8.0°C: Cloud from overnight rain beginning to break. Fresh SSE wind. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise: 06:32 GMT]
* = a photo today
Early rain delayed my start. I visited The Flash first. It was "mission accomplished" at the lake, with four Sand Martins as my first this year.
Priorslee Lake: 09:05 – 09:55
(60th visit of the year)
Only viewing from the Castle Farm Way lay-by.
The four Sand Martins were present between 09:05 and 09:25 only. Bird species #69 for me here this year [it was species #68 on 04 March last year].
Bird notes:
- Just one Little Grebe seen at the W end.
- The three Great Crested Grebes behaved as yesterday: two birds in the S and E areas, only sometimes together; the other bird in the NW area.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair inbound
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 19 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- no Moorhens
- 28 Coots again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Common Gull. Arrived and departed
- 1 Cormorant: immature
Noted from the lay-by.
Nothing else of interest
A Common Gull
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 08:10 – 08:55
(57th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I could not locate any Teal today.
- Small groups of Tufted Ducks were flying around and hard to keep track of. There may be a small element of double-counting.
- A Great Crested Grebe found: lurking under overhanging vegetation around the island. I could only see one bird.
- Eight Chiffchaffs noted: six singing, one calling only and *one silent bird.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing once more in trees near The Priorslee.
- At least 20 Siskins around. Some were in Alders very close to the W side bath swaying wildly in the brisk wind = no photos.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
On /around the water:
- 22 Canada Geese: one pair of these arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal
- 79 (52♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first year, arrived
On /around the street lamp poles or elsewhere around here:
Bird notes:
- I could not locate any Teal today.
- Small groups of Tufted Ducks were flying around and hard to keep track of. There may be a small element of double-counting.
- A Great Crested Grebe found: lurking under overhanging vegetation around the island. I could only see one bird.
- Eight Chiffchaffs noted: six singing, one calling only and *one silent bird.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing once more in trees near The Priorslee.
- At least 20 Siskins around. Some were in Alders very close to the W side bath swaying wildly in the brisk wind = no photos.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
On /around the water:
- 22 Canada Geese: one pair of these arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal
- 79 (52♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first year, arrived
On /around the street lamp poles or elsewhere around here:
Nothing noted
"I'm off". An armpit view. The feathers here are known as axillaries.
(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
1st winter female Greater Scaup
20 Tufted Duck.
1 Kingfisher
(Gary Crowder)
2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebe
37 Tufted Duck
27 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
1 Cormorant
24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
4 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Grant)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Water Rail
(John Isherwood)
Priorslee Flash
1 Chiffchaff
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
30 Fieldfare
1 Redwing
7 Lapwing
2 Stock Dove
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
6 Gadwall
4 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Lapwing
>1100 Black-headed Gulls
c.30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls, all on the water
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Woodcock
5 Cormorant
6 Grey Heron
19 Tufted Duck
4 Stock Dove
25 Robin
22 Blackbird
8 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
47 Magpie
143 Jackdaw
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
7 Pochard
45 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Lapwing
148 Jackdaws
34+ Siskins
6 Redwings
14 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)