The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:40 – 11:354.0°C > 7.0°C: Low cloud. Light south-westerly breeze. Moderate visibility with some lingering mist.
[Sunrise: 07:33 GMT]
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.
Early mist and low cloud suggested my usual dawn visit would not be fruitful. So it was a later start to The Flash and then at the Balancing Lake from the dam-top area only.
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(248th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- more action amongst the Mute Swans. Another adult had arrived since my visit yesterday morning and then two more flew in.
- the drake Eurasian Wigeon still present.
No birds noted flying over:
Counts from the lake area:
- 12 Canada Geese: all on the dam-top
- 23 + 2 Mute Swans: two adults arrived: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 15 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 242 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *46 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *122 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
The Flash:
(251st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- as I arrived an adult Mute Swan was leaving. Otherwise the usual six adults and two first winter birds still present.
- the four Shoveler still present tucked up against the island.
- two drake and one duck Common Teal together also by the island.
- the Pochard apparently gone.
- two Little Grebes together by the island but no Great Crested Grebes noted.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 7 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans: one of these adults flew off
- 1 (0♂) Gadwall
- *4 (2♂) Shoveler
- *38 (25♂) Mallard
- *3 (2♂) Common Teal
- 43 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- *18 Moorhens
- 130 Coots
- *2 Little Grebes
- no Great Crested Grebes
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: adult
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- *1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
flying at high speed: too keep warm?
Nothing else found.
(Ed Wilson)