Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:40
The Flash: 09:45 – 10:15
7°C > 8°C > 6°C: Clear start then partly cloudy until rain at 10:06. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:14 GMT
The forecast was for rain at 10:00: it started at 10:06 and dropped the temperature. There was very little warning of the rain – no high or medium cloud ahead of the cloud-bank that dropped the rain
Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:40
(16th visit of the year)
One new bird species added to my 2019 log from here
56 Feral Pigeon
well I had to add it sometime!
Another very quiet morning. Perhaps the forecast cold weather will move some things around
Bird notes
- the only goose party outbound contained 13 birds, all Canadas. Three of these looked as if they wanted to peel off and settle on the water, but in the end they carried on with the others
- back to 6 (3 pairs) of Gadwall
- 4 Mallard flew off E pre-dawn and remain unsexed for the log
- the courting Great Crested Grebes were together for only a short while: no display seen
- >150 Black-headed Gulls above the lake as early as 07:05. Increased to >>500 birds. These continued to circle around only thinking about settling after 07:30 and then many of them didn’t bother and left
- no idea where the big parties of Jackdaws were this morning. Perhaps I was distracted by the Magpie roost: perhaps the swirling mass of Black-headed Gulls masked them
- 7 Song Thrushes in song today. 3 non-singing birds seen, including one on the W end footpath hunting by the street lights at 06:50
- the only Reed Bunting I saw either left its roost or was flushed from along the S side
Bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 13 Canada Geese [outbound in 1 group]
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 66 Jackdaws only
Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 51 Magpies
- 1 Reed Bunting (see notes)
The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 14 (7+♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard
- 17 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 11 Moorhens
- 64 Coots
- >>500 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 unidentified Muscid fly
With rain on the way it ought to have been a red sky but wasn’t. Just a few good breaks.
The long view. Until last weekend the bottom left would have included a number of small trees.
An interesting cloudscape looking W.
What I assume is the same Buzzard has found another perch to look for prey.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:45 – 10:15
(15th visit of the year)
Rain stopped play
One new bird species added to my 2019 log from here
40 Grey Wagtail
Notes from here
- Gadwall present for their 4th day
- Mallard numbers restored
- the Ring-necked Parakeet screaming around again
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Grey Wagtail
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall still
- 44 (26♂) Mallard only
- 43 (21♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 21 Coots again
- 19 Black-headed Gulls only
Any excuse to photograph a drake Gadwall. Seconds later rain stopped play.
(Ed Wilson)
Note:
1. Click Here for a Summary of the 2018 Priorslee Lake Report.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Gary Crowder/Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
1 adult Yellow legged Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Goldeneye
(Ed Wilson/ Jim Almond / John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Ed Wilson)