**************** HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS ****************
Priorslee Lake only
Priorslee Lake: 07:05 – 09:00
5.0°C: Low overcast. Light wind. Moderate visibility.
Sunrise: 08:22 GMT
I participate in an annual New Year’s Day walk and this limited my time at the lake this morning. I was also unable to make my first visit of the year to The Flash. Sightings affected accordingly
Priorslee Lake: 07:05 – 09:00
(1st visit of the year)
A pair of Shoveler was a welcome way to start the new year. Otherwise most of yesterday’s arrivals seemed to have moved on.
Bird notes:
- The fifth Mute Swan cygnet did not fly this morning.
- Five singing Song Thrushes.
- A higher than usual count of Redwings leaving two different roost areas
- A single Reed Bunting heard calling from the S side the only record. None in the roost area.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 7 Greylag Geese: outbound in one group
- Canada Geese: heard only, outbound
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 1 Stock Dove
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- >1000 Jackdaws
- 136 Rooks
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 22 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 45 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron once more
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
Gulls:
The first c.30 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:47. Only c.175 noted arriving. Usual scattering of large gulls shortly afterwards
Numbers remained low until I departed.
Early arrival counts
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls again
Nothing on the lamp poles pre dawn:
No other sightings
The following bird species were noted this morning – in the order in which I first logged them (seen or heard)
1 Robin
2 Song Thrush
3 Blackbird
4 Wood Pigeon
5 Coot
6 Carrion Crow
7 Magpie
8 Great Crested Grebe
9 Mallard
10 Redwing
11 Moorhen
12 Mute Swan
13 Tufted Duck
14 Gadwall
15 Grey Heron
16 Shoveler
17 Wren
18 Rook
19 Jackdaw
20 Blue Tit
21 Black-headed Gull
22 Dunnock
23 Reed Bunting
24 Greylag Goose
25 Lesser Black-backed Gull
26 Pochard
27 Great Tit
28 Herring Gull
29 Stock Dove
30 Pied Wagtail
31 Greenfinch
32 Long-tailed Tit
33 Chaffinch
34 Canada Goose
35 Cormorant
36 Goldfinch
37 Nuthatch
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup still showing well off dam
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
21 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood and Rob Stokes)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl heard - 2nd ever record
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
About 30% ice.
Best bird remains the Black-necked Grebe.
Big gull roost:
c.3000 Black-headed Gulls
c.1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson and John Isherwood)