4.0°C > 7.0°C: Early patchy mist and low cloud coming and going under scattered medium / high cloud. Cleared to a thin high overcast by 09:00. Light NNW wind. Good visibility, sometimes moderate, even poor when the mist rolled in.
Sunrise: 06:57 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:15
Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:15
(48th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Only the adult Mute Swans today.
- Wood Pigeons have been doing display flights and been heard calling for some weeks. This morning I heard one calling in the dark as I arrived.
- A pair of Great Crested Grebes were seen at first light displaying along the E end of N side. Later one of these(?) roamed the lake widely. Much later a pair was displaying in the NW area at which time I could only see one other bird on the water. So are there three or four?
- Not sure where the Jackdaws were this morning: only two seen. I may have arrived a bit late for the main group on a bright morning though I would have expected to catch a few more in the way of stragglers.
- *Two Mistle Thrushes perched briefly on trees at the E end by Castle Farm Way – not a usual haunt for this species.
- A third Reed Buntings heard in song. At least two others heard calling.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls: 14 of these first year birds, including 10 together
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard yet again
- 2 Jackdaws only
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans: pair only
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 36 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- *3? Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gulls: first year bird
- *1 Grey Heron: departed
On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn: rather soggy poles after yesterday's rain and now mist:
- *>5 springtails sp. none identified
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
Bird notes:
- Only the adult Mute Swans today.
- Wood Pigeons have been doing display flights and been heard calling for some weeks. This morning I heard one calling in the dark as I arrived.
- A pair of Great Crested Grebes were seen at first light displaying along the E end of N side. Later one of these(?) roamed the lake widely. Much later a pair was displaying in the NW area at which time I could only see one other bird on the water. So are there three or four?
- Not sure where the Jackdaws were this morning: only two seen. I may have arrived a bit late for the main group on a bright morning though I would have expected to catch a few more in the way of stragglers.
- *Two Mistle Thrushes perched briefly on trees at the E end by Castle Farm Way – not a usual haunt for this species.
- A third Reed Buntings heard in song. At least two others heard calling.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls: 14 of these first year birds, including 10 together
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard yet again
- 2 Jackdaws only
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans: pair only
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 36 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- *3? Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gulls: first year bird
- *1 Grey Heron: departed
On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn: rather soggy poles after yesterday's rain and now mist:
- *>5 springtails sp. none identified
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
Almost clear skies and mist did not make for a good sunrise photo. The best I could manage.
The displaying Great Crested Grebes in the NW area. I only saw these just before I departed for The Flash.
A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). For me just about the easiest spider to identify.
(Ed Wilson)
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(46th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The pair of Teal were by the island throughout.
- Now seven drake Pochard: two were asleep by the island; one at the other end of the island; and four together at the top end
- Two sightings of a single Great Crested Grebe. Same bird?
- A Mistle Thrush was heard in song from way to the N of the water again.
- At least 20 Siskins were heard twittering from tall trees along the E side. At least six more were in tree tops near the medical practice.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Sparrowhawk sightings: at least two birds (male and female on size difference)
- 3 Jackdaws
On /around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 26 (18♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal still
- 7 (7♂) Pochard
- 62 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 26 Coots again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *23 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull
Noted on /around the street lamp poles:
- *several small red-eyed flies
Of note elsewhere:
Nothing
A side elevation view.
One of the flies has an important message for us all!
(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
Shirlett High Park
16 Crossbills
(Yvonne C)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)
Horsehay Pool
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock
3 Pochard
50 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
1 Water Rail
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Great Crested Grebes
4 Heron
3 Cormorants
5 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
107 Coots
2 Water Rails
606 Wood Pigeon
334 Jackdaws
156 Rooks
25 Starlings
11 Pied Wagtails
21 Fieldfare
1 Redwing
1 Willow Tit
26 Starlings
10 Greenfinches
69 Siskins
3 Redpolls
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
29 Pied Wagtails
23 Blackbirds
6 Greenfinches
17 Siskins
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)