4.0°C > 5.0°C: Low cloud and mist / fog lifting somewhat. Some light rain at times. Very light mainly SSE breeze. Poor / very poor visibility.
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT
* = a photo from today.
With the very poor visibility I decided not to visit The Flash
Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:35
(258th visit of the year)
No ice: no visibility!
Bird notes:
- Another day with more duck than drake Pochard. Very strange.
- I had been standing in the north-east area for several minutes trying to count the continually diving Pochard when a Water Rail took off from almost under my feet and flew in to reeds.
- Now two Great Crested Grebes.
- I have no idea how many, if any, gulls were present early as the visibility was too poor. The numbers below are those present after c.08:30 when it was just about possible to see both ends from the middle.
- A Grey Heron dropped in to the dam-face c.07:45. I did not see it again.
- A single group of c.20 Jackdaws (and Rooks?) was seen very briefly as they passed overhead in the fog at 07:55. Certainly Jackdaws on call but yesterday it was a mixed group with the majority being Rooks. I simply did not get a long-enough view.
- At least 24 Redwings were on the football field c.09:30.
- A Sparrowhawk flew across Teece Drive scattering the Redwings and also causing a hitherto unseen Mistle Thrush to fly off, giving its rattling call.
- One none of the last three mornings have I heard or seen a Song Thrush. I would have expected the slightly less cold weather to have tempted at least one in to song.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- c.20 Jackdaws / Rooks see notes
- 2 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT
* = a photo from today.
With the very poor visibility I decided not to visit The Flash
Priorslee Lake: 06:50 – 09:35
(258th visit of the year)
No ice: no visibility!
Bird notes:
- Another day with more duck than drake Pochard. Very strange.
- I had been standing in the north-east area for several minutes trying to count the continually diving Pochard when a Water Rail took off from almost under my feet and flew in to reeds.
- Now two Great Crested Grebes.
- I have no idea how many, if any, gulls were present early as the visibility was too poor. The numbers below are those present after c.08:30 when it was just about possible to see both ends from the middle.
- A Grey Heron dropped in to the dam-face c.07:45. I did not see it again.
- A single group of c.20 Jackdaws (and Rooks?) was seen very briefly as they passed overhead in the fog at 07:55. Certainly Jackdaws on call but yesterday it was a mixed group with the majority being Rooks. I simply did not get a long-enough view.
- At least 24 Redwings were on the football field c.09:30.
- A Sparrowhawk flew across Teece Drive scattering the Redwings and also causing a hitherto unseen Mistle Thrush to fly off, giving its rattling call.
- One none of the last three mornings have I heard or seen a Song Thrush. I would have expected the slightly less cold weather to have tempted at least one in to song.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- c.20 Jackdaws / Rooks see notes
- 2 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
None - there were no calls from a traditional Redwing roost site. The closest houses on the new development are now occupied which may be relevant.
Counts from the lake area as best I could:
- 42 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 10 (8♂) Mallard
- 5 (2♂) Pochard
- 31 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: seen
- 16 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Scarce Umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria)
Seen later:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
(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
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
78 Tufted Ducks
1 female Greater Scaup
222 Coots counted
Caspian Gull
2 Fieldfare
17 Redwings
429 Jackdaws
173 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Pochard
110 Tufted Ducks
17 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
11 Swans
1 Shoveler
c.115 Tufted Duck
7 Goosander
129 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
21 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
3 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
16 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
32 Swans
114 Canada Geese
39 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
166 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3rd-winter American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe/Kriss Webb)
2011
Priorslee Lake
c.6000 Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
Sparrowhawk
(Martin Adlam and Ian Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
42 Swans
2 Gadwall
51 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
296 Coots
c.2000 Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30 Lapwings
50 Golden Plover
7 Redwings
8 Fieldfares
15 Goldfinches
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake Icebound - 2009 (Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee lake
1 Great Crested Grebe
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
58 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.3200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
15 Pied Wagtails
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee lake
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
11 Herring Gull
7 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
1 Cormorant on the Lake.
200 Coot
1 Water Rail
18 Pied Wagtails
231 Rooks
323 Jackdaw
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)