Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:50 // 07:40 – 09:35
The Flash: 06:55 – 07:35
9°C > 14°C: Fine and clear with a few patches of cloud to N that mostly melted away again. Once more some puffy clouds after 09:00. Moderate WNW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:07 BST
Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:50 // 07:40 – 09:35
(103rd visit of the year)
Bird notes from today:
- no Canada Geese seen or heard around the lake today
- the 6 Cormorants flew SW at 06:10
- Jackdaw numbers have increased in the last few days: no sign of any roost dispersal, just singles / pairs flying over in rather random directions
- House Martins heard over at 06:05 and 06:10 but not located; 4 flew S at 06:25; 4 flew E at 08:10. Thereafter birds congregated downwind of the dam until there were >20 present (with at least 2 Barn Swallows joining in). Quite how many of these were passing and how many opportunistic local birds is impossible to say
Today’s bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 107 Greylag Geese [53 (6 groups) outbound; 54 (3 groups) inbound]
- 6 Cormorants
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 83 Wood Pigeons
- 13 Jackdaws
- 1 Chaffinch
Hirundines etc. noted
- 2 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins (see notes)
Warblers noted:
- 13 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 6 Blackcaps
- 2 Reed Warblers
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 16 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Grey Herons
- 6 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 + 11 (? broods) Moorhens
- 95 (near) adult + 8 dependent juvenile Coots
- 10 (no juveniles) Black-headed Gulls
And other notes
- butterflies
- 4 Speckled Wood again
- no moths on the lamps or identified elsewhere
- damselflies / dragonflies
- 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies
- hoverflies
- 1 unidentified Eristalis sp. (Drone-fly)
- 1 Syrphus ribesii
- 1 Helophilus pendulus (The Footballer)
- flies etc. identified
- lots of wasps sp. again
- beetles or bugs noted
- a 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- no spiders noted
- no different plants noted
The sunrise for what it was worth.
Can be quite acrobatic after food.
Inside another Convolvulus flower was this Syrphus ribesii hoverfly.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:55 – 07:35
(85th visit of the year)
Notes from today
- quite why the Black-headed Gulls seem to prefer here to the lake is hard to fathom. Many of these arrived from the E while I was walking around
Birds noted flying over or near to The Flash
- 7 Feral Pigeons
- 7 Wood Pigeons
Hirundines etc. noted
None
Warblers noted
None
The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans as usual
- 30 Greylag Geese: 2 of these arrived
- 31 Canada Geese: all of these arrived
- 16 (10♂) + 13 (2 broods) Mallard
- 12 Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes as usual
- 2 + 1 Moorhens
- 12 + 2 dependent juvenile Coots
- 124 (10 juveniles) Black-headed Gulls: many arrived
Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- 1 Chiffchaff calling by the lower pool
- 1 Blackcap calling by the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2016Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2011
Nedge Hill
4 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)