6.0°C > 7.0°C: Clear skies. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:49 GMT
* = a photo from today.
After all the recent rain, especially yesterday's downpours, both pools are at about the highest level I can recall.
Priorslee Lake: 06:47 – 09:28
(241st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- When the two adult Mute Swans swam away from the south-west grass only three of the four cygnets went with them. The other cygnet only joined them after about ten minutes.
- Three Pochard were new in. Unusually there were more ducks (two) than drakes (one).
- The Tufted Ducks were continually moving around and hard to census. At least 44: possibly as many as 53 (33 drakes).
- Unusually the Goosander stayed for a protracted period, still present when I departed.
- A Water Rail was heard calling from the north-west reed-area on four separate occasions.
- All the Fieldfare and Redwings were seen early flying over / out of the fields to the East.
- A group of 12 birds flew out of the West end area where the Reed Buntings roost. I am not at all sure what they were. They were Reed Bunting-sized though the flight was more direct than the jerky flight typical of Reed Bunting. They seemed rather too small to be Redwings though with the same rather slender body. I did not hear any calls. Finches?
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 36 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 10 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 4 Cormorants: a trio and a single
- 96 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 6 Starlings
- 24 Fieldfare: two groups
- 58 Redwings: five groups
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Linnets
Confirmed warblers
None
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 38 Starlings: six small groups
- 2 Redwings
- 12 finch sp.? see notes
- 11 Reed Buntings again
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- *3 (1♂) Pochard
- >44 (>25♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Water Rail
- 15 Moorhens
- 186 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 28 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately; one departed
Also noted:
Nothing else
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 38 Starlings: six small groups
- 2 Redwings
- 12 finch sp.? see notes
- 11 Reed Buntings again
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- *3 (1♂) Pochard
- >44 (>25♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 1 Water Rail
- 15 Moorhens
- 186 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 28 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately; one departed
Also noted:
Nothing else
Not an inspiring sunrise but I will take a dry morning anytime.
A duck Pochard. Even in eclipse (moult) plumage drakes do not show a pale eye-ring.
An individual Goldfinch from one of several small flocks noted.
Aircraft of the day. This is a Rockwell Commander 114B whose owner lives near Chippenham. Flight trackers do not provide complete detail of the flight but it appears it is en route from Kemble (near Cirencester and also known as Cotswold Airport) to somewhere near York. It returned later in the day. Only about 1500 examples of Commander 112 and 114 models were built in North America between 1972 and 2002 despite its appearance being rather more stylish than the ubiquitous Piper Cherokee and Cessna ranges. This example dates from 1999. The "G-E..." registration hints at a simple one character repaint from its previous ownership in Germany where the "D-E..." range "ist obligatorisch" for all single-engined light aircraft.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:31 – 10:25
A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) attempting to extract some nectar from what looks rather like an Ivy flower that has seen better days. Despite its delicate appearance, provided the weather is mild and sunny and there are flowers available, then this hoverfly can be seen throughout the year.
(Ed Wilson)
Sightings from previous years without links are below
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:31 – 10:25
(234th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Now all the geese appear to have gone. I cannot recall a 'no geese' day before: perhaps when the water has been completely frozen?
- Certainly four Great Crested Grebes.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Noted on / around the water
- no geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 39 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 39 (>23♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (1♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Heron again
On / around the street lamp poles:
Bird notes:
- Now all the geese appear to have gone. I cannot recall a 'no geese' day before: perhaps when the water has been completely frozen?
- Certainly four Great Crested Grebes.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Noted on / around the water
- no geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 39 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 39 (>23♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (1♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Heron again
On / around the street lamp poles:
Nothing noted
Noted later around the Ivy bank:
Among many 100's of flies of various species
- 2 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Noted later around the Ivy bank:
Among many 100's of flies of various species
- 2 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
2013
Priorslee Lake
6 Gadwall
1 Teal
2 Pochard
99 Tufted Duck
225 Coots counted
1 Woodcock
6 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Green Woodpecker
231 Fieldfare
66 Redwings
c.375 Jackdaws
2 Redpolls
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
31 Greylag Geese
3 Gadwall
8 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
Goosander
143 Coots
1 Yellow-legged Gull
19 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
259 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Allan Heath)
2005
Priorslee Lake
206 Starlings going to roost
C.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow legged Gull
1 Caspian Gull
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
(Martin Adlam)