3.5°C > 5.0°C: Rain, sometimes heavy: eased after 08:30 and mainly dry after 09:00. Fresh / strong SSW wind. Moderate visibility in rain
Sunrise: 08:01 GMT
The rainfall radar site suggested a short period of rain c.07:00 and then a drier spell until after 09:00. Not so: rain started by 06:30 and lasted about two hours
Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:15
(9th visit of the year)
5 Lapwings appeared overhead c.09:00: my 54th bird species here in 2018
The other highlight was while I was in the shelter during the heavy rain c.07:00. A Fox walked along the SW grass. I wondered why the geese, ducks and coots were moving away from the shoreline. It was still too dark for me to see the Fox with my naked eye – the binoculars came to the rescue
Other notes from today:
- just 9 Canada Geese when I arrived. 24 arrived in 3 groups. All left
- most of the Black-headed Gulls arriving from the W flew straight through this morning
- Magpie roost numbers probably under-recorded. Normally as they leave their roost they pause on the surrounding trees where they are easy to count before they head off. In the rain today they flew straight out
- Most unusually there were 30 Magpies together bouncing around on the football field at 09:10 – the rain was keeping the dog-walkers away. This number may support my view that the roost count was under-recorded as >20 birds dispersed to the E. However there are other roosts in the area and perhaps some of these birds came from other roosts
- most of Jackdaws went through behind the trees to the E and while it was still too dark to see / count them
and
- still nothing on any of the lamps – washed off today
- the Fox, as highlighted
Today’s bird totals
Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 2 Canada Geese outbound
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 5 Lapwings
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- >35 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 1 Siskin
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- >41 Magpies (see notes)
The counts from the lake area
- 6 + 3 Mute Swans
- 33 Canada Geese
- 12 (8♂) Gadwall
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 5 (5♂) Pochard
- 50 (27♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens again
- [Coots not counted]
- >55 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:00
(5th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- another high number of Tufted Duck recorded
- a singing Song Thrush – the first I have heard here this year
- a party of at least 28 Goldfinches in the trees on the island
Birds noted flying over
None
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose again
- 31 (22♂) Mallard
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 71 (47♂) Tufted Ducks
- 6 (3♂) Goosanders
- 3 Cormorants
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens
- 12 Coots
- 18 Black-headed Gulls only
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2014Priorslee Lake
13 Pochard
63 Tufted Duck
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
101 Coots counted
31 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
7 Redwings
522 Jackdaws
335 Rooks
71 Magpies
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
111 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
26 Wigeon
10 Gadwall
14 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
177 Coots
4 Redwings
30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Dave Tromans)
The Flash
1 Little Grebe
4 Goosander
(Dave Tromans)