5.0°C > 10.0°C: Clear skies with haze. Calm start with very light SE breeze later. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:06 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 06:25 // 07:30 – 08:00
Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 06:25 // 07:30 – 08:00
(69th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Three Great Crested Grebes noted. Confusing.
- I only heard the Little Grebe(s) calling at the W end as usual. One of the fishermen reported seeing one in the NE area
- The Cetti's Warbler burst in to song at the W end at 05:20. It was still singing intermittently after 08:30.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing by the Teece Drive gate again at 06:10. I did not see or hear any later.
- No Siskins seen or heard here or at The Flash.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound
- 4 Stock Doves: two pairs
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls: all immatures
- 3 Cormorants: together
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 37 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
Bird notes:
- Three Great Crested Grebes noted. Confusing.
- I only heard the Little Grebe(s) calling at the W end as usual. One of the fishermen reported seeing one in the NE area
- The Cetti's Warbler burst in to song at the W end at 05:20. It was still singing intermittently after 08:30.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing by the Teece Drive gate again at 06:10. I did not see or hear any later.
- No Siskins seen or heard here or at The Flash.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound
- 4 Stock Doves: two pairs
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls: all immatures
- 3 Cormorants: together
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 37 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
None
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler still
- *14 (14) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (4♂) Mallard: two of these flew off
- 9 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 35 Coots again
- Little Grebe(s) heard: see notes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls between 05:25 and 05:40 only
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn
- *1 Early Grey moth (Xylocampa areola)
- >5 midges
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- *2 different spiders
Notes later:
- 1 Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)
- many bumblebees in flight so mostly unidentified but at least two were Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris).
Today's moonshot!
A very red sunrise through the mist. The sun appears to be wearing shades (man).
And now the complete disc of the sun is above my horizon.
Another warbler caught mid-chiff (or mid-chaff). At least it had the decency to sit on top of a tree and not...
My second Early Grey moth (Xylocampa areola) this year. Not a species I record every year.
A White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger).
This mystified me at the time and looking at the photo I am little the wiser. It is a spider as it has eight legs. The white area on the upper abdomen is unlike anything I have seen before.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:30 – 07:25
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:25
(65th visit of the year)
Best record today was a pair of Shoveler.
Other bird notes:
- Still four eggs in the Mute Swans' nest.
- Just one Great Crested Grebe noted.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker calling in squirrel alley.
Birds noted flying over here:
Best record today was a pair of Shoveler.
Other bird notes:
- Still four eggs in the Mute Swans' nest.
- Just one Great Crested Grebe noted.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker calling in squirrel alley.
Birds noted flying over here:
None
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
On /around the water:
- 46 Canada Geese
- 7 Greylag Geese: of these a single and a pair flew off
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans: 4 eggs again
- *2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 25 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 57 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere:
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
On /around the water:
- 46 Canada Geese
- 7 Greylag Geese: of these a single and a pair flew off
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans: 4 eggs again
- *2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 25 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 57 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere:
Nothing noted
The drake Shoveler (with a Coot photo-bombing the shot). A few moments later it...
...presumably the same pair back on the water.
A somewhat better view of the duck, albeit enlarged...
..and here is the drake.
"Now what is in here?"
"Better take a closer look"
"This needs clearing out before I can nest". A Nuthatch surveying a nest site.
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 (1♂) Mallard in the lower pool again
- 1 Moorhen in each pool again
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs near the upper pool
- no Starlings
(Ed Wilson)
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Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Nothing of note
(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
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Woodcock
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
33 Tufted Ducks
c.45 Black-headed Gulls
c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.30 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Nedge Hill
15 Golden Plover
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Teal
2 Redpoll
1 Siskin
1 Little Grebe
2 Gadwall
24 Tufted Duck
c.160 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Great Crested Grebe
28 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
13 Cormorant
6 Greylag Geese
29 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kestrel
1 Lapwing
3 Stock Dove
242 Wood Pigeon
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Meadow Pipit
29 Wren
27 Robin
24 Blackbird
2 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
50 Magpie
6 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
9 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
3 Buzzard
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
1 Cormorant
1 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
700 Black-headed Gulls
125 Jackdaws
474 Wood Pigeons
1 Meadow Pipit
3 Grey Wagtails
20 Wrens
20 Robins
20 Blackbirds
7 Fieldfares
27 Redwings
9 Greenfinches
7 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)