4.0°C > 7.0°C: Misty / foggy start. Cleared to hazy sun with patches of low cloud at times. Calm start with very light E wind later. Poor visibility to start; moderate later.
Sunrise: 07:17 GMT
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 06:02 – 09:16
(242nd visit of the year)
Almost no Wood Pigeon passage seen today. Initially visibility would have been too poor. However only very small groups seen overhead / later so I suspect there was no passage. Whether they have all gone or the mist and fog delayed them is a moot point.
Other bird notes:
- A drake Shoveler was the highlight among the ducks.
- Black-headed Gulls were heard in the area by 06:25 and a few with a very few Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen leaving to the E. Any early arriving gulls had mostly departed by the time it was possible to see were they would have been. A small later arrival.
- Two more late Skylarks. These were unusually flying N. Autumn passage is normally E -> W.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 12 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 1 Cormorant
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 88 Wood Pigeons: 39 of these in three migrant parties S / SW
- c.225 Jackdaws
- 13 Rooks
- 2 Skylarks
- 2 Starlings
- 8 Fieldfare: three groups
- 12 Redwings: mainly singles
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Chaffinch
- 2 Greenfinches
- 1 Linnet
- 3 Lesser Redpolls
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
Due to the mist I was unable to see many of the expected departures
- no Starlings
- 4 Redwings
- 6 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Gadwall
- 9 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 32 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Cormorants: two singles and a quartet arrived
- *1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes again
- *12 Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 Moorhens
- 135 Coots
- c.50 Black-headed Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: first-winter birds again
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull: adult
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 November Moth type (Epirrita sp.)
- *1 Feathered Thorn moth (Colotois pennaria): moth species #105 here this year
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 winter gnat (Trichocera sp)
- 2 Tetragnatha stretch spider sp.
- 1 other spider: unidentified species
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
Noted later:
Nothing
...and here.
Just as the sun was rising some colour in the sky.
"My buoy and don't get any ideas". A Grey Heron takes possession from the gull that had been there.
A Great Crested Grebe begins a struggle with its breakfast.
That does look rather large.
As I noted last time this happened: quart in a pint pot.
No trouble at all!
Whose a clever boy / girl then?
(Ed Wilson)
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(226th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The Tufted Duck were very jumpy this morning, perhaps due to the arrival of several fishermen to partake of their permitted recreation. 51 birds flew off from the top end and I am not really sure how many of these repositioned and how many might have flown off. My count only comprises those that remained. Then as I was leaving at least 50 birds were flying around, mostly leaving. Because the sex of some birds is still hard to determine I have not recorded the number of drakes recently. My impression this morning was that there was an unusual preponderance of duck-types.
- Strangely the normally rather shy Goosanders just moved around the water to a quieter spot and continued to loaf around.
- Unusual to see four Lesser Black-backed Gulls here these days. When the Granville Tip was operational there could be dozens here washing and resting up after feeding. Days long-gone.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 19 Wood Pigeons: two groups
- 7 Starlings
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese again
- 36 (21♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard again
- *115? (?♂) Tufted Duck (see notes)
- *24 (4?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 12 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 82 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults
- 1 Kingfisher
On various lamp poles:
- 1 November Moth type (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
On / around the Ivy:
- c.25 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris): many fewer
- many 'flies'
Of interest elsewhere:
- a few Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) still active at their nest site.
- *Turkeytail fungus (Trametes versicolor)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Here are 44 Tufted Duck in flight, most of a large group. Whether they were flying off or had been spooked and would return I could not determine.
Bird notes:
- The Tufted Duck were very jumpy this morning, perhaps due to the arrival of several fishermen to partake of their permitted recreation. 51 birds flew off from the top end and I am not really sure how many of these repositioned and how many might have flown off. My count only comprises those that remained. Then as I was leaving at least 50 birds were flying around, mostly leaving. Because the sex of some birds is still hard to determine I have not recorded the number of drakes recently. My impression this morning was that there was an unusual preponderance of duck-types.
- Strangely the normally rather shy Goosanders just moved around the water to a quieter spot and continued to loaf around.
- Unusual to see four Lesser Black-backed Gulls here these days. When the Granville Tip was operational there could be dozens here washing and resting up after feeding. Days long-gone.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 19 Wood Pigeons: two groups
- 7 Starlings
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese again
- 36 (21♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard again
- *115? (?♂) Tufted Duck (see notes)
- *24 (4?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 12 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 82 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults
- 1 Kingfisher
On various lamp poles:
- 1 November Moth type (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
On / around the Ivy:
- c.25 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris): many fewer
- many 'flies'
Of interest elsewhere:
- a few Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) still active at their nest site.
- *Turkeytail fungus (Trametes versicolor)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
A brownhead Goosander - an immature with white between the bill and the eye
And here is a drake.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Pochard
64 Tufted Duck
21 Moorhens
235 Coots
5 Song Thrush
19 Fieldfare
18 Redwings
439 Jackdaws
89 Rooks
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
c.110 Greylag Geese
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
32 Tufted Ducks
4 Moorhens
145 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
c.1650 Wood Pigeons
51 Redwings
302 Fieldfares
c.375 Jackdaws
c.100 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
18 Stock Doves
3800+ Wood Pigeons
6 Sky Larks
1 Meadow Pipit
238 Fieldfare
19 Redwings
91 Starlings
3 Siskins
11 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Yellow Legged Gull
2 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
The Flash
1 Yellow Legged Gull
2 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
2008
Priorslee Lake
26 Greylag Geese
Gadwall
5 Shoveler
3 Pochard
79 Tufted Duck
1 Lapwing
Snipe
2 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
16 Redwings
3 Fieldfares
9 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 Cormorants
3 Shoveler
3 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
149 Coot
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
30 Pochard
111 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
47 Coots
c.562 Black-headed Gulls
63 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
89 Wood Pigeons
22 Pied Wagtails
20 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
27 Robins
31 Blackbirds
5 Song Thrushes
22 Redwings
16 Magpies
111 Jackdaws
68 Rooks
86 Greenfinches
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)