7.0°C > 8.0°C: Dull. Calm. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:48 GMT
* = a photo from today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:15
(30th visit of the year)
New Bird Species
One additions to this year's bird log from here:
- A Common Snipe flushed off the south-east grass and disappeared in to the west-end reeds.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 67.
Other than this it was a very quiet morning even by recent standards.
Other bird notes:
- A male Pheasant was calling loudly and persistently from the small copse in the south-east area.
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls came fast and low from the West at 07:30. Some of these just swirled around and departed to the south-west almost immediately. c.90 then came fast and low from the West a few minutes later and seemed to be more arrivals. Another c.30 arrived at greater height and I have assumed these were returning birds.
- Unusually at this time no large gulls were noted. A small group turned up later with very few passing overhead.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: flew South
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Jackdaws
- 45 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 17 Canada Geese
- *8 Mute Swans: an additional sub-adult pair for a while
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck only
- 11 Moorhens
- 99 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- *>250? Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *several 'winter midges'
- *numerous springtails
- 1 red-eyed fly with dark wing-tips
- *1 Clubiona sp. spider
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
Later:
- A Common Snipe flushed off the south-east grass and disappeared in to the west-end reeds.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 67.
Other than this it was a very quiet morning even by recent standards.
Other bird notes:
- A male Pheasant was calling loudly and persistently from the small copse in the south-east area.
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls came fast and low from the West at 07:30. Some of these just swirled around and departed to the south-west almost immediately. c.90 then came fast and low from the West a few minutes later and seemed to be more arrivals. Another c.30 arrived at greater height and I have assumed these were returning birds.
- Unusually at this time no large gulls were noted. A small group turned up later with very few passing overhead.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: flew South
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Jackdaws
- 45 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 17 Canada Geese
- *8 Mute Swans: an additional sub-adult pair for a while
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck only
- 11 Moorhens
- 99 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- *>250? Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *several 'winter midges'
- *numerous springtails
- 1 red-eyed fly with dark wing-tips
- *1 Clubiona sp. spider
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
Later:
Nothing of note
The visitors went for several flights but returned twice. Here one splashes down.
They did eventually leave. Here they go.
"Is there room for me?"
"And me". A gaggle of Black-headed Gull.
"Call me #1"
A second-year Herring Gull.
Not sure whether this is a midge or one of the winter craneflies.
A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).
Plane(?) of the day. This helicopter is a Robinson R44 Raven II with a private owner near Malvern. Robinson helicopters are built at Torrance in California. They are transported here in containers of course.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:10
(28th visit of the year)
*The Council has put up notices with some behavioural suggestions to minimise the spread of bird flu.
The work by the council contractors yesterday was to fell an Ash tree badly affected by ash die-back. They left the larger parts of the trunk to decompose naturally.
Bird notes:
- Yesterday's Common Teal and Pochard gone.
- Coot numbers reduced. Numbers have been declining at the Balancing Lake for some time so perhaps they are moving off to their breeding grounds.
Birds noted flying over here:
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:10
(28th visit of the year)
*The Council has put up notices with some behavioural suggestions to minimise the spread of bird flu.
The work by the council contractors yesterday was to fell an Ash tree badly affected by ash die-back. They left the larger parts of the trunk to decompose naturally.
Bird notes:
- Yesterday's Common Teal and Pochard gone.
- Coot numbers reduced. Numbers have been declining at the Balancing Lake for some time so perhaps they are moving off to their breeding grounds.
Birds noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water
- 25 Canada Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 49 (33♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 58 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 (2♂) Goosander: departed together
- 20 Moorhens
- 37 Coots only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 2 Grey Herons
On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere:
Nothing noted
Noted on / around the water
- 25 Canada Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 49 (33♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 58 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 (2♂) Goosander: departed together
- 20 Moorhens
- 37 Coots only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 2 Grey Herons
On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere:
Nothing noted
A quarter of duck Goosanders. Minutes later they were...
(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
1 Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
8 Pochard
(Gary Crowder)
2013
Priorslee Lake
8 Gadwall
26 Wigeon
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Mediterranean Gull
(Roger Clay / Tom Lowe)
2011
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
<10 Pochard
c.50 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Lapwing
1 Common Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
c.35 Herring Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
c.25 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Jim and Jason)
2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
211 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
23 Herring Gulls
65 Black-headed Gulls
(Martin Adlam)
2007
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
21 Robins
21 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Cormorants
2 Gadwall
19 Pochard
89 Tufted Ducks
183 Coots
c.580 Black-headed Gulls
116 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
540 Wood Pigeon
169 Jackdaws
16 Wrens
10 Dunnocks
27 Robins
34 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
13 Greenfinches
40 Goldfinches
127 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)