Priorslee Lake: 07:00 – 09:25
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:05
Trench Lock Pool: 10:30 – 10:40 // 11:20 – 11:35
Trench Middle Pool: 10:45 – 11:15
3.0°C > 7.0°C: A clear start with clouds building and a light shower before I was complete at Trench. Light / moderate S wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:11 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 07:00 – 09:25
(282nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Once more all five cygnets were in reasonable proximity to the adult Mute Swans.
- Just one drake Pochard: others perhaps relocated to The Flash.
- Three Cormorants flew together from the NE with two stopping and the third flying on.
- An additional Great Crested Grebe: two birds together in the NW area for the first time for some weeks.
- No gulls roosted. The first Black-headed Gulls arrived at c.07:15. They had started to depart before arrival complete and it was then still quite dark, making an accurate count difficult.
- At least 200 Wood Pigeons were seen in trees to the E of Castle Farm Way.
- In addition to the Jackdaws logged flying over 11 birds appeared in the same tree that some of the Magpies use as a post-roost look-out. The Jackdaws nearly took my head off when they left! Whether these popped up from a roost or just paused on their dispersal flight is unclear. The main group passed a full 20 minutes earlier than in yesterday’s gloomy conditions.
- Five Chaffinches seen in trees in various locations. A good count these days.
- The only two Reed Buntings seen leaving the W end roost did so at 07:35 – much earlier than usual. At least three more heard calling later. These had not left by 08:10. A fourth heard calling along the S side c.08:25.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Cormorant
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 30 Wood Pigeons
- c.366 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 54 Magpies
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 73 (44♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived together
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 130 Coots
- >550 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults
- 4 Herring Gulls: 1 adult; 1 2nd winter; 2 first-winters#
Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 1 female Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis): a different pole from yesterday
Elsewhere:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Cormorants must have quite ‘sticky’ feet to avoid sliding off!
You would not want to tangle with those talons would you?
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:05
(267th visit of the year)
Bird notes from here:
- The Mute Swans flew around once more.
- So where are all the geese this year? And why?
- Five of the Goosanders seen departing later – I was too far away to check their sex.
- Back to three Great Crested Grebe.
- A male Sparrowhawk shot low across the water without anyone other than me apparently noticing.
- The Redwings flew low over without calling and I only glimpsed them as they disappeared over trees making my total ‘a best estimate’.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- c.25 Redwings
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese again
- 31 (19♂) Mallard
- 9 (8♂) Pochard
- 27 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 (6♂) Goosander
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 57 Black-headed Gulls
No other sightings
(Ed Wilson)
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Trench Lock Pool: 10:30 – 10:40 // 11:20 – 11:35
(52nd visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- nothing remarkable
Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws]:
- 2 Redwings again
Counts from the water:
- 1 Mute Swan as ever
- 194 Canada Geese
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (4♂) Goosander
- 2 Little Grebes
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 7 Coots again
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull: all adults; all departed
- 1 Herring Gull: adult; departed
(Ed Wilson)
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Trench Middle Pool: 10:45 – 11:15
(52nd visit of the year)
Hooray: the footpath along the N side embankment is open! One of the workman told me they may have to close it again for a while in the Spring – too wet to finish things off. With the workmen still tidying up it was not quite back to ‘normal’.
The workmen did tell me that the Black-headed Gull roost is operational again. They confirmed that the birds arrive very late – quite dusk before there are any big numbers arriving.
Notes from here:
- Mute Swan back once more. The ‘resident’ two adults [7JLE and 7JLL] giving half-hearted chase to two unringed cygnets – not their off-spring.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
None
Counts from the water:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 22 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral Goose-type still
- 21 (14♂) Mallard
- 19 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- [no Goosanders]
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 16 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- 71 Black-headed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Note:
Here are a few images from RSPB Burton Mere taken Mon 9 Dec 19. Click Here.
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On this day..........
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
Scaup imm/fem
4 Yellow-legged Gull
(Gary Crowder)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow-legged Gull
8 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 duck Gadwall
3 Goosander
4 Teal
1 Wigeon
1 Redshank
8 Pochard.
55 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
172 Coots.
4 Great Black-backed Gulls .
36 Redwings
42 Fieldfares
453 Jackdaws
64 Rooks
(John Isherwood/Roger Clay/Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
35 Mute Swans
1 drake Wigeon
1 duck Goldeneye
2 drake Shoveler
40 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
6 Herring Gull
163 Lesser Black-backed Gull
128 Black-headed Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
165 Coot
Lesser Black-backed Gull with a Dark Blue ring with Orange [red] numbers 567. This bird bred in Germany.
(Martin Grant/Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black necked Grebe
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Cormorants
18 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
27 Robins
23 Blackbirds
3 Fieldfares
2 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
750 Black-headed Gulls
1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
15 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
2 Redpolls
25 Siskins
15 Pied Wagtails
2 Redwings
32 Fieldfares
5 Reed Buntings
13 Robins
18 Blackbirds
11 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)