16 Oct 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 15.0°C: Overcast at medium-low level. Light south-easterly wind. Moderate visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:38 BST]

Another rain-affected late start at The Flash first before moving on to check the Balancing Lake from the dam-top area only.

No photographs today. The camera stayed dry even if I didn't.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 11:10 – 11:45

(219th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- another quiet morning with just a few gulls flying in and out.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Greenfinches

Counts from the lake area:
- 19 Mute Swans
- 10 (8♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂?+) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen
- 178 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:40

(222nd visit of the year)

Yet again the visibility was too poor to count the birds on the water from any one location. Numbers presented with the usual caveat of possible under- or double-counting.

Bird notes:
- I could only find one drake (Common) Teal.
- a / the Water Rail was alarm-calling along the East side again. No cat flushed out when I investigated. Neither did I glimpse the bird.
- I see the challenge for the Moorhens. A plum tree across the road from the water has dropped some of its fruits. Those that have fallen on the roadway and been squashed are an attractive food-source placing the Moorhens in danger of also being squashed.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Warblers noted
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 41 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) (Common) Teal
- 111 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 141 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull

Around The Flash:
Nothing else noted

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull, though it could have been Mew/Ring-billed Gull!
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper/Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
42 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
8 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
30 Robins
(Ed Wilson)