0.0°C > 3.0°C: Mostly just thin high cloud. Light south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise: 08:20 GMT]
* = a species photographed today
A "Winter schedule" visit. I waited for the early traffic to clear the roads after more overnight snow. So starting at The Flash.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:55 – 12:40
(4th visit of the year)
c.60% ice.
New Bird Species
Two additions to my 2026 bird list from here:
- at least three Great Black-backed Gulls were among the gulls on the ice.
- a drake Shoveler was with Mallard.
- a Stock Dove was the only fly-over I noted other than a few gulls that I did not bother to count. I was concentrating on the birds on the water.
My 2026 bird species total for here now 47.
Other bird notes:
- an adult Mute Swan arrived with a first-winter cygnet.
- still a quartet of Pochard (three drakes) noted.
- I made multiple-counts of the many Tufted Ducks, always with a different result – they would keep diving!
- a Water Rail was glimpsed scampering away out of the Wesley Brook.
- a significant increase in Coot numbers. Probably refugees from smaller frozen-over pools.
- the gull counts are the number present when I arrived. By the time I had walked around and finished the duck counts combined there were c.475 Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls present. Apart from checking for any less common species I did not ascribe these at species level.
- at least 12 Cormorants, perhaps many more. I saw sixes and fives take off together several times. I think these circled and came back but I cannot be sure.
- a sign of Spring!? Magpies were seen breaking off sticks and carrying them to refurbish their nests.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Stock Dove
- uncounted numbers of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: adult and first-winter arrived together
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 15 (10♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Pochard again
- 168 (>78♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 1 Water Rail
- 4 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 93 Herring Gulls
- 194 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 12 Cormorants at least: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron
Of note:
Nothing else
The first two Greylag Geese I have seen on the water here this year. Together with six Canada Geese (and a Coot).
Not a very good photo of a drake Shoveler. I was keeping away from the edges so as not to disturb the birds during the hard weather.
There is much to see here. On the right two Cormorants in the water. There are another ten on and around the fishing platform where there are a few Canada Geese. A Great Crested Grebe is in front of the left of the platform. Closer are some of the many Tufted Duck. A lone drake Mallard is visible: and the head and bill of a Coot at the extreme left.
Zoomed in it is just about possible to count the ten Cormorants. One is mostly hidden and only an outstretched wing can be seen (well they were a long way away!).
Taking centre stage is an adult Great Black-backed Gull. Note the unstreaked white head, the very dark back, the pink legs and the way it towers over the, admittedly rather small, immature Herring Gull (probably a second winter) in front of it.
And another. This one has an obviously large bill. There is another very dark-backed and white-headed gull behind and to the left of it. But note its bill: far too small to be a Great Black-backed Gull. It is a Lesser Black-backed Gull of the intermedius race that comes here from north-west Europe in Winter.
Not the best of angles on a Jay. The chequerboard blue and black wing feather is just about visible. Note also the white under-tail that extends on to the rump and which shows clearly when the bird is in flight.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:45 – 10:45
(4th visit of the year)
>80% ice.
New Bird Species
One additions to my 2026 bird list from here:
- a Goldcrest was with tits alongside squirrel alley.
My 2026 bird species total for here is now 37
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese
Noted on / around the water:
Apart from many of the Black-headed Gulls all the birds were in a small area of open water. That did not make it easy to count them: they were all milling about! Big numbers of Canada Geese and Mallard. Nothing unusual among them as far as I could see.
- 77 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 68 (43♂) Mallard
- no Pochard
- 20 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 76 Black-headed Gulls
- no large gulls
- no Grey Herons
Around the area:
At the other end of the lake, of course, the adult and first-winter Mute Swan that flew in.
Some of the very many Tufted Duck. Top right is a drake Mallard in front of which are two drake Tufted Duck. To their left is a drake Pochard.
Loads of Tufted Duck.
Another adult Great Black-backed Gull taking centre stage.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:45 – 10:45
(4th visit of the year)
>80% ice.
New Bird Species
One additions to my 2026 bird list from here:
- a Goldcrest was with tits alongside squirrel alley.
My 2026 bird species total for here is now 37
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese
Noted on / around the water:
Apart from many of the Black-headed Gulls all the birds were in a small area of open water. That did not make it easy to count them: they were all milling about! Big numbers of Canada Geese and Mallard. Nothing unusual among them as far as I could see.
- 77 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 68 (43♂) Mallard
- no Pochard
- 20 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 76 Black-headed Gulls
- no large gulls
- no Grey Herons
Around the area:
Nothing else of note
(Ed Wilson)
2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup
5 Great Black-backed Gulls - 4 adult and a 1st winter
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1st winter Caspian Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Caspian Gulls
10+ Yellow-legged gulls (most adults and 3rd-winters, at least 1 1st-winter)
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
(J W Reeves)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Pair of Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Evening Report
An adult winter Ring-billed Gull at about 3:15pm
3 adult Common Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Daytime Report
4 Common Gull
2 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
Black-necked Grebe
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)
As with earlier snowfalls there was little on the trees yet plenty on the lower bushes and scrub.
Well it is a duck Mallard but somewhere along the line it has inherited a few feral genes.
A hopeful Moorhen looking for food on the snow-covered ice.
A different Moorhen has passed this way.
Black-headed Gulls are happy standing on the ice.
A Blue Tit fluffed up against the cold.
Yes, you.
Another Blue Tit also fluffed up.
A male (a wide "zip") Great Tit complaining.
(Ed Wilson)
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Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup
5 Great Black-backed Gulls - 4 adult and a 1st winter
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1st winter Caspian Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Caspian Gulls
10+ Yellow-legged gulls (most adults and 3rd-winters, at least 1 1st-winter)
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
(J W Reeves)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Pair of Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Evening Report
An adult winter Ring-billed Gull at about 3:15pm
3 adult Common Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Daytime Report
4 Common Gull
2 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
Black-necked Grebe
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)