3.0°C > 5.0°C: A clear start. Clouding from the north-west ahead of rain showers. Keen and fresh westerly wind. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise: 08:20 GMT]
No photographs today
Another delayed start with The Flash first.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:45 – 11:25
(278th visit of the year)
Just from the dam-top.
Bird notes:
- apparently another adult Mute Swans. I wonder whether I miscounted yesterday when a new cygnet had apparently arrived on its own.
- all the large gulls were only dropping in for a bathe and drink, among then a single adult Great Black-backed Gull.
- what was presumably the regular Great (White) Egret was flying in across Castle Farm Way as I arrived.
Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Goose
- 14 + 3 Mute Swans
- 3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 27 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 254 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull
- 14 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:45 – 10:35
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:45 – 10:35
(280th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I think many birds must have been sheltering from the wind.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- >24 Greylag Geese: many (more?) inside the island
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 23 (15♂) Mallard
- 10 (>5♂) Pochard
- 92 (60♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 77 Coots
- 94 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one adult; one second winter
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted elsewhere:
Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- >24 Greylag Geese: many (more?) inside the island
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 23 (15♂) Mallard
- 10 (>5♂) Pochard
- 92 (60♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 77 Coots
- 94 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one adult; one second winter
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted elsewhere:
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Rather it than me sitting motionless on a cold street lamp pole in this weather.
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
78 Tufted Ducks
1 female Greater Scaup
222 Coots counted
Caspian Gull
2 Fieldfare
17 Redwings
429 Jackdaws
173 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Pochard
110 Tufted Ducks
17 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
11 Swans
1 Shoveler
c.115 Tufted Duck
7 Goosander
129 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
21 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
3 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
16 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
32 Swans
114 Canada Geese
39 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
166 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3rd-winter American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe/Kriss Webb)
2011
Priorslee Lake
c.6000 Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
Sparrowhawk
(Martin Adlam and Ian Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
42 Swans
2 Gadwall
51 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
296 Coots
c.2000 Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30 Lapwings
50 Golden Plover
7 Redwings
8 Fieldfares
15 Goldfinches
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Rather it than me sitting motionless on a cold street lamp pole in this weather.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
78 Tufted Ducks
1 female Greater Scaup
222 Coots counted
Caspian Gull
2 Fieldfare
17 Redwings
429 Jackdaws
173 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Pochard
110 Tufted Ducks
17 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
11 Swans
1 Shoveler
c.115 Tufted Duck
7 Goosander
129 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
21 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
3 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
16 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
32 Swans
114 Canada Geese
39 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
166 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3rd-winter American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe/Kriss Webb)
2011
Priorslee Lake
c.6000 Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
Sparrowhawk
(Martin Adlam and Ian Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
42 Swans
2 Gadwall
51 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
296 Coots
c.2000 Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30 Lapwings
50 Golden Plover
7 Redwings
8 Fieldfares
15 Goldfinches
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake Icebound - 2009 (Martin Adlam)
Priorslee lake
1 Great Crested Grebe
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
58 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.3200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
15 Pied Wagtails
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee lake
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
11 Herring Gull
7 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
1 Cormorant on the Lake.
200 Coot
1 Water Rail
18 Pied Wagtails
231 Rooks
323 Jackdaw
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)