Early Morning
Usual report from a cold (-7.5C!) and icy Priorslee Lake. About 90% ice
with just 2 holes
One hole had all the grebes; some of the Swans; all the geese; most of the
ducks; all the Coots. Was hard to count as all milling about
The other hole had most of the Swans - and there were many more; and more
Tufted Ducks
Almost all the gulls were standing on the ice
Best birds were the 50, exactly, Golden Plover that flew low S at 08:55
Many more gulls than usual
- c.1600 Black-headed Gulls and c.600 large gulls roosted on the ice
- 206 more Black-headed Gulls flew in from the NW (but may just have been
birds returning)
- 457 large gulls logged flying W over 08:05 - 08:55. All those I
specifically identified were Lesser Black-backs
- unusually not all the gulls departed: but more started to arrive after
08:45
--- 09:05 count was c.230 BHG; c.175 LBBG; 7 HG
--- 11:00 count during brief stop to check for white-winged gulls - none:
but c.1800 BHGs; c.1100 LBBGs; c.90 HGs; 1 GBBG
--- none of the Herring Gulls looked like Yellow-legged Gulls - pity as
standing on the ice it ought to have been easy to tell!
Otherwise the numbers, affected also by the spectacular hoar frost which
kept the camera busy
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Black-necked Grebe
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 42 Swans: 2 + 3 residents in the Coot hole; 27 + 10 others on ice / in
the other hole
- 6 Greylag x Canada Geese: the birds seen at The Flash yesterday
- 13 Canada Geese
- 2 Gadwall: pair
- 43 Mallard: 24 drakes
- 51 Pochard: did not sex these
- 132 Tufted Ducks: did not sex these either
- 1 Buzzard flew over fields to the E
- 2 Water Rails heard in NW area and one glimpsed: the NE ditch was frozen
- 3 Moorhens only
- 296 Coots
- 5 Lapwings flew W at 09:30
- 6 Wood Pigeons only
- 7 Redwings over
- 8 Fieldfares seen to the E
- small corvid passage
---- 81 Jackdaws
---- 10 Rooks
- 2 Starlings flew over - the first for a while
- 15 Goldfinches in the Alders in the NW
- 11 Siskins with 8 flying W and 3 in Alders
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Monday, 21st
Afternoon 2:45pm
- Black-necked Grebe present with Little Grebe
- Huge mass of Gulls with around 8000+, predominately Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Plenty of Herring Gull and at least 2 Yellow-legged Gulls present.
(Martin Adlam and Jim Almond)
Morning
Usual report from Priorslee lake and Flash Frosty this morning: at the lake ice all the way around the edges, but big
area open in the centre and the SW. At The Flash only open water between
island and Derwent Drive - easy to check!
Best today
- Snipe heard flying off from the lake at 07:15 when too dark to see
- Woodcock seen flying over SW area at 07:20. While Woodcock can call
rather like Snipe am sure these were different birds
Otherwise some numbers and commentary
at the lake
- both Little and Black-necked Grebes in open SW water
- 8 Great Crested Grebes: 2 adults
- 1 Cormorant by 09:15: my first here for a while
- 22 Swans only so some moved out: 2 + 3 residents; 13 + 4 others
- 11 Canada Geese flew in: 4 of these flew off later
- 1 Gadwall: only the drake seen
- 47 Mallard on the lake: 23 drakes so unusually more ducks
- 51 Pochard: 28 drakes I think, but the most convenient counting point
was directly in to the sun, so some hard to sex
- 148 Tufted Ducks: 89 drakes: a record for me here
- 1 Water Rail in the NE area: none heard in NW area today
- 5 Moorhens only
- 274 Coots counted
- c.1800 gulls at 07:00: all but c.20 were Black-headed Gulls
- c.400 Black-headed Gulls still(?) at 09:05; c.450 at 11:00 when I popped
in briefly on way back from town
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls only noted over; 61 arrived by 09:05; c.350
by 11:00
- 29 Herring Gulls at 09:05; 41 at 11:00
- 57 Wood Pigeons a higher count - mainly in party of 35 seen to SE
- 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
- 7 Redwings over
- lots of tits with a Blue Tit calling at very early time of 06:58
- 118 Jackdaws and 27 Rooks in another thin passage
- 16 Goldfinches over / in Alders and Spruce
- 13 Siskins: 8 over and 5 in Alders
- 3 Reed Buntings at least with 2 seen leaving roost
