Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:25
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:20
3.0°C > 4.0°C: Mainly clear: a few clouds later. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:01 GMT
After many cloud, misty and wet days much better today.
Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:25
(17th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I suspect that all the unidentified geese were in fact Greylags: they were unusually quiet and it was just too dark to be certain.
- Just one drake Gadwall remains.
- Low number of Tufted Duck: I wonder whether all the mud washed in to the lake recently has affected their ability to feed on the submerged vegetation?
- Usual problem trying to determine how many Great Crested Grebes present. Singles / pair seen all around the water but never more than two at any one time ....
- At least 75 more Wood Pigeons seen over fields to the E.
- Jackdaws in two main groups with c.150 at 07:21 and then no more until c.600 passed ten minutes later – an unusually long gap between groups.
- A few Jackdaws stragglers with the unusual sight of nine sharing the Magpies’ post-roost tree for a while.
- The only Reed Bunting seen leaving a roost was one departing the N side. At the W end there were birds calling and then, for the first time I can recall, eight together feeding at the edge of the concrete ramp pre-dawn. Later one (of these?) was singing. None was seen to leave here.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 10 Greylag Geese: eight outbound in two groups: two singles inbound
- 37 Canada Geese: outbound in three groups
- 50 unidentified geese: outbound, also in three groups
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 4 Stock Doves
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- >750 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 2 Redwings
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 24 Magpies
- 4 Starlings
- 1 Reed Bunting (see notes)
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall only
- 12 (7♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck only
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2? Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 51 Coots only
Gulls:
Early arrival:
- First 15 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:31 with another 188 counted arriving.
- A few large gulls dropped in and left quickly
Counts
- 203 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
No gulls arrived after 08:10.
Nothing on any lamp pole pre dawn:
No other sightings
Unusually out in the open this Jay gave me an opportunity for a distant photo.
These Hazel catkins seem a bit hopeful: there are few, if any, insects around to pollinate them.
Perhaps they are wind pollinated?
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:20
(16th visit of the year)
Bird notes from here:
- Two Greylag Geese present when I arrived: these soon left. Later a party of eight came from the S, circled around and left to the E.
- The Grey Heron was, surprisingly, my first of the year here. One had been regular through most of December but then went AWOL.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 8 Canada Geese
- 30 (20♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard
- 37 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens again
- 13 Coots
- 53 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
No other sightings:
New bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
47 Grey Heron
Don’t scowl! This drake Tufted Duck looks none too pleased to have its photograph taken.
Yes: they do have webbed feet.
My first Grey Heron of the year here. A drake Mallard gets in on the (in)action.
Going down ....
The first-winter’s wing pattern is well-shown at this angle.
“Shall we dance?”. Note the very obvious red legs on the two adults.
“all together: wings forward”.
“Oops: seem to have lost the beat”.
A different first-winter in close-up.
This adult practices to become a contortionist.
And the wings operate independently too!
An adult in close-up. The shadow that will be the breeding plumage dark hood is beginning to show.
A different adult. The bill and legs of this bird are not so brightly coloured yet.
And they manage to avoid each other too.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
13 Pochard
63 Tufted Duck
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
101 Coots counted
31 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
7 Redwings
522 Jackdaws
335 Rooks
71 Magpies
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
111 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
26 Wigeon
10 Gadwall
14 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
177 Coots
4 Redwings
30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Dave Tromans)
The Flash
1 Little Grebe
4 Goosander
(Dave Tromans)