Priorslee Lake and The Flash
4.0°C > 6.0°C: Scattered cloud under a high overcast with some clear areas to the E initially. A few spits of rain after 09:00. Fresh SSE wind, gusting strong. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:33 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 08:55
(39th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Two of the Mute Swan cygnets seem to be declaring UDI, often (but not always) spending time away from their parents and their other sibling.
- c.30 Black-headed Gulls arrived to fly up and down at 06:50, soon increasing to c.60. Most settled on the water for a while.
- Arriving soon after and also settling separately on the water were nine Herring Gulls, one adult Yellow-legged Gulls and 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Once they had bathed and departed no more gulls arrived.
- Some of the Magpies seem to have moved out of the communal roost and are spending the night at their, under refurbishment, nest sites.
- At least 28 Redwings were on the workings for the extension to the Holy Trinity Academy – no site-workers on Saturdays.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Canada Geese: two duos and a trio all outbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls
- 126 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 66 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: a single present early but left after a duo arrived
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.60 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed early at 07:40
- 1 Grey Heron
On and around the street lamps: rather breezy
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
The forecast was wind and rain later so the "red sky in the morning" was perhaps not unexpected.
A longer view.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:00 – 10:05
(37th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- It was mainly Black-headed Gulls this morning. Otherwise little change.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing 'on site' today – from trees around The Priorslee pub.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws
On /around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese: two duos of these departed
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 5 (5♂) Pochard remain
- 88 (49♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: adults again
- 103 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Grey Herons
On /around street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing
A different bird.
Again
Not as many Herring Gulls as yesterday. As before most of them were first winters.
As was this.
Look: no branch in the way of this Grey Heron!
A Siskin. Naturally it is a male.
(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
1 Mediterranean Gull
(Observer Unknown)
2013
St Georges
5 Waxwings
(Observer Unknown)
Horsehay Pool
1 Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)
2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Iceland Gulls
( Pete Jordan)