6.0°C > 8.0°C: Dry at the very start, and clear skies to the very far E. Rain from 05:50 – 07:00. Thereafter occasional drizzle from low cloud. An almost calm start with moderate SSE wind later. Very good visibility early, then mainly moderate.
Sunrise: 06:58 GMT
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 05:30 – 09:06
(232nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Another visiting Mute Swan. It took a lot of chasing by the residents to get it to leave.
- Two Grey Herons disputing the lake c.06:15. Thereafter just one until c.08:50 when another (a 3rd? the 2nd returned?) arrived and was chased away.
- 125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from the Hortonwood roost between 06:28 and 06:45.
- 41 more Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from the E after 08:20. Two first-winter Herring Gulls with them. Rather more Lesser Black-backed Gulls noted flying over – I logged 17.
- Despite a very different passage I again logged almost exactly 400 Jackdaws. The only large group was c.120 at 06:40. Many smaller groups passed until well after 07:00.
- Just a single Starling was noted leaving the NW area. Visibility was not good at the time but I would have thought I would have heard the wings of any big roost departure from the area. About five minutes later c.45 left the N / NE reeds and headed away NE.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese: duo outbound
- 1 brownhead Goosander
- 1 Common Buzzard
- >17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 34 Wood Pigeons
- c.400 Jackdaws again (see notes)
- 2 Rooks
- 6 Redwings: one group
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.45 Starlings (see notes)
- 10 Redwings
- 13 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
All numbers 'best effort' in sometimes poor conditions
- *3 + 5 Mute Swans: additional sub-adult for a while
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 11 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard again
- 35 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 (3?) Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 126 Coots
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls only
- c.165 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Herring Gulls: both first-winter birds
Playing fields:
Not visited
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 2 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.): on the same lamp pole.
- *1 leafhopper, possibly a Macropsis sp.
- *1 small unidentified bug.
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
- 2 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.): on the same lamp pole.
- *1 leafhopper, possibly a Macropsis sp.
- *1 small unidentified bug.
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Another day, another visiting Mute Swan to chase away.
Three of the teenagers join in on the action.
Courtesy of the camera we can read its blue Darvic ring – 7JSH.
Just coming to rest. Note the rather pale bill suggesting this is an immature bird.
"leaving so soon?". Oh! I did that comment yesterday.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:10 – 10:06
(217th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- It was the Moorhens' turn to hide and give me a low count this morning.
- At least 20 Blackbirds with three Redwings and a Jay finishing off the haws (hawthorn berries) at the top of squirrel alley.
- At least 10 Blackbirds at the bottom of squirrel alley, though some of these may have been birds from the top end moving ahead of several dog-walkers (and me).
- After a few days' absence a Grey Wagtail was on the roofs again.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Jackdaws
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 Canada Geese
- 37 (21♂) Mallard
- 92 (?♂) Tufted Duck: no attempt made to sex these in the drizzly conditions
- 11 brownhead Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens only
- 38 Coots
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
On various lamp poles:
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris): usual pole
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
On / around the Ivy
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
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(217th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- It was the Moorhens' turn to hide and give me a low count this morning.
- At least 20 Blackbirds with three Redwings and a Jay finishing off the haws (hawthorn berries) at the top of squirrel alley.
- At least 10 Blackbirds at the bottom of squirrel alley, though some of these may have been birds from the top end moving ahead of several dog-walkers (and me).
- After a few days' absence a Grey Wagtail was on the roofs again.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Jackdaws
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 Canada Geese
- 37 (21♂) Mallard
- 92 (?♂) Tufted Duck: no attempt made to sex these in the drizzly conditions
- 11 brownhead Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens only
- 38 Coots
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
On various lamp poles:
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris): usual pole
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
On / around the Ivy
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull
1000+ large gulls
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
11 Golden Plover
2 Kingfishers
16 Reed Buntings
5 Sky Larks
8 Meadow Pipits
71 Redwings
457 Fieldfare
31 Siskins
1 Linnet
4 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
40 Tufted Duck
16 Pochard
2 Ruddy Duck
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
2 Goldcrest
42 Fieldfare
Willow Tit
14 Long-tailed Tits
(Martin Adlam)