Priorslee Lake: 05:55 – 08:50
The Flash: 08:55 – 09:35
1°C > 3°C: Clear and frosty. Moderate / fresh NNW wind making it feel very chilly. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 06:58 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 05:55 – 08:50
(135th visit of the year)
A typically busy late October morning. Rather few Wood Pigeons seen over: perhaps partly explained by the very clear skies enabling them to fly too high to see easily
Bird notes:
- the Swans took off well before dawn and apart from a fly-by E->W at c.06:30 (I assume by the same birds) they had not returned by the time I left
- at least 19 Wigeon on the lake with at least 6 of these drakes. Hard to count or sex as they were all mixed in with many of the Tufted Ducks
- highest count of Tufted Ducks this year: possibly more as some groups were actively diving
- Tawny Owl calling by the Teece Drive gate again
- Peregrine again: seen very briefly today but impression was of a female on size: Friday’s was certainly a male
- big party of Golden Plover seen over fields far to the E: >200 birds when first seen. Later smaller groups assumed to be from the original party
- Starlings came from all different places around the lake and eventually were hard to separate from passing birds. They emerged over a protracted period
- most unusually at least 2 Fieldfare perched on Hawthorn bushes around the lake: these are usually open country birds
- in addition to the roosting and over-flying Redwings several of these birds also seen in Hawthorns
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Peregrine again!
- >200 Golden Plover
- 1 Lapwing
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 119 Wood Pigeons (64 migrants in 3 groups)
- 260 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 1 Raven
- 2 Skylarks
- 159 Starlings (11 groups)
- 69 Fieldfare (12 groups)
- 99 Redwings (14 groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Chaffinch
- 6 Siskins
- 12 unidentified finches (3 groups)
Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 104 Starlings (12 groups)
- 13 Redwing (at least 3 sites)
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 19 (>6♂) Wigeon
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 13 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 111 (>43♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 11 Moorhens
- 105 Coots
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
And other notes
- my log today consisted of
- 1 spider sp (probably Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)) on a lamp pole
The moon has gone all wonky already.
Not any easier the other side against the light: 2 Wigeon (3rd and 4th back on the left) and 4 Tufted Duck.
To confuse matters further a Coot gets in on the action. A Wigeon flapping showing the clean white belly.
How could I resist a poseur?
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 08:55 – 09:35
(108th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- one cygnet was sitting down along with the standing cob (Yellow 52F) at the N end feeding on corn provided. Another cygnet was seen alongside Derwent Drive – a rather larger-looking bird and perhaps one from the lake (q.v.). So where was the other
- 3 Cormorants flew low W just as I arrived: they may just have lifted from the water behind the island
- at one point there was a great commotion with c.15 Magpies and c.6 Carrion Crows making a racket about something on the island. After several minutes they lost interest, quietened down and gradually flew away. Could not see anything untoward
and
- >25 wasps on the sheltered Ivy by Priorslee Academy. No hoverflies with them
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 9 Starlings
The counts from the water
- 1 + 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Canada Geese
- 39 (21♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 6 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 9 Coots
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2016Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.75 Starlings left roost at W end
118 Wood Pigeons
2 Sky Larks
7 Meadow Pipits
478 Fieldfare
76 Redwings
9 Siskins
13 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
2 Cormorants
26 Pochard
47 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
35 Fieldfares
3 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
4 Mistle Thrushes
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
Wigeon
Cormorant
300 Black-headed Gulls
40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.75 Lapwings
2 Fieldfares
1 duck Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
200 Coot
(Ed Wilson)