Priorslee Lake: 07:00 – 09:25
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35
7.0°C: Overcast with persistent light rain. Almost calm. Good visibility deteriorated somewhat.
Sunrise: 08:19 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 07:00 – 09:25
(289th visit of the year)
Gull notes:
- no gulls on the water at 07:15.
- c.1100 Black-headed Gulls had ‘appeared’ on the water by 07:20. No idea where they arrived from. They were very ‘jumpy’, all taking to the air on several occasions before settling back down. No large gulls with them.
- 535 more Black-headed Gulls logged arriving from the W after 07:30
- 23 large gulls (19 Lesser Black-backs and 4 Herrings) arrived around the same time, some from the N and some from the E
- By 08:30 just 21 gulls remained – all Black-headed Gulls.
. A more large gulls dropped in for a while.
- Very small passage overhead.
Other bird notes:
- First geese overhead for many weeks.
- Accurate Coot count difficult again – rather poor visibility as well as birds bunched up on the SW grass.
- Another pre-dawn Woodcock sighting.
- Even the bird-scarers in the fields alongside Castle Farm Way failed to persuade Wood Pigeons in to the air – a very low count.
- Another low Magpie roost count. At least in part as I disturbed the roost as I made my way to get a better view of the (non-existent) gull roost.
- Three large groups of what seemed to be all Jackdaws this morning – they were rather further away than on most recent days. The only confirmed Rooks were in a group of five.
- It was a Song Thrush seen and heard singing today.
- No fewer than 18 Robins were singing alongside the bottom end of Teece Drive and the footpath at the W end of the lake around 07:00 – no doubt triggered by the street-lights. Along the N side of the lake at c.07:15 none was singing as it was still dark. I often wonder whether the birds awake longer by artificial light have different life-spans
- Four Reed Buntings heard calling at the W end. Again none was seen to leave.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 7 Greylag Geese (outbound)
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 3 Wood Pigeons only
- c.500 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks only
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- >36 Magpies
- 6 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans as usual
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall again
- 3 (2♂) Mallard again
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 43 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived singly
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens
- 112 Coots (only)
Gull roost:
no birds at 07:15
Later gull arrivals
- >1600 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
On lamp poles pre dawn:
- 1 female Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
On two of the eight lamp poles around the football field
- 6 slugs of unknown species, all >8’ up. Why just two poles? And why three on each?
No other sightings:
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35
(274th visit of the year)
Bird notes from here:
- Usual struggle to find all the Mallard scattered around the water. Then someone arrived with bird-food and the task was easy. Perhaps some more stayed away?
- One of the brownhead Goosanders seemed unusually pale and was likely a drake starting to moult.
- Grey Wagtail seen on the sluice.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Jackdaws
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese as ever
- 39 (23♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard still
- 19 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 5 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 35 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 1 adult; 2 first-winters
- 2 Herring Gulls: 2 first-winters
- 1 Kingfisher again
On one lamp poles around the water:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 2 male Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
On another lamp poles around the water:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
Elsewhere
- new collection of large fungus, probably Common Funnel (Clitocybe gibba).
Another in the group. I have found another web site with some great photo galleries HERE
(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
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
94 Tufted Ducks
10 Goosander
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
2 Fieldfare
85 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Little Grebe
151 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
1 Little Grebe
1 Shoveler
1 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
133 Coots
54 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
1 Redwing
4 Fieldfare
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Water Rail
>3000 Black-headed Gulls
28 Swans
2 Gadwall
52 Pochard
112 Tufted Ducks
287 Coots
10 Redwings
199 Jackdaws
6 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.2800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
18 Pied Wagtails
2 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)