0.0°C > 1.0°C: A very few early breaks but mainly medium overcast. Light SE wind increasing moderate. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:15
(295th visit of the year)
Another very quiet morning with very little moving.
Bird notes:
- At least 700 Black-headed Gulls seem to have roosted, being settled at 07:10. When disturbed by two different blue-light ambulances they immediately resettled until they started leaving c.07:50. A few Lesser Black-backed Gulls were with them at this time.
- A larger than usual early arrival of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls but rather fewer flying over later.
- Jackdaw numbers better than yesterday but well down on this time last year when 500 birds on roost dispersal were not uncommon. Very few Rooks noted recently either.
- A Cetti's Warbler was calling pre-dawn at the W end. Nothing seen or heard later.
Overhead:
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Wood Pigeon only!!
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 71 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 78 Jackdaws
- no Pied Wagtails heard
- 5 Siskins
Birds leaving roost sites around the lake:
- 11 Redwings
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: calls only
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard again
- 38 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens again
- no count of Coots
- >700 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: adult
- 83 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Around the frosted street lamps:
Moths:
- 2 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 male Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria): present in the same place for at least the sixth morning
Nothing else noted (wimps) and nothing noted later:
The rather lurid early sky, hand-held on about a one second exposure! The breaks in the cloud soon filled in and there was no colour later. On the right the new (?) bright security lights on a building in Stafford Park are clearly seen to be shining across the water.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:05
It was dull, cold and cheerless this morning. I had little motivation to take photos. This eye-level Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) tempted me to get the camera out.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:05
(270th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Just a pair of Teal located.
- >40 birds in large mixed party of Goldfinches and Siskins in the Alders on the island.
Birds noted flying over here:
Bird notes:
- Just a pair of Teal located.
- >40 birds in large mixed party of Goldfinches and Siskins in the Alders on the island.
Birds noted flying over here:
None
On /around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 47 (29♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 62 (27♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 (4♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens again
- no count of Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 49 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- no Grey Heron
On / around various street lamps:
- 2 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 male Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Around the Ivy or elsewhere:
- 5 Canada Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 47 (29♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 62 (27♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 (4♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens again
- no count of Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 49 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- no Grey Heron
On / around various street lamps:
- 2 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 male Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Around the Ivy or elsewhere:
Nothing
As did this Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman. Its position on a lamp pole was so dark I had to take its (flash) photo to see what it was. On this species the first and third pairs of legs are significantly shorter than pairs two and four. All legs are noticeably thicker on the basal part. There is often (but not here) a pale stripe running down the abdomen. It is getting to the end of the season for almost all species of harvestmen.
(Ed Wilson)
(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
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
78 Tufted Ducks
1 female Greater Scaup
222 Coots counted
Caspian Gull
2 Fieldfare
17 Redwings
429 Jackdaws
173 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Pochard
110 Tufted Ducks
17 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
11 Swans
1 Shoveler
c.115 Tufted Duck
7 Goosander
129 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
21 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
3 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
16 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
32 Swans
114 Canada Geese
39 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
166 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3rd-winter American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe/Kriss Webb)
2011
Priorslee Lake
c.6000 Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
Sparrowhawk
(Martin Adlam and Ian Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
42 Swans
2 Gadwall
51 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
296 Coots
c.2000 Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30 Lapwings
50 Golden Plover
7 Redwings
8 Fieldfares
15 Goldfinches
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake Icebound - 2009 (Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee lake
1 Great Crested Grebe
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
58 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.3200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
15 Pied Wagtails
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee lake
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
11 Herring Gull
7 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
1 Cormorant on the Lake.
200 Coot
1 Water Rail
18 Pied Wagtails
231 Rooks
323 Jackdaw
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)