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Sunday, 20th Another cold one and a wind with it today
Everything very late up this morning - indeed the first birds to start
calling were the Reed Buntings at 07:28, beating Robin, Blackbird and Wren this morning. Later the Reed Buntings were heard making their rarely heard
hoarse call
Less ice than yesterday with some birds apparently having moved out - but
some new Swans have moved in! And a Little Grebe again at W end (the
Black-necked Grebe along the S side today)
Water Rails in NW and NE areas again: it struck me today that I hear the
NQ bird(s) just about every day but cannot recall ever having heard the NE
bird ever
Large gull roost again with >3000 Black-headed Gulls: but only c.50 large
gulls. Later I logged 397 large gulls all moving low W after 08:03 - later
and lower than usual: a response to the stronger wind? Of all the large
gulls I checked just 1 Herring Gull and all the others Lesser Black-backs
So the other numbers for the day
- 3 Great Crested Grebes only
- 28 Swans: 2 + 3 residents; 3 + 0 flew off s 08:20; 14 + 6 others. So new
juveniles in
- 12 Canada Geese: 7 arrived on the lake at various time: 6 flew W
- 2 Gadwall: the usual pair
- 47 Mallard: 26 drakes
- 52 Pochard: 31 drakes
- 112 Tufted Ducks: 65 drakes
- 10 Moorhens
- 287 Coots: lower number but eyes watering in the wind on the dam made it
hard
- 24 Wood Pigeons: just 3 around the lake; 13 in party to the W
- 10 Redwings
- corvid dispersal different yet again: 2 parties of Jackdaws totalling
c.120 birds were low over the lake at 07:40. A long 'tail' of birds high
to the E, but no large flock on this flight line. Just a scatter of Rooks high to E
---- 199 Jackdaws; 16 Rooks logged
[forgot to do yesterday's corvids
[- 2 flightlines of Jackdaws at 07:40 totalling c.175 birds with small
parties thereafter: found the Rooks - large scattered group high and far
to E at late time of 08:05
[---- 256 Jackdaws; 101 Rooks]
- 2 single Starlings seemed to leave different places in the reeds as if
they had roosted
- no Goldfinches or Siskins in the Alders but at least 5 and 6
respectively flying over
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Saturday, 19th
Mid-morning
- Black necked Grebe - now present on the N. side, mixed in with Pochard/Tufted Ducks.
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull (3rd Winter)
- 1 pair Gadwall
- 3 Teal (2 drakes)
- 12 Lapwing to the North of the Lake.
(John Isherwood)
Early Morning
Frosty with some ice at Priorslee; and very little open water at Trench
Some movement in at the former
- now 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Teal new in (though they flew off: and yesterday's Wigeon gone)
- Mallard up to 38: 23 drakes
- Pochard up to 45: 24 drakes
- Tufted Duck up to my near-record 130: 71 drakes
- Coot up to 302
At Trench the only species missing were the Great Crested Grebes - gone to
the lake? And Cormorants. Otherwise everything crammed in to the rather
distant open water making accurate counts harder
Other good records this morning
- Black-necked Grebe still at the lake: with the main loafing Aythya ducks today as its usual spot is iced-over
- large gull roost at the lake with >3500 birds at 07:00, of which c.3000
were, unusually, Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Lapwings flew W over the lake
As usual other numbers
at the lake
- 20 Swans: 2 + 3 resident; 15 + 2 others. Managed to read some rings:
Yellow B7CD, BNO; Blue 7EZU, 7FAD, 7FDA, 7FEA, R17
- 21 Canada Geese: 4 flew in and stayed: parties of 13 & 4 over
- pair of Gadwall still present
- 1 Water Rail sprinted across the Wesley Brook footbridge so fast it was
just a blur
- 9 Moorhens
- c.650 Black-headed Gulls present at 09:05: not clear whether these were new or
returning birds
- 707 large gulls flew over in three distinct waves: 358 logged flying
very high from the far E to pass well to the N; then 243 logged flying low
W / SW over; and later 146 logged flying SW from the NE and passing well
to the NW
- 15 Herring Gulls specifically logged
- 11 Wood Pigeons only
- Great Spotted Woodpecker seen
- one of the two Long-tailed Tit parties contained at least 15 birds
- 5 Redwings was rather disappointing
- c.20 Goldfinches feeding in the Alders
