Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:25
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:10
5°C > 8°C: Broken medium/high cloud, lowered from W with light rain shower later. Moderate S wind. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 07:19 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:25
(146th visit of the year)
Yet another new species for my bird year-list at this site – now 104 species. I was at the W end waiting for the (non-existent) Starlings to leave their roost in the reeds when I head a familiar loud call, but one that I could not quite place. After several minutes and while I was wondering whether to go closer and investigate the bird shot out of cover and flew off W calling – a Ring-necked Parakeet! It is many years since I saw one fly over here and this is only my 2nd Shropshire record. A common-enough species in SW London where it almost a pest now. A population is now also well-established in the Birmingham area. Definitely a call I was not expecting to hear
A busy morning overhead. Most passage ceased by 09:00
Other bird notes:
- was the cygnet ‘one of ours’ back? Who knows?
- the now almost daily Goosanders came from the SW at c.07:15 and circled to land but I don’t think they did. I was distracted by the parakeet at the crucial time
- the Cormorant did not roost this morning: it was after 08:30 before it flew in
- no Great Crested Grebes seen: most unusual except when the water is completely frozen over
- lower number of Black-headed Gulls than the last few days
- Water Rails heard from both SW and NW areas today
- c.20 Jackdaws briefly stopped off in trees in the NE part of the lake. I am sure I missed birds on roost dispersal that were skimming the fields to the E
- almost all the Fieldfares and Redwings were flying E again today. Some Redwings were seen in the hawthorns at the W end much later
- 10 of the 11 Reed Buntings seen leaving roosts were from the W end: a good number, usually only reached in hard weather
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 (?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 6 Stock Doves
- 315 Wood Pigeons (279 of these in 12 flocks all N / NE)
- 79 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 71 Starlings (3 groups)
- 251 Fieldfares (17 groups)
- 123 Redwings (16 groups)
- 11 Pied Wagtails
- 12 Meadow Pipits
- 2 Chaffinches
- 3 Siskins
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 1 Yellowhammer
Birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 1 Ring-necked Parakeet
- 4 Redwings
- 11 Reed Buntings
The counts from the lake area
- 1 cygnet Mute Swan
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall as ever
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard yet again
- 93 (>43♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Little Grebes
- [no Great Crested Grebes]
- 2 Water Rails heard
- 8 Moorhens yet again
- 108 Coots
- >250 Black-headed Gulls
And other notes
- my log today consisted of
- 1 Mottled Umber on a lamp pole
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) on a different lamp pole
- 1 worm sp. 10 feet up(!!) yet another lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel
One of the lake’s better sunrises of recent days.
And another cluster of leaves.
A mix of hues here.
Looking across the lake to the N side trees.
In the SW area. The recent rain has given the grass a new lease of life.
At the W end near the Sailing Club hut.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:10
(114th visit of the year)
Notes from here
Strangely quiet here after a busy early morning at the lake. A single ‘tufted-duck’ type on the island continues to puzzle me. It had much white on the face suggesting a duck Scaup but it was too far away to really clinch any other features. It was on its own so the fact that Scaup is a slightly larger bird than a Tufted Duck could not be tested. Am circulating photos for other opinions.
and
- 1 probable Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) on a lamp pole.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Wood Pigeons again
The counts from the water
- 1 + 1 Mute Swans remain
- 1 Canada Goose
- 39 (21♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) ‘Tufted/Scaup-type’
- 2 (2♂) Goosanders
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- [no Moorhens]
- 8 Coots
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
A similar view.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2016Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
10 Mute Swans
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
3 Teal
1 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
223 Coots
c.3500 Wood Pigeons
78 Fieldfare
34 Redwings
433 Jackdaws
135 Rooks
c.155 Starlings from roost
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
18 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
70 Greylag Geese
Pink-footed Goose
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
149 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.320 Wood Pigeons
166 Redwings
31 Fieldfares
889 Jackdaws
126 Rooks
200+ Starlings left roost
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Wrekin
Location
Firecrest
(Jim Almond)
2006
Priorslee Lake
20 Pochard
108 Tufted Ducks
15 Lapwings
c.587 Black-headed Gulls
938 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
161 Wood Pigeons
36 Robins
25 Blackbirds
7 Song Thrushes
13 Redwings
4 Mistle Thrushes
202 Jackdaws
163 Rooks
29 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)