5.0°C > 6.0°C: Overcast. Mainly light rain commencing c.08:10. Moderate / fresh south-easterly wind. Good visibility reducing somewhat at onset of rain.
Sunrise: 08:06 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Not the weather to spend too long counting everything.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:40 – 09:15
(22nd visit of the year)
New Bird Species
Another long overdue bird species to add to my 2024 bird species list from here: a group of c.80 Starlings flew over obviously outbound from a local roost. Species #58.
Other bird notes:
- Once again one of the Mute Swan cygnets was sleeping well apart and it stayed some distance away from its parents and sibling throughout.
- A Great Crested Grebe was a new arrival since yesterday.
- Black-headed Gulls were late arriving with the first group of c.90 birds at 07:45. By 07:50 they had already begun to disperse.
- All the overflying Herring Gulls were heading South: the fewer Lesser Black-backed Gulls were heading north-west.
- *In addition to the eight Redwings seen leaving a roost in the north-east area there were 13 in trees alongside Teece Drive much later.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 48 Canada Geese: outbound in nine groups
- 5 Greylag Geese: duo outbound; trio inbound
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 15 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 16 Jackdaws
- 12 Rooks
- c.80 Starlings
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 8 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 12 Canada Geese: arrived inbound as a duo and octet
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 31 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- *1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Heron: arrived separately; one chased away
Noted on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria: same place as yesterday
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- *1 Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria: same place as yesterday
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Flies:
- 1 small male plumed midge
- 1 winter cranefly
- 1 small male plumed midge
- 1 winter cranefly
Beetles:
- *1 beetle sp., probably a Rhyzobius ladybird and perhaps Meadow Ladybird R. litura.
- *1 beetle sp., probably a Rhyzobius ladybird and perhaps Meadow Ladybird R. litura.
Other insects:
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
- *1 globular springtail perhaps a Dicyrtoma sp.
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
- *1 globular springtail perhaps a Dicyrtoma sp.
Spiders:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
New since yesterday was this Great Crested Grebe.
In equally dull light was this Redwing...
...allowing an unusually close approach.
A springtail Tomocerus vulgaris.
The shape of the tip of the abdomen identifies this as a Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp. Individual species are not separable from photos.
"It is no good you looking angrily at me. I was standing on the bridge when you flew on to the hand-rail". A belligerent Black-headed Gull.
(Ed Wilson)
Sightings from previous years
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)
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:20– 10:05
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:20– 10:05
(21st visit of the year)
New Bird Species
A new species for my 2024 bird list from here as well: two Redwings flew over. a species I was surprised not to see during the recent icy period. Species #46.
Other bird notes:
- Neither of the Canada Geese was the bird with the 'angel wing' deformity. So where was it hiding?
- Common Teal not located.
- At least 30 finches flew into the Alders on the island: a mix of Siskins and Goldfinches.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Redwings
Noted on / around the water:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 44 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 35 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 16 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *15 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
Elsewhere:
New Bird Species
A new species for my 2024 bird list from here as well: two Redwings flew over. a species I was surprised not to see during the recent icy period. Species #46.
Other bird notes:
- Neither of the Canada Geese was the bird with the 'angel wing' deformity. So where was it hiding?
- Common Teal not located.
- At least 30 finches flew into the Alders on the island: a mix of Siskins and Goldfinches.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Redwings
Noted on / around the water:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 44 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 35 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 16 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *15 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
Elsewhere:
Nothing of special interest
A new arrival here since yesterday was this duck Goosander.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
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)