Priorslee Lake and The Flash
1.0°C > 5.0°C: Early frost soon gave way to broken clouds and, later, showery rain. A calm start with increasing SSW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:46 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:35 – 09:10
(33rd visit of the year)
Notable this morning was my first singing Chaffinch of the year.
Bird notes:
- The five Mute Swans were all behaving normally today. Seems I was unnecessarily concerned.
- Thursday's Great Crested Grebe not located.
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls arrived circling over the water at 07:10. They eventually settled c.07:30 and were then joined by four Herring Gulls and 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- A steady trickle of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls overhead until c.08:50 when a big passage of large gulls passed overhead. These were in a very open grouping and it was quite impossible to count and specifically identify them. There were at least 450 birds with the vast majority being Lesser Black-backs.
- The Cetti's Warbler was heard calling intermittently pre-dawn.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 1 Greylag Goose: inbound
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 23 Herring Gulls
- 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >450 large gulls: see notes
- 47 Jackdaws
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall again
- 6 (4♂) Mallard again
- 8 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
On or around the frosted street lamps:
1.0°C > 5.0°C: Early frost soon gave way to broken clouds and, later, showery rain. A calm start with increasing SSW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:46 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:35 – 09:10
(33rd visit of the year)
Notable this morning was my first singing Chaffinch of the year.
Bird notes:
- The five Mute Swans were all behaving normally today. Seems I was unnecessarily concerned.
- Thursday's Great Crested Grebe not located.
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls arrived circling over the water at 07:10. They eventually settled c.07:30 and were then joined by four Herring Gulls and 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- A steady trickle of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls overhead until c.08:50 when a big passage of large gulls passed overhead. These were in a very open grouping and it was quite impossible to count and specifically identify them. There were at least 450 birds with the vast majority being Lesser Black-backs.
- The Cetti's Warbler was heard calling intermittently pre-dawn.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 1 Greylag Goose: inbound
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 23 Herring Gulls
- 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >450 large gulls: see notes
- 47 Jackdaws
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall again
- 6 (4♂) Mallard again
- 8 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
On or around the frosted street lamps:
Nothing seen
...and that.
Again
Looked at from this angle it shows that the large bill is as wide as it is deep.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:15 – 09:55
(32nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A bumper five drake Pochard seen.
- The Great Crested Grebe seemed to be have quite well-developing head plumes and therefore seems likely to be a different individual.
Birds noted flying over here:
Bird notes:
- A bumper five drake Pochard seen.
- The Great Crested Grebe seemed to be have quite well-developing head plumes and therefore seems likely to be a different individual.
Birds noted flying over here:
None
On /around the water:
- 17 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal again
- 5 (5♂) Pochard
- 55 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens only
- 23 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 83 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On /around street lamp poles and elsewhere:
- 17 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 42 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal again
- 5 (5♂) Pochard
- 55 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens only
- 23 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 83 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On /around street lamp poles and elsewhere:
Nothing found
(Ed Wilson)
NOTE:
On Friday 4 Feb, Ed Wilson visited the Wirral. Here are a few images from his trip.
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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
Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
(Observer Unknown)
2013
Priorslee Lake
10 Gadwall
29 Wigeon
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood, Kris Webb)
The Flash
2 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
Holmer Lake
13 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
11 Pochard
65 Tufted Duck
c.50 Lapwings
Dunlin
c.300 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.50 Herring Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Common Gull
(Ed Wilson / Jim Almond)
2011
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
82 Herring Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
>500 Wood Pigeons
248 Jackdaws
211 Rooks logged
1 Redpoll
(JW Reeves, Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
102 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
9 Herring Gulls
(Martin Adlam)
2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
32 Robins
26 Blackbirds
13 Song Thrushes
4 Redwings
2 Willow Tits
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
8 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
20 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks
163 Coots
20 Robins
22 Blackbirds
10 Song Thrushes
1 Willow Tit
13 Greenfinches
10 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)