Priorslee Lake: 06:10 – 09:00
The Flash: 09:05 – 09:40
Trench Lock Pool: 09:50 – 10:15 // 10:50 – 10:55
Trench Middle Pool: 10:20 – 10:45
12°C > 15°C: Mainly cloudy: a few blue patches later. Light SW wind, increasing moderate. Excellent visibility
Sunrise: 07:15 BST
Priorslee Lake: 06:10 – 09:00
(123rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- double-checked the party of Greylag Geese but was unable to ‘string’ a Pink-footed Goose amongst them
- Gadwall gone again
- some of the Tufted Duck seemed to have decamped to The Flash since yesterday
- 44 Wood Pigeons noted on the football field: seems I beat the dog-walkers this morning
- Jackdaw main passage this morning was just 16 birds skimming the fields below tree-height to the E
- in addition to the usual local / resident Carrion Crows a group of 4 flew high W and then presumably the same 4 flew high E a few minutes later
- only my 2nd log of Raven over here this year
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 11 Greylag Geese [1 party inbound]
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls once again
- 34 Wood Pigeons
- 22 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 4 Carrion Crows
- 1 Raven
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin again
Warblers noted:
- 2 Chiffchaffs
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallards
- 50 (7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Little Grebes
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes still
- 11 Moorhens
- 133 Coots again
- 86 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
And other notes
- my log today consisted of
- 2 Garden Spiders on the same lamp
- 1 fly sp. on a lamp
- >50 midges dancing around my head
- 4 fruits of Shaggy Inkcap / Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus) fungus just inside the Holy Trinity Academy fence
- 1 Grey Squirrel
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:05 – 09:40
(100th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- the hybrid goose was a different bird from the usual apparent Greylag x Canada cross and a noticeably small bird
- the Mallard were handily all gathered together taking advantage of proffered food. They were all spinning around and fighting and I managed to make a reasonable count of how many birds there might be; but checking the age / sex of each bird was impossible
- there are usually Goldfinches in and around here: today’s birds were in a tight group flying high over
Birds noted flying over or near to The Flash
- 7 Feral Pigeons again
- 3 Jackdaws
- 7 Goldfinches
Warblers noted
- 1 Chiffchaff
The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans again
- 15 Greylag Geese: 4 arrived
- 1 Greylag x Barnacle? Goose arrived
- 33 Canada Geese arrived
- 37 (?♂) Mallard
- 19 (3♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens again
- 7 Coots
- 55 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
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I last visited Trench in early April. These sites are best in winter for visiting ducks
Trench Lock Pool: 09:50 – 10:15 // 10:50 – 10:55
(14th visit of the year)
Another reason I stopped visiting Trench Lock Pool was the sheer number of fishermen and the consequent disturbance to the birds
I was subsequently told that there were problems here after The Canal and Rivers Trust, who operate (own?) the water, had introduced alien fish from another of their properties whilst that was maintained
I read on the web that KHV (Koi herpesvirus) has been confirmed here and as a result fishing has been banned
The water level is by far the lowest I can remember: the web tells me that the trust are doing some work and have lowered the level. Only a BT OpenReach van was present this morning
There was also no action at the small housing development by the Blue Pig pub. The gates were chained shut. All the equipment seemed to be present. One downside of this development is that the informal footpath that crossed the grass is now blocked and it is no longer possible to circumnavigate the pool
Bird notes from here
- all 16 Mute Swans were (near) adults. Seems there was no successful breeding here this year
- no Tufted Ducks was unusual: perhaps the low water means it is too shallow
- a Grey Wagtail here was my first of the year at this site
Birds noted flying over here [apart from the local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws coming and going]
- 1 Sparrowhawk
Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 1 (1) Chiffchaffs again
The counts from the water
- 16 Mute Swans
- 37 Canada Geese
- 15 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard still
- 1 (0♂) Shoveler
- no Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 159 Coots
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
From the ramp by the Blue Pig looking north at the low water-level.
And looking E.
One of the 16 (near) adult Mute Swans, here showing its ring # as it preens.
(Ed Wilson)
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Trench Middle Pool: 10:20 – 10:45
(13th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- just 2 cygnets from this year
- no sign of any immature Great Crested Grebes. Possible that an early brood could have fledged and left
and
- the usual growth of some very large fungus, perhaps Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda)
Birds noted flying over here
None
The counts from the water
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- no Greylag Geese
- 39 Canada Geese
- 26 (20♂) Mallard
- 6 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2017Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Candles Landfill Site
1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2008
Trench Lock Pool
1st- winter Mediterranean Gull
c.150 Black-headed Gulls
15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Shoveler
(Ed Wilson)