7.0°C > 8.0°C: Mostly clear after earlier rain. Moderate / fresh south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:47 GMT
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area
I avoided the early rain with a late start at the Balancing Lake.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 07:50 – 09:10
(285th visit of the year)
Viewing from the dam-top area only.
Bird notes:
- yesterday's pair of Gadwall not noted.
- very few Mallard seen.
- only those gulls arriving after 07:50 noted.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
none of the early pre-dawn movements noted
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 8 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (2♂) Mallard only
- 6 (>2?♂) Pochard again
- 53 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens again
- 47 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- 79 Black-headed Gulls
- 20 Herring Gulls
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: arrived separately: one of these departed
- 1 Grey Heron
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:50
(278th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- very few geese again.
- two unringed adult Mute Swans were new in.
- at least 32 Tufted Duck flew in more or less together. These were no doubt refugees from the Balancing Lake, flushed off when the sailing club's boats were put in the water. These all settled at the "far end" and as a result I was unable to sex most of them.
- a drake as well as four brownhead Goosander.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: others heard from inside island?
- 24 (15♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 2 (2♂) Pochard remain
- 48 (?♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 5 (1♂) Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 89 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 98 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls: two (near) adults; three immatures
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed
- 10 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Little Egret
Noted around the area:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >5 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris
- >5 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- >4 Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax
- 1 syrphus-type: did not stick around to be photographed
- >4 Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax
- 1 syrphus-type: did not stick around to be photographed
Other flies:
- >30 Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
- 1 Muscid fly, probably Polietes lardarius
- >10 smaller similar-looking flies
One of the two Mute Swans that had arrived since I visited yesterday. This, judging by the size of the swelling at the base of the bill, is a cob.
A Common Buzzard flies serenely over. For some reason the local Magpies and Carrion Crows did not seem interested in "seeing it off the premises".
A first-winter male Blackbird. This has more yellow on its bill than the one I photographed dropping berries a few days ago. The bill is still not "adult yellow" and there are white-tipped feathers showing on its belly.
The hawthorn berry looks more securely grabbed. The Blackbird flew off at this point so I do not know whether it ate it successfully.
Unusually I noted a pair of Chaffinches on the ground under the trees and bushes at the top end. Here is the female.
- >30 Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
- 1 Muscid fly, probably Polietes lardarius
- >10 smaller similar-looking flies
What looks to be a pen.
Another "oil-painting" special of a Great Crested Grebe.
And the male. A photo not as sharp as I would have liked: too little light under the trees.
A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris demonstrating flexibility.
Shall we dance? A Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax.
Another one putting its best foot forward.
One of very many Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina.
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
2 Pochard
123 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
2 Water Rails
15 Moorhens
227 Coots counted
1 Snipe
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
2 adult hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gulls
102 Fieldfare
39 Redwings
266 Jackdaws
Redpolls
Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Tom Lowe)
Trench Middle Pool
22 Swans
6 Shoveler
14 Tufted Duck
183 Coots
61 Black-headed Gulls
14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
17 Herring Gulls
Caspian/Yellow-legged Gull
2 Ravens
1 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Adult + 1st winter Yellow-legged Gulls
1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
30 Greylag
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard.
21 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosander
153 Coots
c.640 Wood Pigeons
8 Redwings again.
453 Jackdaws
61 Rooks logged.
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
6 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Andy Latham)
2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorants
>60 Greylag Geese
14 Pochard
177 Tufted Duck
1 Lapwing
1 Snipe
2 Water Rails
159 Coot
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5+ Herring Gulls
74 Redwings
c.60 Fieldfare
132 Jackdaws
166 Rooks
c.1750 Starlings
c.30 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)