9.0°C > 11.0°C: Light drizzle / rain soon gave way to mostly cloudy conditions with just a few brighter, even sunny, spells. Moderate S breeze. Very good visibility after the rain ceased.
Sunrise: 07:26 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 05:55 – 09:30
(258th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- By 06:20 at least 150 Black-headed Gulls were on the water, soon taking to the air. Whether these had roosted here or were very early arrivals is hard to say. Many more soon joined from high overhead and by 06:45 they were alternately sitting on the water or flying around. A blue-light ambulance went flashing past and this spooked them all in to the air. I estimated at least 500 birds were involved. At this point many started to leave.
- The early arriving large gulls were caught up on the mayhem. By the time they settled on the lake it was possible to specifically identifying them.
- The Cetti's Warbler gave its full song at 06:45 and then was silent again.
Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck: flew E
- 205 Wood Pigeons: 169 of these in 13 mainly small parties heading N/NE/E
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 121 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: singles
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Skylark
- 82 Jackdaws
- 66 Redwings: 9 singles / small groups
- 7 Pied Wagtails heard only (much road noise prevented my hearing too many)
- 3 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake: I was mostly wrongly positioned trying to minimise the road noise from a wet M54.
- 2 Redwings
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler still
Count from the lake area:
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 17 (12♂) Mallard: of these 12 (9♂) flew in together
- 17 (12♂) Tufted Duck also
- 3 Moorhens only
- 52 Coots
- c.500? Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 86 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn: wet and windy around the lamps.
Moths:
Sunrise: 07:26 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 05:55 – 09:30
(258th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- By 06:20 at least 150 Black-headed Gulls were on the water, soon taking to the air. Whether these had roosted here or were very early arrivals is hard to say. Many more soon joined from high overhead and by 06:45 they were alternately sitting on the water or flying around. A blue-light ambulance went flashing past and this spooked them all in to the air. I estimated at least 500 birds were involved. At this point many started to leave.
- The early arriving large gulls were caught up on the mayhem. By the time they settled on the lake it was possible to specifically identifying them.
- The Cetti's Warbler gave its full song at 06:45 and then was silent again.
Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck: flew E
- 205 Wood Pigeons: 169 of these in 13 mainly small parties heading N/NE/E
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 121 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: singles
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Skylark
- 82 Jackdaws
- 66 Redwings: 9 singles / small groups
- 7 Pied Wagtails heard only (much road noise prevented my hearing too many)
- 3 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake: I was mostly wrongly positioned trying to minimise the road noise from a wet M54.
- 2 Redwings
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler still
Count from the lake area:
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 17 (12♂) Mallard: of these 12 (9♂) flew in together
- 17 (12♂) Tufted Duck also
- 3 Moorhens only
- 52 Coots
- c.500? Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 86 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn: wet and windy around the lamps.
Moths:
None
with:
- 1 fly sp.
- 1 fly sp.
Spiders and Harvestman:
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
Noted later:
- The following additional flower was noted still in bloom:
- White Clover (Trifolium repens)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Yesterday I suggested that Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) continued to flower after White Clover (Trifolium repens). Here is proof that the White Clover is not done yet.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
Noted later:
- The following additional flower was noted still in bloom:
- White Clover (Trifolium repens)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
A friendly Pied Wagtail came and stood close to me on the 'boxing ring' on the dam.
Nothing much around the lake so we had better have another view of the Pied Wagtail.
Not much on the lamp poles in the rain. A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
7 Gadwall
2 Teal
59 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
27 Moorhens
239 Coots
c.440 Wood Pigeons
8 Song Thrushes
567 Fieldfare
26 Redwings
270 Jackdaws
106 Rooks
c.310 Starlings from roost
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
103 Starlings
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
8 Goosander
139 Coots
52 Redwings
55 Fieldfares
571 Jackdaws
128 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
8 Great Crested Grebes
9 Cormorants
8 Pochard
117 Tufted Ducks
2000+ Wood Pigeons
400+ Fieldfare
125+ Redwings
33 Starlings
10+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Gadwall
Shoveler
2 Water Rails
c.50 Lapwings
c.150 Golden Plover
6 Redwings
3 Fieldfare
Chiffchaff
Several Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
65 Pochard
65 Tufted Ducks
1 eclipse drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
50 Coots
500+ Golden Plover
1 Woodcock
790+ Black-headed Gulls
1753+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
962 Wood Pigeons
130 Fieldfare
93 Redwings
393 Jackdaws
135 Rooks
174 Starlings
34 Greenfinches
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebe
9 Pochard
63 Tufted Duck
5 Ruddy Duck
Water Rail
800 Black-headed Gull
Cormorant
10 Redwing
9 Reed Bunting
3 Redpoll
9 Siskin
(Martin Adlam)