Priorslee Lake: 05:55 –09:05
The Flash: 09:10 – 10:05
8.0°C: Started with low cloud and light drizzle. Some breaks developed before a heavy shower c.08:30. Thereafter a low overcast and dull. Light NNW wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:13 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 05:55 –09:05
(263rd visit of the year)
Initially seemed promising for a good migration watch with six parties of Wood Pigeons, three parties of Fieldfare and a group of Redwings. Then as the shower and low cloud arrived all movement stopped.
Bird notes:
- The first swan flying lesson of the day took place almost in the dark at 06:40 with all five cygnets taking part. Thereafter the parents failed to round them all up for later lessons.
- A ‘brownhead’ Goosander came from the W at 07:25 and touched down before thinking better of it and flying off.
- The first two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived, bathed and left before the first tardy Black-headed Gull arrived at 07:00.
- What seemed to be the same first-winter Caspian Gull was present for a while – very white-headed for an immature winter gull.
- I was standing where I hoped I would be well-placed to see any Woodcock arriving at its day-roost. After some ten minutes an unidentified partridge sp. could hold its breath no longer and flew out of the grass and away never to be seen again.
- The Jackdaws behaved differently yet again. A single tight group of c.200 flew past along the normal line at 06:50 far to the E and just about at the limit of visibility at the time. No more until 07:10 when 30 flew straight overhead. Just ones and twos thereafter.
- c.230 roosting Starlings shot out of the reeds in multiple small groups. A short while later a Sparrowhawk was seen dashing in to the reeds in search of its breakfast, flushing another 20 Starlings as it did so.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Cormorants
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 212 Wood Pigeons: of these 189 in six migrant groups
- >250 Jackdaws
- 114 Fieldfares (3 groups)
- 39 Redwings (1 group)
- >9 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Greenfinches
- 1 Siskin
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.250 Starlings
- 9 Redwings
- 6 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Pochard
- 30 (15?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron only
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 11 Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens again
- 137 Coots
- c.85 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first winter bird
- 1 Caspian Gull: first winter bird
Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 1 Red-green Carpet moth (Chloroclysta siterata)
- 3 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- 3 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 blue-black beetle sp. It fell off the lamp pole when I shone my torch on it.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 2 orb-web spiders (Araneidae type)
- 1 other unidentified spider
- 3 Paroligolophus agrestis (harvestmen)
No later sightings. Forgot to recheck the bracket fungus.
Having a good sing.
And here an ‘extreme marked’ specimen – this one is much paler than normal.
An orb-web spider hanging by a thread.
And another specimen.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:10 – 10:05
(249th visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- The preponderance of adult drake Goosanders continues
- A male Sparrowhawk flew in to a tree but stayed only very briefly. For once it is not a fly-over record.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 6 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 8 Redwings
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese
- 34 (19♂) Mallard
- 22 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (4♂) Goosander
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (briefly)
- 1 Kingfisher
Other things:
- nothing noted.
The next frame – he was off and weaving through the trees.
Also as ‘good as it gets’ with this Long-tailed Tit in the gloom.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow Legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
4 Gadwall
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
c.80 Greylag Geese over
2 Gadwall
6 Pochard
40 Tufted Ducks
7 Moorhens
c.130 Coots
2500 Wood Pigeons
580+ Jackdaws
45+ Rooks
Raven
1 Siskin
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
106 Greylag Geese
1 possible Bean Goose
38 Canada Geese
2 Pochard
32 Tufted Duck
17 Goosanders
7 Moorhens
7 Coots
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
513 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
732 Wood Pigeons
5 Meadow Pipits
503 Fieldfare
2 Song Thrushes
34 Redwings
1 Brambling
12 Chaffinches
2 Siskins
51 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)
2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
15 Shoveler
1 Gadwall
10 Pochards
117 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rails
100+
Many Redwings
4 Fieldfare
20+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
189 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
803 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
19 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
30 Robins
21 Blackbirds
128 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
13 Magpies
347 Jackdaws
160 Rooks
12 Carrion Crows
223 Starlings
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Kingfisher
2 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
35 Tufted Duck
3 Ruddy Duck
27 Redwing
10 Fieldfare
5 Reed Bunting
Redpoll
Siskin
101 Rooks
12 Carrion Crow
227 Jackdaws
3 Jay
12 Magpies
1 Raven
1200 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)