5.0°C > 8.0°C: Mostly low cloud with spells of light rain / drizzle. A few breaks for a while. Moderate NW wind. Moderate visibility, worse in drizzle.
Sunrise: 07:09 GMT
* = a species photographed today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:10
(45th visit of the year)
A pair of Shoveler appeared high over at 08:35, circled a few times and then climbed away disappearing in to the low cloud. Bird species #69 for me here this year.
Some numbers likely affected by the low light levels and the, at times, poor visibility
Other bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan is not having much success in persuading the cygnets to leave.
- With an increase in the number of Feral Pigeons using roofs around the estate I am adopting the same policy for counting fly-overs here as I use at The Flash. That is to say only birds passing fast overhead in a more or less direct line are logged as fly-overs and not distant circling birds.
- I may have heard Rooks passing over at 06:15. It was far too dark to see them at this time, especially as I was still checking the lit street lamp poles for insects and my night-vision was adversely affected. It does seem rather early for them to be on the move, though I saw none later. No Jackdaws were heard at all, two silent birds flying over c.09:00.
- One of the singing Song Thrushes seems to have been listening to Curlews and was causing me momentary confusion. I am aware that Song Thrushes can learn snatches of song from species singing near where they are nesting. Sky Lark phrases are often incorporated. When I was spending time in Cornwall the Song Thrushes around Bodmin Moor were clearly incorporating Curlew phrases.
- At least one Redwing was roosting in trees along the North side.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler: see notes
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Stock Dove
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 14 Black-headed Gulls: together
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 2 Jackdaws only
- Rooks possibly heard: see notes
Counts from the lake area:
- *10 Canada Geese: of these five departed and one arrived
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- *4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 10 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 51 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *38 Black-headed Gulls
- *6 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- several 'winter midges'
- 2 springtail sp.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
Later:
Nothing of note
...and flying in all directions. She does not look very impressed.
The male with its neck plumes extended.
I am not sure whether these two immature Herring Gulls are disputing who is going to sit on the buoy or whether the first year on the left is chasing the third year for whatever it is carrying in its bill.
This morning's Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15
(41st visit of the year)
I was shown a photograph taken 'a few days ago' of a Little Egret wading in the Wesley Brook behind the Priorslee Academy.
Other bird notes:
- Most things missing from my gaze yesterday were seen today. Doh!
- Neither of the two Goosanders were showing white in the chin area suggesting they were first year drakes. It seems late in the year for them to be showing no other drake-like features.
- Four singing Song Thrushes this morning with an additional two non-singing birds hunting food on the ground.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water
- 41 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- *31 (20♂) Mallard
- [the all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck) not seen]
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 65 (39♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (2?♂) Goosander
- 22 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *42 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: third and first year
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult, second and first year
- 1 Cormorant
- no Grey Heron
On / around the street lamp poles.
Nothing noted
Of note elsewhere:
- 1 Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
The smartest Black-headed Gull to date.
Having a good shake.
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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
5 Cormorants
3 Grey Herons
8 Pochard
8 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
6 Redwings
391 Jackdaws
217 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
201 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
(Ed Wilson)
Hortonwood
21 Redwings
(Dave Tromans)
2013
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Observer Unknown)
The Flash
Drake Scaup
(Richard Vernon)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Observer Unknown)
2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
55 Pochard
104 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
2 Ravens
22 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
200 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
20 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
Glaucous Gull
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Pete Nickless)
2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
3 Cormorant
5 Pochard
9 Tufted Duck
2 Kestrel
556 Wood Pigeon
27 Robin
23 Blackbird
1 Fieldfare
14 Redwing
47 Magpie
100 Jackdaw
96 Rook
16 Greenfinch
3 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorants
9 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
3 Water Rails
c.420 Wood Pigeon
c.60 Starling
29 Pied Wagtails
23 Blackbirds
6 Greenfinches
17 Siskins
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)