2.5°C > 5.0°C: Scattered medium level cloud below broken, mainly thin, high cloud. Calm / light variable wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:39 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 06:35 – 09:20
(136th visit of the year)
Notes from today:
- 11 Mallard flew off E at 06:50 leaving at least 3 behind. My later count may have included returning birds
- 3 Tufted Ducks, sex not determined, flew off W at 06:50
- back to 4 adult Great Crested Grebes with the remaining juvenile heard begging early on
- two Water Rail was heard calling in the NW area today
- >180 Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W by 07:25 when something spooked them all and they headed off both E and W. Thereafter small numbers coming and going, never more than 50
- small Wood Pigeon passage with most of the migrants in one party of c.120 birds. Many of the singles / small groups over were at ‘migrant height’ but did not seem to be chasing after groups
- bigger Starling roost today with a female Sparrowhawk confirmed as the predator today: her intended victim got away this morning
and
- 1 Winter Moth on a lamp pre-dawn only
- no spiders etc. found today
On with today’s bird totals
Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 2 Buzzards
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- c.207 Wood Pigeons (c.168 migrants in 6 groups)
- c.425 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 1 Starling
- 22 Redwings (5 groups)
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit once more
- 3 Chaffinches
- 3 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpies not counted]
- >450 Starlings
- 10 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 9 (5♂) Gadwall still
- 14 > 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 42 (23+♂) Tufted Ducks (see notes again)
- 2 Grey Herons
- 4 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Water Rails heard
- 9 Moorhens yet again
- 165 Coots
- >180 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
The splendid sunrise this morning.
Another view.
And another.
The last ...
A sedge against the sunrise.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:00
(96th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- both male and female Sparrowhawks seen passing over
Birds noted flying over
- 2 Sparrowhawk
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeon
- 6 Wood Pigeons
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose remains
- 26 (20♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard again
- 36 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 10 Moorhens
- 11 Coots
- 13 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
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WeBS Count 19 Nov 2017
Also today WeBS Count by Tony Beckett
Priorslee Flash 08.50 – 09.20
Canada Geese 5
Coot 6
Feral Geese 1
Great Crested Grebe 1
Mallard 34 (21 male)
Mute Swan 4
Moorhen 3
Pochard 2
Tufted Duck 43 (32)
Black-headed Gull 19
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Priorslee Lake 09.30 – 10.40
Coot 14
Gadwall 9 (4 male)
Great Crested Grebe 5
Mallard 8 (5 male)
Moorhen 2
Mute Swan 5
Pochard 3
Tufted Duck 53
Black-headed Gulls 53
Lesser Black-backed Gulls 12
(Tony Beckett)
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On this day..........
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Local area
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
26 Greylag Geese
5 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
134 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
2 Water Rails
229 Coots
>400 Wood Pigeon
302 Fieldfare
88 Redwings
309 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
17 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged
c.145 Wood Pigeons
47 Redwings
82 Fieldfares
238 Jackdaws
2 Siskins
11 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)
2008
The Flash
10 Goosanders
c.30 Tufted Ducks
c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.200 Black-headed Gull
1 Buzzard
(Mike Cooper)
2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Gadwall
8 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
The Flash
4 Goosander
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Woodcock
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
25 Greylag Geese
1 drake Teal
34 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
drake Ruddy Duck
11 Lapwings
>1080 Black-headed Gulls
1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
202 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
16 Blackbirds
142 Fieldfares
15 Redwings
158 Jackdaws
100 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
c.3000 Black-headed Gull
c.2000 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls
12 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
1 Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
5 Redwing
23 Fieldfare
13 Reed Bunting
8 Siskin
170 Rooks
220 Jackdaws
c.500 Starlings in roost
c.500 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Local area
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
26 Greylag Geese
5 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
134 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
2 Water Rails
229 Coots
>400 Wood Pigeon
302 Fieldfare
88 Redwings
309 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
17 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged
c.145 Wood Pigeons
47 Redwings
82 Fieldfares
238 Jackdaws
2 Siskins
11 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)
2008
The Flash
10 Goosanders
c.30 Tufted Ducks
c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.200 Black-headed Gull
1 Buzzard
(Mike Cooper)
2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Gadwall
8 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
The Flash
4 Goosander
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Woodcock
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
25 Greylag Geese
1 drake Teal
34 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
drake Ruddy Duck
11 Lapwings
>1080 Black-headed Gulls
1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
202 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
16 Blackbirds
142 Fieldfares
15 Redwings
158 Jackdaws
100 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
c.3000 Black-headed Gull
c.2000 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls
12 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
1 Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
5 Redwing
23 Fieldfare
13 Reed Bunting
8 Siskin
170 Rooks
220 Jackdaws
c.500 Starlings in roost
c.500 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)