Priorslee Lake: 07:20 – 09:35
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again
8°C > 9°C: Mostly high cloud to start but later lower cloud and light passing showers. Moderate WSW wind, gusting fresh at times. Good visibility
Wondered whether Storm Barbara might have brought some birds inland: not so. However after 16 days without any Cormorant records a plethora today. I counted 17 distantly to the E battling against the wind heading SW and I assume these were in fact the 18 that appeared circling overhead a few minutes later, eventually moving off W; then a single flew through W; next a party of 4 arrived and fished at the lake for a while until they too moved off W; another single circled over, landed for a few minutes and also left to the W; finally 5 flew W over The Flash much later. Most odd
(178th visit of the year)
Very quiet with little or no birdsong: in contrast to the log of 40 Robins last Saturday I logged just 5 in song today
Other notes from today
- the Mute Swan cygnet made several flights today, coping in the wind without apparent problem
- the duck Shoveler and some of the drake Pochard gone since yesterday
- 3 Goosander flying E again – too dull to reliably sex these
- a 3rd Little Grebe found today: all together in the SW area today
- many of the Black-headed Gulls and Jackdaws arrived overhead at more or less the same time and were swirling around in the strong wind and accurate numbers were difficult. Again most of these gulls did not stop-off at the lake
- >40 finches were in the Alders opposite the Academy as I left: most seemed to be Goldfinches with some unidentified birds that may have been Siskins. Flew off before I could get close-enough and calls not heard clearly enough to be sure
and
- 3 male Mottled Umber moths on two of the lamps
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 (?♂) Goosander
- 19 Cormorants
- >250 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 47 Jackdaws
- 9 Rooks
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Chaffinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 4 Siskins
Birds leaving roost around lake
- >68 Magpies
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 36 (18♂) Tufted Ducks
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail (heard only)
- 10 Moorhens
- 49 Coots
- 54 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 1 Herring Gull
... and yet another, this one hiding behind some detritus on the lamp. My excuse is that there is little else to photograph!
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again
8°C > 9°C: Mostly high cloud to start but later lower cloud and light passing showers. Moderate WSW wind, gusting fresh at times. Good visibility
Wondered whether Storm Barbara might have brought some birds inland: not so. However after 16 days without any Cormorant records a plethora today. I counted 17 distantly to the E battling against the wind heading SW and I assume these were in fact the 18 that appeared circling overhead a few minutes later, eventually moving off W; then a single flew through W; next a party of 4 arrived and fished at the lake for a while until they too moved off W; another single circled over, landed for a few minutes and also left to the W; finally 5 flew W over The Flash much later. Most odd
(178th visit of the year)
Very quiet with little or no birdsong: in contrast to the log of 40 Robins last Saturday I logged just 5 in song today
Other notes from today
- the Mute Swan cygnet made several flights today, coping in the wind without apparent problem
- the duck Shoveler and some of the drake Pochard gone since yesterday
- 3 Goosander flying E again – too dull to reliably sex these
- a 3rd Little Grebe found today: all together in the SW area today
- many of the Black-headed Gulls and Jackdaws arrived overhead at more or less the same time and were swirling around in the strong wind and accurate numbers were difficult. Again most of these gulls did not stop-off at the lake
- >40 finches were in the Alders opposite the Academy as I left: most seemed to be Goldfinches with some unidentified birds that may have been Siskins. Flew off before I could get close-enough and calls not heard clearly enough to be sure
and
- 3 male Mottled Umber moths on two of the lamps
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 (?♂) Goosander
- 19 Cormorants
- >250 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 47 Jackdaws
- 9 Rooks
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Chaffinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 4 Siskins
Birds leaving roost around lake
- >68 Magpies
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 36 (18♂) Tufted Ducks
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail (heard only)
- 10 Moorhens
- 49 Coots
- 54 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 1 Herring Gull
“Red sky in the morning”: more a sign of wind than rain this morning.
The Mute Swan cygnet goes for a fly.
Here is the flock of 18 Cormorants over the lake.
Another variation on the male Mottled Umber theme ...
... and another ...
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 07:00 – 07:15 // 09:45 – 10:05
(135th visit of the year)
First visit [07:00 – 07:15]
Passing while still dark
- c.20? Greylag Geese
- c.120? Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 1 Wood Pigeon in ‘song’
- 1 Song Thrush in song
Second visit [09:45 – 10:05[
Notes from here
- 2 Great Crested Grebes together alongside the island: later one at the N end, presumed a 3rd, but unable to see the original area
Counts of birds flying over here
- 5 Cormorants
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 11 Redwings
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 31 (22♂) Mallard again
- 47 (30♂) Tufted Ducks
- 13 (2♂) Goosanders again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3? Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 4 Moorhens again
- 10 Coots again
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2015Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
7 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
204 Coots counted
123 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Grey Herons
126 Canada Geese
110 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes
2 Shoveler
71 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
125 Coots
>40 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Middle Pool
1 Tufted Duck
19 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
13 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
178 Coots
Peregrine
14 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
5 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
10 Swans
28 Pochard
77 Tufted Ducks
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
60 Herring Gulls
1 Water Rail heard
299 Coots counted
4 Redwings
2 Willow Tits again
c.5 Goldfinches
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/ Peter Wilson)
2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Little Grebe
41 Pochard
38 Tufted Ducks
8 Redwing
2 Fieldfare
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)