6.0°C: A mainly clear start; increasing cloud with shower at 10:15. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:18 GMT
* = a photo from today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:10
(8th visit of the year)
New Bird Species
No bird species were added to my 2023 list from here today.
Bird notes:
- At least 250 Black-headed Gulls were circling over the water by 07:10. Whether these were disturbed roosting birds or early arrivals I could not determine. More continued to arrive and fly around and around. They began to settle after 07:30 and by 07:35 I estimated at least 750 were in a single tight group on the water. By 07:40 they started to leave and by 08:00 they had all gone. The few seen later were likely returning birds.
- Only two large gulls arrived to join the melee – both Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- All the other very few large gulls seen were Herring Gulls. Two separate adults visited briefly; and a group of four immatures flew over.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 29 Canada Geese: 28 in two groups outbound; a single inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- c.75 Wood Pigeons: c.50 of these seen flying high North together
- 4 Herring Gulls: immatures, together
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 9 Jackdaws
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
None
Counts from the lake area:
- 24 Canada Geese: of these 15 arrived and three departed
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard again
- 24 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 139 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls: adults, singly
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults together
Found on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn.
- *1 Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata)
- *2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- *1 unidentified fly sp.
- 24 Canada Geese: of these 15 arrived and three departed
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard again
- 24 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 139 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls: adults, singly
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults together
Found on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn.
- *1 Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata)
- *2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- *1 unidentified fly sp.
The waning Wolf Moon is definitely a bit lopsided now.
There is not much happening at the moment to show you. This Blue Tit was singing away.
A Goldfinch in the sun.
Today's unidentified fly. Larger and more active than the species with dark-tipped wings I have been seeing recently. The wings have very obvious veins. The colour in the wing is likely a light interference pattern caused by the camera flash.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15
(8th visit of the year)
New Bird Species
New Bird Species
One addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- Two Jackdaws flew over.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 40.
Other bird notes:
- One of the original two Cormorants present was seen to depart. Four arrived overhead almost simultaneously from different directions two of which settled in to the water, the other two flying on. Shortly after perhaps these two reappeared with one settling and the other flying on. Then two more appeared overhead with one also settling. Just how many different birds were involved is impossible to say.
Also worthy of mention was a report of a wintering Blackcap regularly visiting a fat-ball feeder in one of the local gardens.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Cormorants: see notes.
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water
- 31 Canada Geese
- Greylag Goose: heard only calling from inside the island
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 35 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *61 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- *6? Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron
On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing noted
- Two Jackdaws flew over.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 40.
Other bird notes:
- One of the original two Cormorants present was seen to depart. Four arrived overhead almost simultaneously from different directions two of which settled in to the water, the other two flying on. Shortly after perhaps these two reappeared with one settling and the other flying on. Then two more appeared overhead with one also settling. Just how many different birds were involved is impossible to say.
Also worthy of mention was a report of a wintering Blackcap regularly visiting a fat-ball feeder in one of the local gardens.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Cormorants: see notes.
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water
- 31 Canada Geese
- Greylag Goose: heard only calling from inside the island
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 35 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *61 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- *6? Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron
On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing noted
A duck Tufted Duck.
Get the wind at the wrong angle and this is what happens to your tuft.
One of the immature Cormorants seen this morning. Note the neat tail.
Another with a ragged tail.
(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
3 Scaup
1 Common Gull
(Dave Tromans/Tom Lowe)
2013
Horsehay Pool
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
2 Common Gulls
2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
20+ Greater Black-backed Gulls
600 Herring Gulls
(Kris Webb and Jim Almond)
2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Bullfinch
4 Goosander
2 Water Rail
Common Snipe
Woodcock
4 Gadwall
Bittern
Peregrine
38 Swans
26 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
333 Coots
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
12 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)
2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
(Paul King)
2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
62 Tufted Ducks
5 Goosanders
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Robins
13 Redwings
34 Magpies
378 Jackdaws
348 Rooks
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
c.20 Golden Plover
2 Gadwall
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
145 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
52 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Pochard
37 Tufted Duck
226 Coots
1 Water Rail
221 Jackdaws
392 Rooks
12 Siskins
13 Pied Wagtails
3 Reed Buntings
21 Robins
18 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
5 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)