3.0°C: Mainly clear with a few shower clouds in the distance. Just frosted. Moderate W wind, gusting fresh near showers Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 09:20
(6th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The three Mute Swan cygnets took themselves off for two short flights.
- A distant Goosander seen flying W at 08:30: too far away to check which sex.
- Rather more Black-headed Gulls turned up eventually.
- What seemed to be an adult Caspian Gull dropped in: see photo.
- A Peregrine was flying backwards and forwards across fields to the E at 08:05.
- 34 Redwings were on the football field at 09:15.
Overhead:
- 1 (?♂) Goosander
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Peregrine
- 98 Jackdaws
- no Pied Wagtails
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- no Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard again
- *1 (1♂) Pochard still
- 19 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens only
- 41 Coots
- c.145 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- *1 Caspian Gull
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Cormorant: arrived and almost immediately departed
- 1 Grey Heron: departed again
Street lamps
I did not check the frosted street lamps:
Noted later:
- *Two very mangled-looking fungus.
Additions to my 2022 bird log for here:
Goosander, Caspian Gull
Year to date: 56 bird species
The drake Pochard having a wing-flap.
Plan view of a Cormorant.
There were 34 Redwings on the football field. This one was waiting to fly and join them.
Here apparently sticking its tongue out at me.
A male Siskin munching on the Alder cones.
A female Siskin waiting her turn.
Alongside it was this fungus which didn't help much.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:10
(6th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Of the four Greylag Geese that flew in one seemed paired with a Canada Goose and the other three stayed quite separate.
- Recently a drake Pochard has been either here or at the lake and I assumed it was one bird moving between the sites. Today there were single drakes at both locations so....?
- Many of yesterday's Tufted Ducks seem to have moved out.
- So where have all the Moorhens gone the last few days?
- The Great Crested Grebes were displaying together. I had assumed that these long-time two first-winter birds were grown-up versions from the trio of juveniles born here. If so they are siblings, so pairing up would be genetically unwise.
- Two Grey Herons today.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
On /around the water:
- 42 Canada Geese: 31 of these arrived with...
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 38 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens yet again
- 23 Coots still
- *2 Great Crested Grebes
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 2 Grey Herons
On the street lamps or on / around the Ivy:
Bird notes:
- Of the four Greylag Geese that flew in one seemed paired with a Canada Goose and the other three stayed quite separate.
- Recently a drake Pochard has been either here or at the lake and I assumed it was one bird moving between the sites. Today there were single drakes at both locations so....?
- Many of yesterday's Tufted Ducks seem to have moved out.
- So where have all the Moorhens gone the last few days?
- The Great Crested Grebes were displaying together. I had assumed that these long-time two first-winter birds were grown-up versions from the trio of juveniles born here. If so they are siblings, so pairing up would be genetically unwise.
- Two Grey Herons today.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
On /around the water:
- 42 Canada Geese: 31 of these arrived with...
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 38 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens yet again
- 23 Coots still
- *2 Great Crested Grebes
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 2 Grey Herons
On the street lamps or on / around the Ivy:
Nothing on any of them
Addition to my 2022 bird log for here:
Common Buzzard
Addition to my 2022 bird log for here:
Common Buzzard
Year to date: 39 bird species
Two Great Crested Grebes displaying. Are these the two first-winter birds born and raised here last year?
(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
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
A drake Scaup
(J Reeves)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Paul Paclett)
2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes.
17 Pochard
45 Tufted Duck
2 Gadwall
1 Pintail
236 Coot
2 Water Rail
1 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
c.140 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
46 Herring Gulls
15 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)