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Botanical Report

Species Records

17 Dec 14

Priorslee Lake: 7:03am - 9:56am
Map

10.5°C > 11.5°C  Clearing somewhat after overnight rain. Moderate W wind, occasionally fresh at first. Very good visibility.

Another very quiet day notable for the high temperature.

(150th visit of the year)

Counts over the lake
- c.240 large gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- c.650 Jackdaws
- 17 Rooks

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
44 Magpies (incomplete count)
16  Redwing (incomplete count)
17 Starlings

The counts from the water
1 Little Grebe
3 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
6 (3) Gadwall
9 (5) Mallard
2 (2) Pochard
62 (35) Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail heard only
13 Moorhens
174 Coots
179 Black-headed Gulls
117 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
126 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gull

Other notes
All the fly-over large gulls I checked were Lesser Black-backs whereas over half the birds that arrived at the lake c.9:30am were Herring Gulls: most odd.
Cetti's Warbler still present.
Small Starling roost last night.

The worst of the weather moving away at dawn.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 10:06am - 10:56am
Map

(57th visit of the year)

Notes
Very little change since my last visit

The counts
4 Little Grebes
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
9 Canada Geese
11 (7) Mallard
3 feral Mallard-type ducks
26 (9) Tufted Ducks
7 Moorhens
165 Coots
95 Black-headed Gulls
13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gulls

This is why it can be hard to count Little Grebes: here typically lurking in the reeds.

 It was very mild this morning, but buds already ...

“get back in line #6”. An almost neat line of Canada Geese.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2005, 2009 and 2013
Priorslee Lake
2013
40 Golden Plover 
4 Great Black-backed Gulls - 2 Adult, 3rd winter, 1st winter
(John Isherwood)
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2009
Black-necked Grebe
(Ed Wilson)
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2005
3 Water Rail 
Snipe
(Martin Adlam)