Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:15
The Flash: 09:20 – 09:55
5.0°C > 7.0°C: Medium/high overcast, scattered below, increasing throughout. Occasional rain after 07:45. Moderate / fresh S wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:10 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:15
(281st visit of the year)
All counts best efforts in challenging conditions. The wind was bringing much road noise from the M54. It was a very dark morning – I really needed a spotlight to count the Coots, so didn’t try!
Bird notes from here:
- The fifth Mute Swan cygnet stayed well away from the others and was left to its own devices.
- A Woodcock seen flying over the W end at 07:30. Propelled by the wind it looked like it would overshoot the normal roosting area and disappear in to the Ricoh area.
- No gulls roosted with the first Black-headed Gulls arriving at 07:35
- Later 38 Black-headed Gulls were flying high W. Whether these birds had been at the lake earlier is hard to tell. While I logged c.240 arriving from the W none of these stayed any length of time, soon flying off E / SE.
- Jackdaws very late this morning, the first large group at 08:05
- Many more Rooks than logged recently.
- At least two Reed Buntings heard calling around the roost area but nothing seen in or leaving the swaying vegetation.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 49 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gulls: first-winter
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- c.250 Jackdaws
- 74 Rooks
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard still
- 73 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- 13 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- c.240 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults
- 5 Herring Gulls: 1 adult; 4 first-winters#
Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:20 – 09:55
(266th visit of the year)
The recent winds have felled a tree on the island.
Bird notes from here:
- Nothing to comment on here.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Raven
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 4 Canada Geese
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 24 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 (4♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhen again
- 15 Coots
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 adult
Nothing seen elsewhere
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee 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
2 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
6 Gadwall
4 Pochard
2 Teal
4 Raven
(John Isherwood)
The Flash
3 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
Horsehay Pool
Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
3 Gadwall.
6 Pochard.
46 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Water Rail
155 Coots
23 Redwings
6 Fieldfares.
151 Jackdaws
63 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
c20 Herring Gulls.
(J W Reeves)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Yellow-legged Gull
An adult Little Gull
(Jason/Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Merlin
3 Buzzards
>500 Black-headed Gulls
234 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
24 Robins
22 Blackbirds
122 Fieldfares
178 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
139 Jackdaws
66 Rooks
12 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee Lake
160 Golden Plover
1500 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Little Grebes
13 Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
239 Coot
1 Water Rail
142 Jackdaws
251 Rooks
2 Redpolls
47 Siskins
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)