Priorslee Lake: 07:20 – 09:30
Sunrise: 08:19 GMT
4°C > 5°C: Mainly cloudy again with a few breaks mainly in the distance. Light SSE wind. Moderate visibility
(174th visit of the year)
A pair of Gadwall back and seemed to have brought the duck Shoveler back with them. Otherwise all the birds seem to have broken up for Christmas and it was rather quiet
Other notes from today
- the Swans never even woke up this morning!
- the geese flew out (from The Flash?) when it was too dark to either accurately count or identify them; they were also too far to hear any calls. Likely Canada Geese
- c.700 Black-headed Gulls appeared over the lake at 07:35 and then circled around until the first few began to settle after 07:50 by which time many had began to move off to the S and probably no more than c.300 ever settled. Later two birds flew over with the rather thin passage of larger gulls
- the Magpie roost count was done from a distance and I am sure that some other birds left unseen from the ‘back’ of the roost
- no big groups of Jackdaws today with the birds in many small parties of <20 birds
and
- 8 male Mottled Umber moths on the lamps
- a / the same stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.) on the same lamp – obviously not such a strange date
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- c.50 geese sp. (see notes)
- 2 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons!
- 120 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 3 Redwings
- 2 Greenfinch
- 3 Goldfinches
- 4 Siskins again
- 1 Linnet
Birds leaving roost around lake
- >45 Magpies (partial count)
- 4 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 10 (6♂) Mallard again
- 1 (0♂) Shoveler
- 7 (6♂) Pochard again
- 36 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens again
- 37 Coots
- >700 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
On Saturday 17 Dec Here I showed two very different forms of Mottled Umber moth. Amongst the eight on the lamps today was another form.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:40 – 10:00
(131st visit of the year)
Notes from here
- many fewer Tufted Duck since Saturday
- very few Goosander today
- Kingfisher seen
- >30 Goldfinches flew out of trees on island and away N
Birds noted flying over
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Wood Pigeons
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese again
- 1 all white feral goose
- 39 (27♂) Mallard again
- 32 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (0♂) Goosander only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens again
- 13 Coots
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Sunrise: 08:19 GMT
4°C > 5°C: Mainly cloudy again with a few breaks mainly in the distance. Light SSE wind. Moderate visibility
(174th visit of the year)
A pair of Gadwall back and seemed to have brought the duck Shoveler back with them. Otherwise all the birds seem to have broken up for Christmas and it was rather quiet
Other notes from today
- the Swans never even woke up this morning!
- the geese flew out (from The Flash?) when it was too dark to either accurately count or identify them; they were also too far to hear any calls. Likely Canada Geese
- c.700 Black-headed Gulls appeared over the lake at 07:35 and then circled around until the first few began to settle after 07:50 by which time many had began to move off to the S and probably no more than c.300 ever settled. Later two birds flew over with the rather thin passage of larger gulls
- the Magpie roost count was done from a distance and I am sure that some other birds left unseen from the ‘back’ of the roost
- no big groups of Jackdaws today with the birds in many small parties of <20 birds
and
- 8 male Mottled Umber moths on the lamps
- a / the same stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.) on the same lamp – obviously not such a strange date
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- c.50 geese sp. (see notes)
- 2 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons!
- 120 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 3 Redwings
- 2 Greenfinch
- 3 Goldfinches
- 4 Siskins again
- 1 Linnet
Birds leaving roost around lake
- >45 Magpies (partial count)
- 4 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 10 (6♂) Mallard again
- 1 (0♂) Shoveler
- 7 (6♂) Pochard again
- 36 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens again
- 37 Coots
- >700 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
A reminder: this seems to be the most frequently encountered form.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:40 – 10:00
(131st visit of the year)
Notes from here
- many fewer Tufted Duck since Saturday
- very few Goosander today
- Kingfisher seen
- >30 Goldfinches flew out of trees on island and away N
Birds noted flying over
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Wood Pigeons
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese again
- 1 all white feral goose
- 39 (27♂) Mallard again
- 32 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (0♂) Goosander only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens again
- 13 Coots
- 18 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
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
94 Tufted Ducks
10 Goosander
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
2 Fieldfare
85 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Little Grebe
151 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
1 Little Grebe
1 Shoveler
1 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
133 Coots
54 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
1 Redwing
4 Fieldfare
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Water Rail
>3000 Black-headed Gulls
28 Swans
2 Gadwall
52 Pochard
112 Tufted Ducks
287 Coots
10 Redwings
199 Jackdaws
6 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.2800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
18 Pied Wagtails
2 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)