- 7 Siskins logged, all flying over and none seen in the Alders (Ed Wilson)
Top Friday, 18th
The usual daily report: a chill Priorslee lake and The Flash this morning
Best birds of the day were
- 51 Lapwings over the lake at 09:05: increasingly infrequent these days
Also worthy of special mention
- Swan numbers declining at the lake: 9 flew off this morning
- 7 hybrid geese at the lake: the 'white-eye' bird throughout; and then
the family party of 6 near identical birds flew in (without their usual
Greylag parent(?) - and these were seen and heard to call exactly like a
normal Canada despite their mixed parentage
- drake Wigeon at the lake (and the pair of Gadwall back)
- high total of Tufted Duck at the lake - 125 (exactly: with exactly 75
drakes)
- larger number of gulls both roosting and later, but nothing unusual found
Other numbers etc
at the lake
- 1 Black-necked Grebe: along the N side early but back at the W end
diving under the ice later
- 4 Great Crested Grebes: 1 adult
- 29 Swans to start with: 2 + 3 residents; 4 + 2 flew off SE; 3 + 0 flew
off NW; 13 + 2 left
- 34 'real' Canada Geese with the 7 hybrids: 9 of these arrived; the rest
seemed to have roosted
- 29 Mallard: 16 drakes
- 42 Pochard: 21 drakes - half and half!
- 2 Water Rails heard by the Wesley Brook bridge
- 6 Moorhens only: usual feeding areas frozen
- ? Coots: not about to stand on the exposed dam and count these again!
-
c.900 Black-headed Gulls at 07:30, most (all?) having roosted. At 09:10
there were still / another c.450 present
- c.2200 large gulls roosted and all left by 08:30. Another 544 logged
flying W overhead
- 127 new Lesser Black-backed Gulls at 09:10
- 9 new Herring Gulls at 09:10
- 13 Wood Pigeons: all around the lake with none seen flying over
- 12 Redwings in trees
- 2 Fieldfare over
- almost no corvid passage: just a scatter of 33 Jackdaws and 4 Rooks
- 9
Goldfinches in Alders
- 16 Siskins with 12 of these in mixed party with the Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson) Top Thursday, 17th
Best today was the splendid drake Goosander on the lake throughout
Most puzzling were two of the geese on the lake. One was superficially
like a Greylag x Canada with a pinkish bill and a 'shadow' of the Canada
chin-strap, though rather more extensive. The puzzling features were the
startlingly white rings around the eye (just like a huge White-eye) and
the rather dark overall plumage. The white eye ring seems not to be
present on any 'real' goose sp.
The closest bird looked just like a Canada Goose unless you looked very
carefully when the white of the chin-strap was slightly grey and mote
extensive white at the rear - no (or reduced) black tail
The Black-necked Grebe still present and with the Swans, Mallard and
Tufted Ducks looking for their early-morning deed from one of the locals
The Gadwall seem to have gone from the lake; as does the Wigeon from Trench
Otherwise numbers / notes
at the lake
- 5 Great Crested Grebes: 1 adult
- 29 Swans: 2 + 3 residents; 20 + 4 others - so some back again. 2 of the
adults were starting to display to each other
- 47 Canada Geese with the hybrids
- 22 Mallard: 13 drakes
- 36 Pochard: 21 drakes
- 97 Tufted Ducks: 58 drakes
- 1 Sparrowhawk was my first here for a while: seem not to be roosting
here this winter
- 3 Water Rails: 2 heard in NW area; 1 seen in NE area
- 14 Moorhens
- 291 Coots: increase? or better count with better visibility?
- c.600 Black-headed Gulls by 07:30: most seemed to fly in from the W.
c.200 at 09:10 may have been new birds
- c.1700 large gulls: c.1100 at roost; 268 logged flying high W/SW from
the far E; 336 more logged flying low W/NW before 09:00. 56 on lake at
09:10
- only 5 positive Herring Gulls - all on lake at 09:10
- 7 Stock Doves flushed from the construction site to the N: been a few
here on and off but this is the largest group seen
- 19 Wood Pigeons was a better count - just!
- 1 Song Thrush in song
- 6 Redwings including one, unusually, foraging on the ground
- Goldcrest again
- better corvid passage with 3 large parties of Jackdaws on different
flight lines - c.230 birds
- still few Rooks: 10 logged and these later than the Jackdaws - often
they are first
- c.30 Goldfinches in the Alders but ...
