10.0°C > 11.0°C: Clear start with medium cloud developing. Moderate westerly wind gusting fresh. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise: 07:20 GMT]
* = a species photographed today
An annoying short spell of rain prevented me getting out ahead of the school run chaos. As usual in such circumstances I made a visit to The Flash first then to the Balancing Lake, looking from the dam area only.
It remains very quiet.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:25 – 10:55
An annoying short spell of rain prevented me getting out ahead of the school run chaos. As usual in such circumstances I made a visit to The Flash first then to the Balancing Lake, looking from the dam area only.
It remains very quiet.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:25 – 10:55
(37th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- now a fourth Great Crested Grebe. The four were behaving as two pairs though no display was noted.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Common Buzzard
Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese: two pairs and a trio
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 14 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 3 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Cormorants
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:25– 10:20
(38th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the two adult Mute Swans seemed to be investigating an island nesting site.
- I suspect that some of the Mallard are visiting potential or actual nest sites and hence numbers are well down on the last few weeks. I usually see the first brood emerge sometime in March.
- likewise the lower total of both Moorhens and Coots probably reflects birds starting to visit or even sit at suitable nest sites.
- a Nuthatch heard: only my second record here this year.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *3 Common Buzzards
Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 23 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 73 (38♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
Noted on a street lamp pole:
- *a small fly, perhaps Scoliocentra villosa.
Three Buzzards were circling in the distance. These two were interacting...
...suggesting they might be a pair. The other bird quickly drifted away.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sightings from previous years
2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Cormorant
7 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
5 Greater Scaup
92 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
163 Rooks
12 Siskins
1 Yellowhammer
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Pochard
169 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Middle Pool
6 Tufted Duck
3 Buzzards
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Paul King)
2010
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Teal
4 Gadwall
48 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Sparrowhawk
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
126 Coots
1 Lapwing
1 Oystercatcher
2 single Redwing
16 Fieldfare
15 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
12 Pochard
16 Tufted Ducks
107 Coots
2 Water Rails
425 Wood Pigeons
1 Skylark
20 Robins
12 Blackbirds
17 Greenfinches
45 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)