Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:25
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:15
Trench Lock Pool: 10:25 – 10:45
Trench Middle Pool: 10:50 – 11:20
6°C > 8°C: Mainly cloudy: few clearer spells to the N. Moderate / fresh E wind. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 07:39 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:25
(156th visit of the year)
Most of yesterday’s influx of dabbling ducks had moved on. Some more Tufted Ducks had moved in
Bird notes:
- a Mute Swan cygnet present and associating with the adult. By 08:45 the cygnet had left. However a cygnet arriving from the W at 09:25 was likely this bird returning. When I arrived at The Flash I was told the residents swans had just chased off a cygnet
- very few Black-headed Gulls this morning and later arriving than normal
- all the Fieldfares and Redwings were flying E today; some to the N, along (or parallel to) the line of the A5. Most of the Fieldfare groups were hiding a few Redwings. The stray finches were in these groups as well
- one of the Meadow Pipits looked as if it might pitch on to the dam-top but thought again and moved on
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 31 Wood Pigeons (no groups)
- 47 Jackdaws only
- 3 Ravens
- 183 Fieldfares (7 groups)
- 312 Redwings (18 groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Chaffinch
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Siskin
Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 11 Redwings
The counts from the lake area
- 1 + 1 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Wigeon
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 109 (>53♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 5 Little Grebes again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 9 Moorhens
- 105 Coots
- 37 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
And other notes
my log today consisted of
- 1 winter moth type on a different pole from yesterday
- the same dead Mottled Umber in a web, now tied against the lamp pole
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:15
(122nd visit of the year)
Notes from here
- amazing where the Moorhens hide some days: unable to find one anywhere today
- low number of gulls here as well as at the lake
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
- 14 Starlings (2 groups)
- 2 Chaffinches
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 35 (22♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 21 (6♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron still
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- [no Moorhens]
- 10 Coots
- 25 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Lock Pool: 10:25 – 10:45
(21st visit of the year)
Water level back to normal now
The access road is still difficult: the formal closure by Severn-Trent is now lifted. They still have a number of large vehicles blocking access at times
Bird notes from here
- the skeleton of the wrecked boat is no longer above water and the Cormorants have nowhere to sit – so fewer Cormorants
- dire gull numbers continue
also
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Birds noted flying over / near here
[apart from the local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws coming and going]
- 1 Starling only
The counts from the water
- 7 Mute Swans
- 62 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard as usual
- 23 (8♂)Tufted Ducks
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 175 Coots
- 4 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Middle Pool: 10:50 – 11:20
(20th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- one of the Mute Swan cygnets missing
- a duck Teal – my last sighting of this species here was 28 September 2015
- the drake Pochard also a surprise. They are usually rather more shy than Tufted Ducks, none of which was here. This species not logged by me here since at least 2012
- a Great Crested Grebe back after almost a month’s absence
The Teal and Pochard bring my site 2018 bird-species total to 42
Birds noted flying over / near here
- 2 Jackdaws
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 26 Canada Geese
- 1 (0♂) Teal
- 29 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) feral Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 17 (3♂) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Grey Heron
- 11 Moorhens again
- 26 Coots
- 108 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2017Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
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)