- 7 Siskins only
and
- 2 Mottled Umber moths on the lamps (Ed Wilson)
Top
Wednesday, 16th A better morning for a while with higher cloud and even a glimpse of sun.
Then it rained
Best birds of the day
- Snipe flushed from the grass in SW area of the lake: had walked past it
twice earlier
- 7 Linnets in trees at W end of the construction site: these used to be
frequent here 10 years ago, often on the dam. Now usually in the lanes to
the E
Otherwise
- Black-necked Grebe still at W end of the lake but often in the reeds
this morning
- more Swans departed from the lake
- not the sight or sound of a goose
- Gadwall still at the lake
- single Goosander duck at The Flash
- up to 25 Goldfinches and 50 Siskins around the lake
and
- 3 Mottled Umber moths on lamps: 2 at the lake
The numbers
- 5 Great Crested Grebes: 1 + 1 and 3 more immatures
- 1 Heron flew over
- 23 Swans: 2 + 3 residents; 16 + 2 others
- 18 Mallards: 10 drakes
- 34 Pochard: 20 drakes
- 84 Tufted Ducks: 48 drakes
- 1 Water Rail heard calling loudly and persistently
- 13 Moorhens
- 273 Coots
- c.700 Black-headed Gulls by 07:15: just 14 by 09:00
- c.1750 large gulls, mostly Lesser Black-backs. c.1400 at roost at 07:00
- all left; 218 logged flying W overhead; later 110 on the lake
- 13 Herring Gulls at least: 5 seen in main dispersal; and 8 more arrived
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- both Coal and Willow Tits seen: I usually see one or the other, but both
on same day!
- 40 Jackdaws below the cloud during roost dispersal
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Tuesday, 15th
Afternoon
- The Black necked Grebe was still present at the W. end of the lake this afternoon (1500).
More skulking than at the weekend but a pack of dogs near by probably was not helping.
- Also present 2 adult Yellow legged Gulls and a pair of Gadwall.
(John Isherwood) Morning
- the Black-necked Grebe still giving close views: Little Grebe not seen
- a few more Swans again. 30 logged: the 2 + 3 residents; and 21 +4 others
- a duck Teal flew in low across the SW grass and was then seen near the dam
- Gadwall pair still present
- up to 600 Black-headed Gulls: c.350 of these seemed to have roosted or
arrived very early
- c.1200 large gulls roosted. Only c.45 seen flying over later, but seeing
anything flying over was hard!
- a Goldcrest was a welcome sight: only had 3 or 4 records since the
February freeze
For the record the other numbers - caution in the conditions!
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: 1 + 2
- no geese on or over
- 28 Mallard: 18 drakes
- 27 Pochard: 16 drakes
- 93 Tufted Ducks: 57 drakes
- 14 Moorhens
- 263 Coots
and
- just 5 Wood Pigeons!
- 1 Redwing heard
- did not see a single outbound corvid (but did not look that hard!)
- 11 Siskins over
(Ed Wilson) Top
Monday, 14th
Afternoon
- Black-necked Grebe present (Reported on Birdguides at 2:42pm)
(Observer unknown)
Morning A generally quiet day after disturbance / lack of tip at weekend
- both Black-necked and Little Grebes still present
- pair of Gadwall present: Shoveler seemed to have gone
- drake Goosander seen flying low W 07:55 but unclear whether it was
flying off or through
- 1 Starling seemed to fly off from roosting right by the concrete ramp at
the W end
- 3 of the Chaffinches seen feeding in the Alders along the N side - unusual?
- c.50 Siskins with parties in larches and alders
- another Redpoll fly-by
For the record the numbers (other than those mentioned above)
at the lake
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Heron
- 21 Swans only: 2 + 3 residents; only 14 + 2 others. Lots of flying about
- 37 Canada Geese: 36 arrived from the SE; 1 flew N
- 1 goose sp. flew E without calling
- 32 Mallard: 18 drakes
- 31 Pochard: 19 drakes
- 92 Tufted Ducks: 52 drakes
- 12 Moorhens
- 291 Coots
- no gulls roosted
---- c.250 Black-headed Gulls arrived by spiralling down from ?
