20 Dec 14

Priorslee Lake: 6:59am - 9:45am
Map

6.0°C > 7.0°C  Mainly fine and clear. Moderate / fresh NW wind. Very good visibility.

(152nd visit of the year)

Counts of birds flying over the lake (therefore in addition to those on / around lake)
- 23 Canada Geese
- >200 large gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Redwings
- c.620 Jackdaws
- 11 Rooks
- 7 Ravens
- 8 Starlings

Birds leaving roosts around the lake
40 Magpies (incomplete count)
39 Redwing (?incomplete count)
17 Starlings

The counts from the water
2 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
4 + 1 Swans
6 (3) Gadwall
20 (11) Mallard
2 (2) Pochard
69 (??) Tufted Duck
8 Moorhens
174 Coots
c.170 Black-headed Gulls
23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
44 Herring Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls

Other notes
2 + 1 Swans flew in but were soon chased off.
18 Tufted Ducks flew off before dawn: of the 51 remaining 31 were drakes.
Gulls very tardy this morning: first 2 were Black-headed Gulls at 7:55am.
Now >200 Wood Pigeons in trees to SE of lake, alongside the M54.
At the Redwing roost some (many?) birds were sneaking out to the N – normally most leave to the S / SE when they are easy to count as silhouettes against the dawn sky. How many did I miss?
Cetti's Warbler still present.
7 Ravens in a noisy group over.
>30 Goldfinches in one group of Alders: earlier 17 were seen on another group of Alders but I suspect the larger group included those seen earlier.
and
Another Mottled Umber moth.

Another splendid sunrise today.

Both the local Swans on the warpath, chasing the interlopers.

And the cob closing in.

Well, that’s seen him off.

A winter sun view from the S end of the dam.

3rd and 4th winter Great Black-backed Gulls dwarfing the four Herring Gulls (two 1st winters; one 2nd winter; and a 3rd winters). One of the 1st winters seems to be trying to eat the buoy.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2009 and 2010

Priorslee Lake

2010

A later than usual visit after it had warmed up to -10°C!
Both the lake and The Flash were mainly frozen with just small areas of open water.

Priorslee Lake (Martin Adlam)

Adult Common Gull.
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls 
(Ed Wilson)

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2009
Black-necked Grebe
 >3000 Black-headed Gulls
c.50 large gulls
(Ed Wilson)