Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:40
The Flash: 09:45 – 10:25
6.0°C > 7.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud with clearance from the N later. Light / moderate W wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:21 GMT: hooray! the first lighter morning.
Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:40
(4th visit of the year)
As from Monday (06 Jan) there will be ‘temporary’ traffic lights in Castle Farm Way – for six months! A new road is to be constructed off of Castle Farm Way to the E (goodbye fields) and the footpath beside Castle Farm Way is to be widened.
Bird notes:
- I am sure there ought to have been more duck Tufted Ducks: but I couldn’t find them.
- Long, drawn-out passage of large gulls. Almost all the Lesser Black-backed Gulls appeared to be adults. Almost all the Herring Gulls appeared to be first- or second-winter birds. Five Black-headed Gulls were noted passing along with these birds.
- The big groups of Jackdaws did not seem to contain any Rooks. The Rooks recorded were all seen much later and most of these were going ‘the wrong way’ rather than on their usual early flight-lines.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 7 Greylag Geese: one group outbound
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 151 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- c.1200 Jackdaws
- 18 Rooks
- 1 Starling
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 31 Magpies
- 11 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall: a pair of these arrived
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Pochard
- 34 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander: arrived
- 4 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- [no Little Grebes seen]
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
- 12 Moorhens again
- Coots not counted
Gulls:
The first Black-headed Gulls arrived at the later time of 07:40 with no more than 180 noted. Also fewer large gulls dropped in early on
Early arrival counts
- c.180 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
Very few other arrivals: just
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 5 Herring Gulls
On the lamp pole pre dawn:
- 2 Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- c.10 ‘winter midges’: would not stay to allow photos for ID.
No other sightings
Additional bird species for 2020 recorded here this morning (in order logged)
52 Feral Pigeon
53 Starling
Another sunrise.
Some interesting cloudscapes.
A low-level view.
One of the Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata). A well-marked individual
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:45 – 10:25
(3rd visit of the year)
Bird notes from here:
- The passage of large gulls noted at the lake continued here.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 2 Wood Pigeons
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 3 Canada Geese
- 41 (25♂) Mallard
- 5 (5♂) Pochard still
- 38 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (1♂) Goosanders
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
No other sightings:
Additional bird species for 2020 recorded here this morning (in order logged)
35 Herring Gull
36 Goldcrest
37 Stock Dove
39 Common Buzzard
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st winter female Scaup
(Tom Lowe)
Horsehay Pool
Kittiwake
(Jim Almond)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)
2013
Priorslee Flash
Drake Scaup
(J Reeves)
Trench Middle Pool
22 Goosander
(Dave Tromans)
2012
Priorslee Lake
96 Greylags Geese
20 Pochard
15 Tufted Ducks
86 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
54 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
27 Great Black-backed Gulls
Peregrine
204 Redwings
4 Fieldfare
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)
Trench Pool
2 Little Grebes
215 Canada Geese
3 Pochard
76 Tufted Ducks
131 Coots
219 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)
Holmer Lake
46 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
44 Mute Swans
2 Gadwall
47 Pochard
117 Tufted Duck
2 adult Common Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
c.3400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.250 Herring Gulls
c.2500 Black-headed Gulls
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Water Rail
324 Coots
17 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson/Jason)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Great Crested Grebes
10 Mute Swans
1 drake Shoveler
11 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
Iceland Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
122 Coots
34 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Paul King)
2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
26 Pochard
106 Tufted Ducks
4 Water Rails
100 Herring Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
>7 Pochard
31 Tufted Ducks
9 Goosanders
>2000 Black-headed Gulls
>481 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>33 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
28 Robins
14 Blackbirds
5 Fieldfares
67 Redwings
222 Jackdaws
3 Reed Buntings;
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
1 Goldeneye
22 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
c.3000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.2000 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
131 Herring Gull
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
66 Siskins
14 Robins
15 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)