Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:35
1°C > 4°C: Clouded after a frosty night with some ice remaining on the ground. Light / moderate W wind. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 08:21 GMT still
(2nd visit of the year)
Notes from today
- hard to know how many Cormorants there were: at least 15 with this number seen together. Birds were re-positioning and flying about when spooked by Buzzards or Grey Herons flying over and there may have been more. Strangely I noticed none with the breeding condition white thigh-patch – adults normally have this from around the turn of the year. My largest count for some years (I recall, more than 20 years ago, when double figures were common some winters and a memorable flock of 38 arriving and doing a synchronised drive of the fish in to the shallows)
- the Great Crested Grebes done a disappearing trick again – struggled to find 5 today
- at least 2 Water Rails, probably 3, heard
- 21 Wood Pigeons flushed out of trees was my highest number around the lake for some while
and
- no moths on the lamps
Birds noted flying over the lake
- 1 (0?) Goosander
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 31 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 2 Redwings
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 7 Siskins
- 2 Linnets
Roost counts
- 63 Magpies
- 2 Linnets
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (1?) Gadwall again
- 15 (8?) Mallard
- 9 (8?) Pochard
- 29 (13?) Tufted Ducks
- 15 Cormorants (see notes)
- 3 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails (heard only)
- 9 Moorhens again
- 42 Coots again
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
The Flash: 07:10 – 07:20 // 09:40 – 10:05
(2nd visit of the year)
No ice
First visit [07:00 – 07:10]
Passing while still dark
c.150 geese on the water: all those close-enough to see by the light of the street lamps seemed to be Canada Geese and no Greylag Geese were heard
Second visit [09:40 – 10:05]
Notes from here
- first time for some weeks could not find a Grey Heron
- number of Goosanders usually drops off after the New Year, but this is a bit quick!
Birds flying over here
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gull
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 33 (25?) Mallard for 3rd count
- 22 (16?) Tufted Ducks
- 4 (1?) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 3 Moorhens again
- 12 Coots
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
1°C > 4°C: Clouded after a frosty night with some ice remaining on the ground. Light / moderate W wind. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 08:21 GMT still
(2nd visit of the year)
Notes from today
- hard to know how many Cormorants there were: at least 15 with this number seen together. Birds were re-positioning and flying about when spooked by Buzzards or Grey Herons flying over and there may have been more. Strangely I noticed none with the breeding condition white thigh-patch – adults normally have this from around the turn of the year. My largest count for some years (I recall, more than 20 years ago, when double figures were common some winters and a memorable flock of 38 arriving and doing a synchronised drive of the fish in to the shallows)
- the Great Crested Grebes done a disappearing trick again – struggled to find 5 today
- at least 2 Water Rails, probably 3, heard
- 21 Wood Pigeons flushed out of trees was my highest number around the lake for some while
and
- no moths on the lamps
Birds noted flying over the lake
- 1 (0?) Goosander
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 31 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 2 Redwings
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 7 Siskins
- 2 Linnets
Roost counts
- 63 Magpies
- 2 Linnets
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (1?) Gadwall again
- 15 (8?) Mallard
- 9 (8?) Pochard
- 29 (13?) Tufted Ducks
- 15 Cormorants (see notes)
- 3 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails (heard only)
- 9 Moorhens again
- 42 Coots again
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 07:10 – 07:20 // 09:40 – 10:05
(2nd visit of the year)
No ice
First visit [07:00 – 07:10]
Passing while still dark
c.150 geese on the water: all those close-enough to see by the light of the street lamps seemed to be Canada Geese and no Greylag Geese were heard
Second visit [09:40 – 10:05]
Notes from here
- first time for some weeks could not find a Grey Heron
- number of Goosanders usually drops off after the New Year, but this is a bit quick!
Birds flying over here
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gull
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 33 (25?) Mallard for 3rd count
- 22 (16?) Tufted Ducks
- 4 (1?) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 3 Moorhens again
- 12 Coots
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2014Priorslee Lake
Two 1st winter female Scaup present.
2012
Priorslee Lake
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Adult Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
A 2nd winter Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
(Richard Vernon)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Evening - 6:15pm
A Barn Owl
(Martin Adlam)
Morning
Big gull roost with:
2000 Black-headed Gulls
500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
160 Herring Gulls
Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Also
At least 10000 Starlings left the roost somewhere to the S and flew N just before 8:00am.
(Ed Wilson)