Priorslee Lake: 07:10 – 08:40 // 09:25 – 09:55
Sunrise: 08:17 GMT
7°C > 8°C: Mainly cloudy at various levels; lifted somewhat then rather misty. Light and variable wind. Moderate visibility at best
The earlier Saturday bus allowed me to adopt different tactic today: complete laps of the lake pre- and post- dawn. Then a walk to and around The Flash. Lastly another check of the lake
(173rd visit of the year)
The first complete lap while it was quite dark enabled me to better ‘census’ the Robins. These birds tend to quieten as soon as it is light-enough for them to feed. This resulted in a count of exactly 40 birds singing or calling around the lake. It also produced 7 singing Song Thrushes – no doubt the continuing mild weather helped
Other notes from today
- a Shoveler: a 1st winter bird rather hard to sex in the poor light, but I think a drake
- Water Rail heard making its squealing calls several times: also heard alarm-calling
- rather few Black-headed Gulls settled on the water – no more than c.75. From today’s position on the dam top it was easier to log birds flying through: 103 were counted doing this
- the Magpie roost count was the best I could do as I flushed them at the end of my first circuit of the lake
- two big groups of Jackdaws today: >150 passed very far to the E; and then >70 passed almost equally far to the W. Other than that just one party of 4 and two singles over the lake
- the pre-dawn circuit also flushed at least 8 Redwings from a traditional roost area along the N side – an area apparently little-used during last winter’s mild weather
and
- 2 Winter Moths on one of the lamps
- 1 wingless female and two male Mottled Umber moths on different lamps
- a stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.) on one of the lamps – a strange date?
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 103 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Wood Pigeons!
- 1 Collared Dove
- >226 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Greenfinch again
- 4 Siskins
Birds leaving roost around lake
- >30 Magpies (partial count)
- 8 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 31 (17♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails (heard only again)
- 12 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- >75 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
... this is also a male Mottled Umber moth. How and why can one species be so variable while in other instances separate species can be almost indistinguishable except under a microscope?
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 08:45 – 09:20
(130th visit of the year)
Early Saturday seems to be the time for joggers around the paths: and several fishermen also probably affected the bird numbers
Notes from here
- the Tufted Ducks and Goosanders were both moving around a lot this morning: getting accurate counts was hard
- 2 Song Thrushes heard in song here
Birds noted flying over
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw again
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 31 (20♂) Mallard again
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 79 (54♂) Tufted Ducks
- 41 (9♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Sunrise: 08:17 GMT
7°C > 8°C: Mainly cloudy at various levels; lifted somewhat then rather misty. Light and variable wind. Moderate visibility at best
The earlier Saturday bus allowed me to adopt different tactic today: complete laps of the lake pre- and post- dawn. Then a walk to and around The Flash. Lastly another check of the lake
(173rd visit of the year)
The first complete lap while it was quite dark enabled me to better ‘census’ the Robins. These birds tend to quieten as soon as it is light-enough for them to feed. This resulted in a count of exactly 40 birds singing or calling around the lake. It also produced 7 singing Song Thrushes – no doubt the continuing mild weather helped
Other notes from today
- a Shoveler: a 1st winter bird rather hard to sex in the poor light, but I think a drake
- Water Rail heard making its squealing calls several times: also heard alarm-calling
- rather few Black-headed Gulls settled on the water – no more than c.75. From today’s position on the dam top it was easier to log birds flying through: 103 were counted doing this
- the Magpie roost count was the best I could do as I flushed them at the end of my first circuit of the lake
- two big groups of Jackdaws today: >150 passed very far to the E; and then >70 passed almost equally far to the W. Other than that just one party of 4 and two singles over the lake
- the pre-dawn circuit also flushed at least 8 Redwings from a traditional roost area along the N side – an area apparently little-used during last winter’s mild weather
and
- 2 Winter Moths on one of the lamps
- 1 wingless female and two male Mottled Umber moths on different lamps
- a stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.) on one of the lamps – a strange date?
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 103 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Wood Pigeons!
- 1 Collared Dove
- >226 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Greenfinch again
- 4 Siskins
Birds leaving roost around lake
- >30 Magpies (partial count)
- 8 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 31 (17♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails (heard only again)
- 12 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- >75 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
Sometimes I wonder about species classification: this is a male Mottled Umber moth. And ...
A rather out of season (I would have thought) stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 08:45 – 09:20
(130th visit of the year)
Early Saturday seems to be the time for joggers around the paths: and several fishermen also probably affected the bird numbers
Notes from here
- the Tufted Ducks and Goosanders were both moving around a lot this morning: getting accurate counts was hard
- 2 Song Thrushes heard in song here
Birds noted flying over
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw again
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 31 (20♂) Mallard again
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 79 (54♂) Tufted Ducks
- 41 (9♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2015Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
40 Golden Plover
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
4 Siskins
2 Redpolls
8 Pochard
83 Tufted Ducks
249 Coots
83 Fieldfare
54 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)
The Flash
Greater Scaup
1 Little Grebe
179 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)
Holmer Lake
30 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
11 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
Snipe
1 Water Rail
163 Coots
6 Redwings
227 Jackdaws
3 Redpolls
2 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Pochard
33 Tufted Duck
30 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
29 Swans
36 Pochard
97 Tufted Ducks
3 Water Rails
291 Coots
6 Redwings
c.230 Jackdaws
c.30 Goldfinches
7 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
18 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
35 Fieldfare
19 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
132 Rooks
11 Greenfinches
2 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backs
18 Pochard
77 Tufted Duck
7 Shoveler
5 Great Crested Grebe
2 Dabchick
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
40 Siskin
2 Redpoll
19 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)