6.0°C > 7.0°C: Cloudy with outbreaks of mainly light rain. Moderate / fresh SSW wind. Good visibility.
[Sunrise: 06:37 GMT]
* = a photo today
Neither as wet nor as windy as the forecast suggested . The forecast led me to avoid my usual pre-dawn start.
Priorslee Lake: 06:50 - 09:45
(29th visit of the year)
I am now reasonably confident that yesterday's mystery 'heron' was a Little Egret. Tom Lowe suggested it as the most likely option and today a definite Little Egret flew over on the same line at 07:45. It is also the same line that my first Little Egret this year took on 6 March. Now the question is where from and where to?
Birds notes:
- Groups of 45 and 10 Black-headed Gulls appeared circling high overhead and drifted off W. These, and a few singles, seemed to be nothing to do with the rather few - maximum 16 - birds on the water.
- Two obvious pairs and a single Great Crested Grebes noted. What I take to be the pair often in the NW area seemed more interested in the SW area and were roaming all along the S side.
- Frequently there are two Pied Wagtails in the Castle Farm Way lay-by. Today these were, unusually, two males.
- No Chiffchaffs seen or heard though conditions were not ideal.
- Just four Siskins swaying with the trees near the Teece Drive gate. At least 12 more seen overhead flying W along the line of the M54.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- c.60 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both immatures
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two immatures
- 4 Cormorants: trio and single
- 1 Little Egret
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 3 Jackdaws only - I arrived too late to see the roost dispersal
- 1 Redwing
- 12 Siskins
Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Tufted Duck again
- 6 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- [Little Grebe(s) not heard]
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: all immatures, briefly
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: immature, briefly
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: four adults and one immature, briefly
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
My 2021 bird species list for here remains 72.
Nothing else of note.
This adult Black-headed Gull now fully 'hooded'. Note the dark red legs and bill.
And a typical first summer with pinkish bare parts, brown in the folded wing and little dark on the head.
Here, hauled out, extending its wings to reveal the breeding condition white thigh patch. Note too the short crest and the white plumes developing on the head.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:50 - 10:35
A duck Tufted Duck making waves. She is just surfacing after diving for corn thrown in for the ducks and geese.
Compare and contrast time: and adult summer Black-headed Gull in the foreground. A juvenile coming in to first summer plumage behind. Note the neat tail band that first-year birds retain throughout the summer.
A different adult yet to complete its head moult. Note that primaries two, three and four (counting the outermost as number one) appear to still be growing. This is unusual at this date.
Again from above. Not entirely sure why this would be - to lose three together in a fight or survivable accident seems rather unlikely or very lucky.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:50 - 10:35
(19th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The Jackdaws in one group of 34 and singleton later.
- Not exactly a riveting sighting but four Chaffinches together (three males, none singing) in the NW area was unusual.
- Five Siskins were briefly close to the E side but were flushed off by a dog.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 7 Feral Pigeons (one group)
- 35 Jackdaws
Counts from the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- 25 (15♂) Mallard
- 68 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 52.
Nothing else of note.
Most of the time the three all white Mute Swans seem to rub along OK. Just now again the cob gives chase to his 2018 daughter, as here. Not usually serious - he saves his ire for drowning any Canada Geese that upset him.
Bird notes:
- The Jackdaws in one group of 34 and singleton later.
- Not exactly a riveting sighting but four Chaffinches together (three males, none singing) in the NW area was unusual.
- Five Siskins were briefly close to the E side but were flushed off by a dog.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 7 Feral Pigeons (one group)
- 35 Jackdaws
Counts from the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- 25 (15♂) Mallard
- 68 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 52.
Nothing else of note.
And two fully tufted drakes.
Here it is clear that only the left wing is affected, the primaries on the right wing being complete.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day
2019
Apley Pool (Martin Adlam)
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebe
11 Tufted Duck
3 Cormorant
7 Great Black-backed Gulls
465 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
48 Herring Gulls
37 Black-headed Gulls
1 Chiffchaff
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)
2013
Priorslee Lake
35 Tufted Duck
27 Wigeon
(Tony Beckett)
The Flash
36 Tufted Duck
6 Mute Swan
9 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)
2011
Priorslee Lake
7 Pochard
18 Tufted Ducks
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Cormorants
3 Grey Heron
24 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
497 Wood Pigeon
32 Wren
30 Robin
21 Blackbird
7 Redwing
31 Magpie
198 Jackdaw
5 Greenfinch
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
2 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
109 Coots
1 Water Rail heard
2 Lapwings
295 Wood Pigeons
245 Jackdaws
12 Greenfinches
6 Reed Buntings.
(Ed Wilson)