Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:45
The Flash: 09:50 – 10:35
Trench Lock Pool: 10:45 – 10:55 // 11:30 – 11:55
Trench Middle Pool: 11:00 – 11:25
2°C > 6°C: Clear and frosty start. Some high cloud from the W later. Calm start with light SE breeze later. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 08:16 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:45
(181st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the Mute Swans went for a fly-around this morning. Quite unusual to see them flying unless they have someone to chase off
- 3 Tufted Duck flew off W at 07:20: too dark to sex these
- 2 Goosanders flew W at 07:45; then 5 flew E at 08:10; 1 briefly on the lake at 08:30. All brownheads
- Tawny Owl heard calling from Teece Drive area 07:15
- Green Woodpecker seen along the N side. Had apparently been feeding on the ground of the construction site. What is it going to do when the houses are built?
- a check of the Magpie roost this morning: 64 is about 20 fewer than a typical winter maximum. Numbers are likely to increase over the next few weeks
- Coal Tits are unobtrusive outside the breeding season. One was singing this morning and another seen in with Long-tailed Tit party
- amazing total of 12 Reed Buntings flew out of the W end roost in three groups. At least one other still calling
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 7 (0♂) Goosanders
- 2 Cormorants
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 39 Wood Pigeons
- 93 Jackdaws
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Siskin
Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 64 Magpies
- 12 Reed Buntings
Redwing roost area not visited
The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 10 (5♂) Gadwall
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 10 (10♂) Pochard
- 98 (>44♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 10 Moorhens
- 87 Coots
- c.240 Black-headed Gulls
My log of other things, all on lamp poles
- 1 Winter Moth
- 1 stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
The ‘wrong way’ sunrise showing the incoming high cloud from the west.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(140th visit of the year)
Bird notes from here
- another record number of Goosanders for me. Hard to count when numbers get this high
- no sign of the Great Crested Grebe. It can be surprisingly hard to find amongst Goosanders. I checked several times
- Coat Tit singing here as well as at the lake
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese still
- 32 (20♂) Mallard
- 13 (5♂) Tufted Ducks
- 125 (>16♂) Goosanders
- 3 Grey Herons
- [no Great Crested Grebe]
- [no Moorhens]
- 12 Coots
- 52 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Lock Pool: 10:45 – 10:55 // 11:30 – 11:55
(29th visit of the year)
Bird notes from here
- pair of Shoveler new in
- just 4 (2) Goosanders when I arrived. 66 at least when I returned from Middle Pool. Lots of chasing and diving. A higher proportion of drakes than seen at The Flash earlier suggests (some?) may have flown in from elsewhere
- further decline in Coot numbers
Birds noted flying over / near here
None
The counts from the water
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 2 Canada Geese
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard reappeared
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 24 (11♂)Tufted Ducks
- 4 (2♂) >66 (17♂) Goosanders (see notes)
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 1 Moorhen only
- 111 Coots
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
The same thing on another bird from a different angle.
Just a few of the Goosanders at Trench Lock Pool today.
‘This is my better side’!
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Middle Pool: 11:00 – 11:25
(28th visit of the year)
Notes from here
- the drake Pochard been here a month now
- 1 Great Crested Grebe back again
- another record count of Coots
Birds noted flying over / near here
None
the counts from the water
- 2 Greylag Geese again
- 13 Canada Geese
- 31 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard still
- 6 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (0♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 12 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 62 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2017Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
3 Pochard
49 Tufted Ducks
238 Coots
6 Fieldfare
>256 Redwings
3 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Teal
2 Pochard
167 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
2 Goosanders
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebe
35 Tufted Ducks
4 Gadwall
7 Pochard
149 Coot
1 Water Rail
25 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
23 Swans
34 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
Snipe
273 Coots
25 Goldfinches
7 Linnets
50 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
9 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
Woodcock
70 Coots
c.220 Black-headed Gulls
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
5 Buzzards
20 Pied Wagtails
1 Willow Tits
561 Jackdaws
149 Rooks
c.190 Fieldfare
c.120 Redwings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)