6.0°C > 9.0°C: Mostly cloudy with few breaks. Light NNW wind. Moderate visibility.
Sunrise: 07:38 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 06:01 – 09:54
(222nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- More Pochard and Tufted Duck have arrived.
- I noted a Grey Heron flying off on three occasions and there was still one present when I left. Never saw more than two together. Did they keep returning?
- There was a strange Coot 'panic' at 07:00 with dozens rushing out of their reed-bed roosting site. Not at all sure what caused this. Seems it was not a predator as there were Starlings in the same reeds and these stayed quiet until much later. Many more Coots today.
- I logged 198 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arriving from the N / NW between 07:05 and 07:20. With the wind behind them they were flying high and spiralling down to the water. Difficult to judge how many of these flew on over. At least 25 flew over later.
- Thereafter 61 Lesser Black-backs and seven Herring Gulls arrived, all from the E. There were more immature Lesser Black-backs today – at least 12.
- My first migrant parties of high-flying Wood Pigeons. 165 counted in four groups moving S. This seems a week or so earlier than usual. There were more birds making local flights as well.
- One of the Skylarks was heard overhead at 06:55. Strange as this species is normally a diurnal migrant.
- Cetti's Warbler heard again very briefly from the W end scrub / reeds.
- I am sure I read that the pre-dispersal noise in Starling roosts is given by birds exchanging information about good feeding sites. Did not seem that way this morning. When c.300 burst out of the NW reeds they split in to at least nine groups and headed to most points of the compass.
- In addition to the fly-over Redwings there were at least 15 feasting on Hawthorn berries in the W end hedge. At least 8 Blackbirds and 25 Goldfinches were with them
- There were five Siskins in Alders in the NE area briefly (in addition to the fly-over)
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 6 Greylag Geese (one group inbound)
- 14 Canada Geese (nine in one group outbound (others heard); five in one group inbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- >25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 305 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- c.250 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- >4 Skylarks
- 23 Starlings (two groups)
- 82 Fieldfares (two groups)
- 69 Redwings (seven groups)
- >9 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 1 (0) Cetti's Warbler
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- >300 Starlings
- 5 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 11 (?♂) Mallard: most departed pre-dawn.
- 4 (2♂) Pochard
- 32 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 2+ Grey Herons
- no Little Grebe(s)
- 14 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Moorhens
- 158 Coots
- >100 Black-headed Gulls
- c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again (see notes)
- 7 Herring Gulls: five immatures and two (near) adults
Birds on playing fields c.07:40:
[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]
- c.120 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing field (something spooked them as I was 90% of the way through my count).
- 104 Black-headed Gulls on the football field
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- probably seven November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.). Five on lamp poles with two of these flying off. Two more, presumed this species, flying around.
- 2 winter gnats (Trichocera sp)
- 3 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
Noted later:
- 3 Grey Squirrels
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:57 – 11:10
Undoubted highlight was a Red Kite that flew S overhead at 11:05. With thanks to some of my regular readers who had delayed me in order to catch up on what I had found today. Otherwise I would have already departed. My computerised logs for here only go back six years but as far as I can recall this is my first here. Birds species #75 here this year. I now need to see one at the main lake to add to this year's total there.
Bird notes:
- Two drake Pochard new here for the season for me. One of the fishermen said they had been on and off for a while.
- One of the Coots seen carrying nesting material – not spring yet!
- I have had complaints that I don't mention Jays. These often shy, yet often noisy, birds nest in the area. They have been particularly obvious for the last month or so as they ferry acorns and bury them in the woods. They are reputed to have very good spatial awareness and to be able to remember where they buried them – unlike Grey Squirrels that reputedly dig at random to find their cache.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Red Kite
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 16 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 6 Redwings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 4 Siskins
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 22 Canada Geese
- 35 (21♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 78 (>27♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 brownhead Goosanders: one flew in
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
On various lamp poles:
- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- 3 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- 1 plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
On / around the Ivy:
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
rather few wasps in dull conditions.
Nothing else noted: too dull for the Honey Bees to emerge.
With its serrated bill it presumably has to be careful preening so as not to shred its feathers.
One last look before....
Splosh! An adult Black-headed Gull lands head-first.
Noisy, quarrelsome feeding time.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull, though it could have been Mew/Ring-billed Gull!
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper/Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
42 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
8 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
30 Robins
(Ed Wilson)