8.0°C > 12.0°C: Dull with a low overcast and occasional drizzle. Light SE wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:32 GMT
* = a photo today.
Not at all like the forecast - what's new? Very little rain and only a gentle breeze.
Priorslee Lake: 06:13 – 09:08
(250th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- One of the Mute Swan cygnets was behaving rather oddly. All adults and cygnets were together initially but then one cygnet was on its own on the SW grass. The cob almost seemed to be pursuing it. Later the cygnet was alone along the N side while the rest were on the concrete ramp as usual.
- Not too much should be read in to the lower number of Great Crested Grebes. It was hard to find them in the dull conditions.
- Gulls were arriving from 06:40 when it was too dark to make accurate counts. What was unusual was that several Herring-type Gulls arrived with the usual early Lesser Black-backed Gulls. These were swirling around as they departed and may well have been mixing with new arrivals / fly-overs.
- A low count of only 11 Wood Pigeons overhead. Even more unusual was that I noted none in the trees around the lake nor any on and around the football field.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Common Buzzards
- >18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 11 Wood Pigeons only
- c.640 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 9 Redwings: one group
- 5 Pied Wagtails
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- no Starlings: neither seen nor heard in the reeds
- 6 Redwings
- 6 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 13 (8♂) Mallard again
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 37 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes
- 9 Great Crested Grebes only
- 9 Moorhens
- 185 Coots
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- >48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 32 pre-sunrise: 16 more later.
- 2 Herring Gulls: adults
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: adult
- >7 Herring-type Gulls: too dull to specifically ID
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- *1 Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.
Noted later:
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Another Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria). Strangely all the specimens I have seen here so far this season have been rather poorly marked. This one even lacks the usually reliable black dot in each forewing.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:11 – 10:15
(234th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Six of the Goosanders flew off.
- Only one Great Crested Grebe found.
- Yesterday's 'water-logged' adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was in more or less the same place in the water. It was looking around, apparently alert.
- The immature Herring Gull was initially inside the island. Later it emerged as a second-winter bird.
- Both Grey and Pied Wagtails present.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 6 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 36 (20♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 65 (>23♂) Tufted Duck exactly
- 24 (>6♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 9 Moorhens
- 36 Coots again
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults
- 1 Herring Gull: second-winter
On the lamp poles.
Nothing
Around the Ivy
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Of interest elsewhere:
Nothing
Bird notes:
- Six of the Goosanders flew off.
- Only one Great Crested Grebe found.
- Yesterday's 'water-logged' adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was in more or less the same place in the water. It was looking around, apparently alert.
- The immature Herring Gull was initially inside the island. Later it emerged as a second-winter bird.
- Both Grey and Pied Wagtails present.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 6 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 36 (20♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 65 (>23♂) Tufted Duck exactly
- 24 (>6♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 9 Moorhens
- 36 Coots again
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults
- 1 Herring Gull: second-winter
On the lamp poles.
Nothing
Around the Ivy
- 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Of interest elsewhere:
Nothing
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day
2018Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
80 Golden Plover
1 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
76 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
133 Wood Pigeons
254 Fieldfare
51 Redwings
391 Jackdaws
66 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
11 Tufted Ducks
150 Coots
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Snipe
70 Redwings
105 Fieldfares
c.325 Starlings left the roost
c.645 Jackdaws
116 Rooks
Brambling
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
35 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
>750 Black-headed Gulls
>825 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
660 Wood Pigeons
1 Kingfisher
31 Robins
27 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
23 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
415 Jackdaws
194 Rooks
69 Starlings
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)