The Flash: 07:10 – 07:20
-5°C > -2°C: Fine clear and frosty. Calm. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again
(not recorded as a formal visit)
Passing while still dark
- >190 geese crashing off the island and breaking the ice; no Greylag Geese heard again
No later visit made – essentially iced-over.
Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:50
(3rd visit of the year)
c.30% ice, increasing to >50%
Three new species for my 2017 list here
#50 a Stock Dove flew W
#51 a party of 18 Golden Plover was noted high over to the W flying NW – only found these as I was doing my other hobby (aircraft spotting) and checking an EasyJet flying from Glasgow to Spain. Much too high to have ever seen with (my!) naked eye. One of these birds seemed to have some black on the belly – coming in to breeding plumage already? The sighting of the morning
#52 2 drake Common Teal in the throng of Tufted Duck, these latter probably refugees from a frozen Flash
#53 a Coal Tit in with one of the tit flocks along the N side. Very easy when males are singing from the tops of trees, otherwise these can be rather unobtrusive
Other notes from today
- very few Moorhens logged this morning – as usual in frosty weather when they (along with the Coots) eschew the grass in front of the yacht club shelter and can be hard to find
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls on the ice when I arrived and stayed for >20 minutes – probably roosted. All gone by 08:00. Then just 31 not arriving until ....
- at 08:55 42 Black-headed,. 23 Lesser Black-backed and 3 Herring Gulls dropped in together from the N and bathed furiously before moving on to the ice for a while
- 49 of the over flying Wood Pigeons were in two parties flying E – weather movement?
- estimated Magpie roost numbers today – an early-arriving fisherman flushed the birds before it was light-enough to attempt an accurate count
- no large parties of Jackdaws this morning: a much lighter morning and the parties may have already gone through before I was in position
and
- apparently the same male Mottled Umber moth repositioned on the same lamp: no sign of the female
Birds noted flying over the lake
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 57 Wood Pigeons
- 157 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Goldfinch
- 9 Siskins
Roost counts
- >35 Magpies
- 5 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 15 (8♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard again
- 66 (31♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 40 Coots
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
The now rather mottled cygnet Mute Swan at sunrise. Now taking many independent flights, though yet to see it leaving the environs of the lake.
Two of the adult Herring Gulls that dropped in with a group of about 70 gulls that came to bathe. The banding on the left hand bird is due to reflections off the water and not a plumage feature.
After their bathe the gulls moved on to the ice to sort their plumage out. Here Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
(Ed Wilson)
-5°C > -2°C: Fine clear and frosty. Calm. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again
(not recorded as a formal visit)
Passing while still dark
- >190 geese crashing off the island and breaking the ice; no Greylag Geese heard again
No later visit made – essentially iced-over.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:50
(3rd visit of the year)
c.30% ice, increasing to >50%
Three new species for my 2017 list here
#50 a Stock Dove flew W
#51 a party of 18 Golden Plover was noted high over to the W flying NW – only found these as I was doing my other hobby (aircraft spotting) and checking an EasyJet flying from Glasgow to Spain. Much too high to have ever seen with (my!) naked eye. One of these birds seemed to have some black on the belly – coming in to breeding plumage already? The sighting of the morning
#52 2 drake Common Teal in the throng of Tufted Duck, these latter probably refugees from a frozen Flash
#53 a Coal Tit in with one of the tit flocks along the N side. Very easy when males are singing from the tops of trees, otherwise these can be rather unobtrusive
Other notes from today
- very few Moorhens logged this morning – as usual in frosty weather when they (along with the Coots) eschew the grass in front of the yacht club shelter and can be hard to find
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls on the ice when I arrived and stayed for >20 minutes – probably roosted. All gone by 08:00. Then just 31 not arriving until ....
- at 08:55 42 Black-headed,. 23 Lesser Black-backed and 3 Herring Gulls dropped in together from the N and bathed furiously before moving on to the ice for a while
- 49 of the over flying Wood Pigeons were in two parties flying E – weather movement?
- estimated Magpie roost numbers today – an early-arriving fisherman flushed the birds before it was light-enough to attempt an accurate count
- no large parties of Jackdaws this morning: a much lighter morning and the parties may have already gone through before I was in position
and
- apparently the same male Mottled Umber moth repositioned on the same lamp: no sign of the female
Birds noted flying over the lake
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 57 Wood Pigeons
- 157 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Goldfinch
- 9 Siskins
Roost counts
- >35 Magpies
- 5 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 15 (8♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard again
- 66 (31♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 40 Coots
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
This morning’s sunrise.
Meanwhile one of its parents does a bit of early morning preening.
A record-shot of the two drake (Common) Teal.
In this group a lone Herring Gull is in with the Lesser Black-backed Gulls (and half a Black-headed Gull).
A male Siskin working on the Alder cones.
A couple of male Siskins here on Alder cones.
The Hazel catkins continue to grow despite the low temperatures and the short days.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in ...........
2015
Priorslee Lake
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
151 Coot
220 Black-headed Gull
18 Lesser Black-backed Gull
28 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
6 Mute Swan
8 Herring Gull
10 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)
Horsehay Pool
11 Goosander
(Tony Beckett)
2013
Priorslee Lake
Female Goldeneye
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
75 Herring Gulls
2 Caspian Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Martin Grant/Kriss Webb)
Donnington Wood
1 Waxwing
(Dave Tromans)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
13 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
3 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Caspian gull was present
1 Ring Billed Gull.
2500 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson/Jack Wildman/Richard Vernon)
2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
>20 Pochard
>70 Tufted Duck
A drake Goosander
1 Water Rail
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
>150 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull
Yellow-legged
Common Gull
6 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
c.2100 Black-headed Gull
c.1600 Lesser Black-backed Gull
126 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Water Rail
1 Goldeneye
1400 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
74 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
8 Great Crested Grebes
18 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
236 Coot
40 Siskins
14 Robins
13 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)