Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 09:20
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15
6.0°C > 12.0°C: Cloudless start: layer of cloud from N after c.09:30 encroached overhead by 09:55. Calm / light variable wind. Good visibility with some mist over the water early.
Sunrise: 06:48 BST
Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 09:20
(225th visit of the year)
Bird notes from today:
The 06:55 ‘football’ field count gave me 101 Black-headed Gulls, 12 Wood Pigeons, three Magpies, one Carrion Crow again and 61 Pied Wagtails. The gulls were very ‘jumpy’ this morning, arriving and then all flying around. Number is the instantaneous highest count – may have been more birds involved.
(Partial) explanation of gull counts:
As in recent days large gulls were arriving (and over flying) on the same line as (and mixed in with) the Rooks on roost dispersal. Concurrently at least 80 large gulls arrived low from the W ahead of the usual early arrival of Black-headed Gulls. I counted 119 large gulls (species not determined) using the water before I left the lake area at 06:35 to look at the ‘football’ field. Most of these early arrivals seemed to be moving on
By the time I returned from the ‘football’ field area there were >250 large gulls on the water, mostly Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the majority immatures. There were no adult Herring Gulls. These were put up on several occasions by Grey Herons or Common Buzzards flying over, and on each occasion many birds left to the E. Meanwhile a continual flow of more gulls, this time mainly Black-heads, continued to arrive from the W, mostly passing straight over. Suffice to say I rather lost track of where and how many birds there were.
Other notes
- The outbound Greylag Geese were well-late at 08:35.
- >100 additional Wood Pigeons were noted flying around the fields and trees to the N / NE.
- A smaller Rook count probably because I was distracted by the gull arrivals and overlooked the main group.
- Again some of the Pied Wagtails stayed around with 19 still on the ‘football’ field at 09:10.
- There were likely many more Meadow Pipits overhead than I recorded. Their flight-calls can be easily confused with tit-calls when drowned out by vehicle noise from the M54. The clear sky made finding flying Meadow Pipit-sized birds of a ‘challenge’.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 23 Greylag Geese (22 outbound in one group; single inbound)
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Common Buzzard
***see notes regarding all gull numbers
- >100 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: seven of these first-winter birds
- 22 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Stock Doves again
- 62 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 17 Jackdaws
- 74 Rooks
- >3 Meadow Pipits (see notes)
Hirundines etc. noted again.
None
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 8 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (1) Blackcaps: sub-song
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 4 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants again
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 immature Little Grebe
- 8 adult + 4 immature + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 103 Coots
***see notes regarding all gull numbers
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- >230 Lesser Black-backed Gulls : >200 of these first-winter birds
- >20 Herring Gulls: all(?) of these first-winter birds
- 119 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
On the lamp poles pre-dawn.
- 1 Common stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
- 2 other spiders – different unknown species
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
Nothing logged later – the insects were as cold as I felt
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15
(214th visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- The family party of five very similar Greylag x Canada Geese again with their Greylag parent. Another very similar bird in amongst Canada Geese.
also
- 4 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen back on their usual lamp pole
- 1 Terrapin sp. (presumed Yellow-bellied Slider) again
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 3 Jackdaws again
- 2 Meadow Pipits again
Hirundines etc. noted again.
None
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 4 (2) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- >19 Greylag Geese
- 6 Greylag x Canada Geese
- >105 Canada Geese
- 27 (12♂) Mallard
- 25 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 20 Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls: none of these a first-winter bird
(Ed Wilson)
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