3.0°C: A great sunrise though otherwise mostly cloudy. Increasing southerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:10 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Apart from the sunrise nothing of note. Both locations still largely frozen over with the ground frozen and remaining frosted in sheltered locations.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:25
Apart from the sunrise nothing of note. Both locations still largely frozen over with the ground frozen and remaining frosted in sheltered locations.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:25
(19th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- For the last few days one of the Mute Swan cygnets has been occupying a different area of open water from its parents and sibling. They eventually all reunited this morning.
- Five Tufted Duck were seen flying around. From my location I could not tell whether they were coming, going or merely repositioning. These are not included in any counts.
- Black-headed Gull(s) heard c.06:45 with c.200 present by 07:00. Eventually c.500.
- Large gulls began arriving c.07:50 with a steady turnover of birds throughout.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 20 Canada Geese: outbound in four groups
- 34 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 53 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 11 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 38 Canada Geese: all departed
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 41 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 81 Coots
- *c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- *35 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Unsurprisingly there was nothing
Sunrise starting...
...colouring up...
...and spreading across the sky.
The lone Mute Swan cygnet before it joined the rest of its family.
Taken on the 'hand-held moonlight' camera setting: the Black-headed Gulls arriving at 07:30.
Some of the c.500 that finally settled on the ice.
Later a mix of species on the ice. A very bored Lesser Black-backed Gull just right of centre.
It's not what you think. A busy Mole has managed to throw up a new molehill despite the apparently hard-frozen ground. I guess after three frosty days the depth of the frost is not that great. It still takes a big effort to make a pile like this is.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:30– 10:20
(18th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Nothing of note: we need to get rid of the ice to see a change in the population.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Noted on / around the water:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 41 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 19 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *78 Black-headed Gulls
- *3 Herring Gulls: two first years and one (near?) adult
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
Elsewhere:
Nothing of special interest
Food is provided for the hungry throng.
No quarter is given in attempts to access the food.
A classic first winter Herring Gull.
And here again. Not quite enough light to freeze all the action.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
117 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Redwings
c.274 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Mike Stokes)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
26 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Shoveler
22 Pochard
76 Tufted Ducks
157 Coots
1 Common Gull
144 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
74 Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Juvenile Glaucous Gull
Juvenile Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)
2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
c.195 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
34 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
5 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
132 Coot
2 Water Rail
c.1600 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
428 Jackdaws
438 Rook
300 Wood Pigeons
14 Robin
80 Fieldfare
30 Redwing
11 Blackbird
1 Willow Tits
6 Greenfinch
65 Siskins
6 Redpolls
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)