27 Dec 14

Priorslee Lake: 6:59am - 10:17am

Map

0.5°C > 1.0°C:  Showers spreading in after clear start: rain, sleet and snow. Moderate NNWW wind. Very good visibility.

Some lying snow, probably not enough to significantly affect birds. No ice.

(157th visit of the year)

Counts of birds flying over the lake (therefore in addition to those on / around lake)
- 84 large gulls
- 11 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Sky Lark
- 2 Redwings
- 269 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 1 Raven
- 1 Redpoll

Counts of birds leaving roosts around the lake
Magpies not counted.
134 Redwings.

The counts from the water
2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
6 (3) Gadwall
7 (4) Mallard
6 (5) Pochard
69 (41) Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail (heard only)
10 Moorhens
192 Coots
117 Black-headed Gulls
46 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
8 Great Black-backed Gulls

Other notes
Rather few gulls both at and over the lake: because the tips closed over Christmas?
>200 Wood Pigeons in fields to E.
1 Sky Lark over was rather unseasonal: no doubt moved by the snow.
1 Song Thrush singing despite the weather.
With northerly component to the wind many of the Redwings left unseen to the north and count more than usually reliant on ‘heards’.
Jackdaw numbers low: left very early and used unusual flight-lines to both far E and W, so may have missed some / many.

A watery sunrise over the lake.

The sparse snow this morning.

The houses to the E of the lake are slightly higher and seem to have caught more snow.

Moss, lichen and fungus: what more could you want on one bough?

Bramble leaves often stay on the vine very late in the season, as here, and add a touch of colour on winter days.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 10:23am - 10:49am
Map

(128th visit of the year)

Notes
Very quiet with gulls rather scarce here as well.

Counts of birds flying over The Flash (therefore in addition to those on / around water)
2 large gulls only!

The counts from the water
1 Little Grebe
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
4 Canada Geese
1 all-white feral goose
37 (25) Mallard
1 all-white feral duck
34 (19) Tufted Ducks
4 Moorhens
17 Coots
44 Black-headed Gulls
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Herring Gull

And here is what it looked like at The Flash: it always seems to be slightly colder here than at the lake and hence there is slightly more snow.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2009 and 2010

Priorslee Lake

2010

2nd-winter Mediterranean Gull
(Observer unknown)

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2009
Black-necked Grebe
(Ed Wilson)

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2006
3 Bramblings
(Martin Adlam)