0.0°C > 6.0°C: Early areas of broken medium-level cloud faded away to give good sunny spells. Light and variable mainly easterly wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:22 GMT
* = a species photographed today
"Summer schedule" again.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 06:50 // 08:00 – 09:25
(63rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the presumed duck Pochard made a brief appearance.
- back to seven Great Crested Grebes.
- an Oystercatcher was on the south-west grass at 08:35 but was not seen or heard at any other time.
- a group of 27 Black-headed Gulls flew high south-east. Migrants returning to the Continent?
- a loose skein of 16 Herring Gulls flew South together.
- a Grey Heron flew in from the East at 06:05 and pitched on to the North shore. I never saw it again.
- at least 50 of the Jackdaws flew over to the very far East on roost dispersal, too far to make a realistic count.
- seven singing Chiffchaffs again.
- five singing Song Thrushes noted. Unusually I also saw five non-singing birds. There may have been some duplication of course.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair inbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair inbound also
- 2 Stock Doves: pair
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 27 Black-headed Gulls: together
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- c.75 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: of these five arrived together
- 3 Mute Swan: plus one dead
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂?) Pochard
- 8 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 57 Coots
- *7 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Oystercatcher, briefly
-* 25 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons: second chased away
Of note:
Nothing else
The early pre-sunrise.
Nearer to sunrise.
Sunrise proper.
There seems to an imbalance to the amount of weed being proffered.
Very smart.
An adult Cormorant arrives though it does not seem to be a full adult. The white thigh patch is not well-developed, there are minimal white head plumes and immature-type plumage around the neck. Can we say the eye is "sky blue"?
Just to prove The Flash does not have sole rights to Long-tailed Tit photos.
Planes of the day. Nowhere near as close as they seem, separated vertically and laterally.
The Ryanair was on a "milk run" to Gatwick and already descending.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 07:00 – 07:55
(61st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I have no idea why there were so many more Mallard and Tufted Duck than yesterday.
- one Great Crested Grebe again, lurking around the top end.
- still only one Chiffchaff singing in the area.
- most days I see a dozen or so Blackbirds. One, just the same one, is singing away every day.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: together
- 1 Jackdaw
Noted on / around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 28 (19♂) Mallard
- 21 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
Of note:
Nothing else
I had to wait a while but one of my Long-tailed Tit friends turned up ready to feather its own nest.
This was hard. A Goldcrest flitting around twenty feet above my head.
It has spotted a morsel here. They feed on the smallest of food items, often the eggs of flies which we would find hard to see.
Off for another item.
The "gold crest" is just about visible here.
(Ed Wilson)
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Of interest :
- 5 (5♂) Mallard: two on the lower pool; three on the upper pool.
- 4 Moorhen: one pair on each pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff singing by the lower pool.
- 2 Starlings: singles on different house roofs alongside the path. Presumably breeding.
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Iceland Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull.
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Kittiwake
2 adult Little Gulls
(J Reeves / Jim Almond / Andy Latham)
2011
Priorslee Lake
13 Pochard
18 Tufted Duck
5 Great Crested Grebe
12+ Sand Martin
3 Chiffchaff
17 Pied Wagtails
23 Linnets
11 Greenfinches
(Mike Cooper, (Martin Grant, Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
2 Great Crested Grebe
c.12 Tufted Duck
4 Teal
2 Chiffchaff singing
1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock
30 Tufted Duck
6 Sand Martins
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
( Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Great Crested Grebe
1 Heron
6 Gadwall
19 Tufted Duck
2 Reed Buntings
( Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
15 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
3 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
46 Golden Plover
4 Stock Dove
281 Wood Pigeon
27 Wren
38 Robin
21 Blackbird
1 Redwing
4 Chiffchaff singing
3 Jay
35 Magpie
159 Jackdaw
3 Reed Bunting
( Ed Wilson)