4 Nov 20

Priorslee Lake only

4.0°C > 7.0°C: Just a few patches of benign cloud. Very light W wind increasing slightly. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:13 GMT

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:57 – 09:41

(240th visit of the year)

A more modest Wood Pigeon passage this morning. Generally the groups were smaller. Almost all of them were to the W of the lake. Some groups seemed to be starting out locally with the birds in a drawn out line, those in the 'tail' seemingly climbing to catch up with the leaders. There may well have been more birds around as two of the larger groups were found quite by chance VERY high overhead and not visible to the naked eye against this morning's clear sky. How many other did I miss?

Other bird notes:
- All the recent Gadwall found this morning.
- The recent duck Pochard also located.
- At least 200 Black-headed Gulls were flying around low over the water by 06:10. Just two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were with them. 149 Lesser Black-backs flew in from the N after 06:30. I am not entirely convinced these had come from their usual roost as they approached the E-end of the lake from the N / NNE rather than from the NNW / NW as previously.
- Later 19 Lesser Black-backs flew in from the E and S with seven all first-winter Herring Gulls.
- Low number of Fieldfare (none!) and Redwings. These have been in unusually low numbers so far this Autumn though bumper numbers were reported arriving on the E coast from Scandinavia.
- Several small groups of unidentified finch-types were too far away to ID visually. They were either too distant to hear any calls: or the sounds were drowned by traffic-noise from the M54. Not included in the log.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 4 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 6 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 24 (2+♂) Goosander
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 43 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- c.3650 Wood Pigeons: c.3600 of these in 59 migrant parties S / SW
- >400 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 2 Skylarks
- 72 Starlings: six groups
- 4 Redwings: two groups
- 10 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Chaffinches
- 2 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.150 Starlings
- 4 Redwings
- 13 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 14 (9♂) Mallard
- 6 (5♂) Pochard
- 31 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants: singles arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 11 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 122 Coots
- >300 Black-headed Gulls
- 170 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls: all first-winter birds

Playing fields
Not visited.

On / around the street lights etc.
Nothing pre-sunrise.

Noted later:
Nothing

The waning moon was clear on this frosty morning.

A Cormorant sitting up straight. The few white feathers in the chest mean it is an immature bird. It is chastening to think that in less than six weeks we may see adults start to get white patches on the thigh and white head-plumes as they commence moulting in to breeding plumage. Sadly it will not mean Winter is over.

What is going on here? The Black-headed Gull at the top had been chasing the immature Lesser Black-backed Gull in the middle which had been carrying the stick that is now falling out the bottom of the picture.

Another immature gull carrying an object. It is a first-winter Herring Gull, the pale inner primaries being particularly obvious from this angle – indeed even the inner primary coverts show some pale.

Oh dear! Another gull to ID. Always happier if I can see them flying as well. The large bill, giving it a 'snouty' look, together with the pale feathers on the mantle suggest a first-winter Herring Gull. But is the head too white and the dark area around the eye too small? Are the coverts too dark-centred and broadly edged pale? Not sure what else it might be though.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Nedge Hill
50 Golden Plover
(Arthur Harper)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
Yellow-legged Gull
Kingfisher
400+ Jackdaws
17 Fieldfare
7 Redwings
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
24 Pochard
81 Tufted Ducks
c.180 large gulls
5 Redwings here
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)

2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Pochard
4 Wigeon
8 Tufted
42 Mute Swan
400+ Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)

Wrekin
Firecrest
2 Brambling
(Dave Barrow / Andy Latham)

2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
650+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
134 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
450 Wood Pigeons
15 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
13 Dunnocks
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
85 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
14 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)