9.0°C: Cloudy with heavy rain shower at the lake. Moderate / fresh WNW wind. Very good visibility but poor in heaviest rain.
[Sunrise: 08:15 GMT]
No photos from today.
I avoided the early rain and dull conditions and then visited The Flash first.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:35 – 11:25
(11th visit of the year)
Viewing only from the Castle Farm Way lay-by and dam-top.
Counts from the lake area:
- no Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 5 (3♂) Mallard again
- 4 (4♂) Pochard
- 32 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 138 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
Nothing else noted.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:30
(10th visit of the year)
New Bird Species
New Bird Species
Another addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- A Goldcrest was heard calling from trees along the East side.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 42.
Other bird notes:
- I have no idea why there were significantly more Coots.
- Five Song Thrushes singing away.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 1 Herring Gull
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Noted on / around the water
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 45 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens
- 57 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
On / around the street lamp poles and nothing noted elsewhere:
Nothing noted
- A Goldcrest was heard calling from trees along the East side.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 42.
Other bird notes:
- I have no idea why there were significantly more Coots.
- Five Song Thrushes singing away.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 1 Herring Gull
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Noted on / around the water
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 45 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens
- 57 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
On / around the street lamp poles and nothing noted elsewhere:
Nothing noted
(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
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
15 Pochard
76 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
>114 Coots
72 Black-headed Gulls
176 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
53 Herring Gulls
Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson/Tom Lowe)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull.
5+ Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Lapwing
5 Great Crested Grebes
26 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
12 Redwing
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Pool
141 Canada Geese
3 Pochard again
57 Tufted Duck
102 Coot logged
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Yellow-legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)
2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
16 Cormorants
24 Pochard
39 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
1 Water Rail
200 Lapwings
>640 Black-headed Gulls
66 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
14 Fieldfares
7 Song Thrushes
19 Redwings
7 Mistle Thrushes
42 Magpies
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
600 Wood Pigeons
13 Great Crested Grebes
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
216 Coots
1 Water Rail.
219 Jackdaws
210 Rooks
62 Siskins
3 Reed Bunting
1 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)