011 (Ed Wilson)