2.0°C: Mostly sunny. Light N wind. Good visibility.
[Sunrise: 08:20 GMT]
* = a photo today
An afternoon visit with The Flash first.
Priorslee Lake: 15:26 – 16:30
(5th visit of the year)
- very little ice remains
Bird notes:
- One of the six Canada Geese departed. From its calls I suspect it might have been a Greylag x Canada Goose - I had only seen it at long range when difficult to check. I double-checked the remaining five and they seemed to be 100% Canada.
- A large number of gulls continued to arrive throughout with more passing over mixing with birds flying off.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 28 geese sp., likely Greylags but too distant to confirm.
- >30 large gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- >10 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: one departed (see notes)
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 37 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- no Moorhens seen
- 96 Coots
- no Little Grebes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
all gull numbers approximate: where relevant number present when I arrived are shown separated by a '>' from the number present when I departed:
- c.300>c.600 Black-headed Gulls
- 0 > 1 Common Gull: adult
- 1 > 0 Great Black-backed Gull: adult
- 7 > 60+ Herring Gulls
- 1 Caspian Gull: first year
- 2 > 0 Yellow-legged Gulls: adults
- 68 > 200+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
plus
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- 1 Grey Heron
My 2021 bird species list for here now stands at 51 with today's additions (in the order I recorded them):
Rook
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Gull
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 14:31 – 15:20
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 14:31 – 15:20
(5th visit of the year)
- c.25% ice
Bird notes:
- large arrival of geese. A few Greylags with the big party of Canada Geese though most of the Greylags arrived separately a few minutes later.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Raven
Counts from the water:
- 84 Canada Geese: 62 of these arrived
- 54 Greylag Geese: all of these arrived
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose: arrived
- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 41 (24♂) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Pochards
- 50 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 67 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On the lamp poles, around the Ivy or elsewhere:
- c.25% ice
Bird notes:
- large arrival of geese. A few Greylags with the big party of Canada Geese though most of the Greylags arrived separately a few minutes later.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Raven
Counts from the water:
- 84 Canada Geese: 62 of these arrived
- 54 Greylag Geese: all of these arrived
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose: arrived
- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 41 (24♂) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Pochards
- 50 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 67 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On the lamp poles, around the Ivy or elsewhere:
Nothing
My 2021 bird species list for here stands at 40 with today's additions (in sighting order):
Jackdaw
Greylag Goose
Raven
Now I sort of get the idea that standing one-legged on the ice minimises heat loss. But sitting? The standing bird has white feathers on the head a neck (it is not snow!). Does not look quite like the bird I photographed several weeks ago at Trench.
My 2021 bird species list for here stands at 40 with today's additions (in sighting order):
Jackdaw
Greylag Goose
Raven
Believe it or not these Greylag Geese are in control of what is going on.
Just preparing to splash-down.
See: as I said it is all under perfect control.
Though I am less sure about these two.
And these seem to be at minimal spacing.
Another smooth touch-down.
Could have done with more light to freeze the action: a 'shouty' Long-tailed Tit.
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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Local area
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup
5 Great Black-backed Gulls - 4 adult and a 1st winter
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1st winter Caspian Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Caspian Gulls
10+ Yellow-legged gulls (most adults and 3rd-winters, at least 1 1st-winter)
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
(J W Reeves)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Pair of Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Evening Report
An adult winter Ring-billed Gull at about 3:15pm
3 adult Common Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Daytime Report
4 Common Gull
2 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
Black-necked Grebe
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)