0.0°C: Sunny intervals developing for a while after earlier fog. More cloud again later. Very light wind. Moderate visibility with haze.
Sunrise: 08:14 GMT
*= a photo today
Early fog delayed my start
Priorslee Lake: 08:35 – 09:50
(14th visit of the year)
c.30% ice still. All viewing from the E end lay-by and dam-top.
Bird notes:
- A few changes since yesterday lunchtime. A drake Shoveler new in; more Mallard; a duck Pochard replacing four of yesterday's drakes; a few more Tufted Ducks.
- Almost all the gulls departed, spooked by something unseen.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall still
- 15 (10♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 70 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens again
- 43 Coots
- 2 Little Grebes
- 116 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls
- 53 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
One addition to my 2022 bird log for here:
Shoveler
Year to date: 60 bird species
The drake Shoveler here with a duck Tufted Duck.
Both the duck and drake Pochard for comparison.
The gulls take flight: eight Black-headed Gulls and four Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:55 – 10:40
(13th visit of the year)
c.80% ice.
Bird notes:
- A drake Shoveler here as well as at the Balancing Lake.
- Most of the Tufted Duck seem to have baled out.
- Only one of the Great Crested Grebes found. As it was lurking under dense overhanging branches its companion might well have been nearby.
- Coal Tit singing away again.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
On /around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 43 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 78 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: immature, arrived
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: both adults
- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived
On the street lamps or on / around the Ivy:
c.80% ice.
Bird notes:
- A drake Shoveler here as well as at the Balancing Lake.
- Most of the Tufted Duck seem to have baled out.
- Only one of the Great Crested Grebes found. As it was lurking under dense overhanging branches its companion might well have been nearby.
- Coal Tit singing away again.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
On /around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 43 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 78 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: immature, arrived
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: both adults
- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived
On the street lamps or on / around the Ivy:
Nothing on any of them
One addition to my 2022 bird log for here:
Shoveler
Year to date: 45 bird species
Shoveler
Year to date: 45 bird species
(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
2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
10 Pochard
87 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
121 Coot
23 Herring Gull
4 Great Black-backed Gull
181 Lesser Black-backed Gull
157 Black-headed Gull
Kingfisher
(Gary Crowder, Chris Cameron)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Greater Scaup
4 Gadwall
1 Goldeneye
82 Tufted Ducks
15 Pochard
143 Coots
1 Dunlin
1 Great Black-backed Gull
3 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
184 Jackdaws
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper, John Isherwood)
The Flash
29 Tufted Duck
8 Goosanders
14 Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull.
(Observer Unknown)
2012
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
19 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
2 Goosanders
14 Magpie
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Mediterranean Gull
2 Yellow legged Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
20 Herring Gull
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
80 Black-headed Gulls
c. 60 Tufted Duck
9 Pochard
(Mike Cooper, Andy Latham)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Geoff Holmes)
2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
8 Cormorants
11 Pochard
29 Tufted Ducks
>252 Black-headed Gulls
>66 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
23 Herring Gulls
200 Wood Pigeons
35 Robins
15 Blackbirds
76 Fieldfares
17 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
39 Magpies
217 Jackdaws
175 Rooks
11 Greenfinches
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Cormorants
200 Wood Pigeons
11 Great Crested Grebes
11 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
243 Coot
1 Water Rail
236 Jackdaws
216 Rooks
33 Siskins
15 Pied Wagtails
24 Robins
19 Blackbirds
8 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)