---- 62 Black-headed Gulls logged: 40 on the lake by 09:30; otherwise just
22 over
---- 3 Herring Gulls by 09:30
- 18 Wood Pigeons another poor count
- corvid passage was 2 concurrent parties of Jackdaws at 07:45 - c.140
high and far to the E; and c.75 low over E end of the lake. Just 4 Rooks though
and
- an amazing knobbly 2' long fungus turned out to be the ooze from a
rusting long-dead and partially-buried aerosol can!
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Sunday, 13th
Fine and frosty: few bits and pieces
- both the Little and Black-necked Grebes still close at the W end
- pair of Gadwall still present; now 3 Shoveler (2 drakes); no sign of the
Teal which was a shame as it seemed a trifle 'odd' when I saw it
yesterday, but could never get close-enough or get a flight view
- apparent steady decline in Coot numbers: 278 today, down from over 300
- as usual at the weekends with disturbance and the tip not operational
very few large gulls, but one very scruffy, dark and oily-looking
first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull
- even lower count of just 11 Wood Pigeons: by the sounds of it the local
farmers have installed cannons as bird-scarers this year: perhaps they
work!
- a male Pheasant flushed from near the W end reeds: just might be the
first I have seen inside the Severn-Trent boundary!
- a Green Woodpecker calling from the same area
- from a different vantage point 6 Pied Wagtails over: suspect from a
roost in the M-way services area
- a Redpoll over - with apologies to John Isherwood who keeps trying to
see one here!
- a fly-over Yellowhammer
Otherwise the numbers
- 4 Great Crested Grebes: one of the 3 immatures is still closely
following the adult but not heard to beg
- 31 Swans: 2 + 3 residents and 22 + 4 others. Lots of flying about but
none seemed to leave
- 2 Greylag flew W (inbound) 09:35: no geese feeding movements at the moment
- 29 Canada Geese on the lake - seemed to arrive, but not sure when / where
- 29 Mallard: 18 drakes
- 33 Pochard: also 18 drakes
- 97 Tufted Duck: 59 drakes
- no Water Rails seen or heard
- 10 Moorhens
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls at 07:00. No large gulls at this time
- 91 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: the first 6 low over the lake at 07:45 but
did not land; 2 singles on the water; 45 N; 38 W
- Willow Tit heard near the Teece Drive gate
- big party of Jackdaws heard but not seen: another party of c.110 seen to
far E but not heard! Otherwise just 9 Jackdaws and only 2 Rooks
- c.35 Goldfinches and about 3 Siskins in the Alders
but
- despite all the street-lamps along the footpath having been repaired no
moths - too clear?
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Saturday, 12th
Highlights today were
- the Black-necked Grebe still alongside the Little Grebe at the W end of
the lake for
comparison
- a day of dabbling ducks at the lake with a duck Teal, a pair of Gadwall and a drake Shoveler
new in
- a rather strange first-winter Herring Gull-type: a very scaly back
recalling Great
Black-backed Gull, but too small, with a hint of pale grey at the top of
the mantle but with
rather brown wing-coverts. The head was paler than most immature large
gulls with a small grey
area around the eye. The black bill seemed deep and rather short though
hard to be certain of
the angle. I assume that it was some type of Yellow-legged Gull, but not
prepared to go
further!
and
- a Great Tit in full song in the dark at 06:40 as I left Newport!
Otherwise numbers / notes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes: 1 adult and 3 immatures
- 36 Swans: 29 + 7, though 7 + 1 of these flew off while I was there
- 50,
exactly, Canada Geese flew in from the S
- 33 Mallard: 19 drakes
- 29 Pochard: 18 drakes
- 79 Tufted Ducks: 2 flew off W; of the 77 remaining 45 drakes
- [1 Water Rail seen by John Isherwood]
- 13 Moorhens
- 277 Coots
- very few, if any, Black-headed Gulls at 07:00 but c.1600 by 07:50 - and
no idea where they
came from: certainly not from the W as usual
- c.1700 large gulls at 07:00; also 124 flew over high W; and 49 flew N to
the E. By 08:55
just 46 left on the lake
- just 27 Wood Pigeons logged!
- 5 Redwings over
- poor corvids passage, mostly well to the E: 62 Jackdaws and 26 Rooks logged
- usual Goldfinches and few Siskins in the alders c.08:00 but not later
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Friday, 11th
- Black necked Grebe still showing well at west end of Lake - watched down to 50m
- Also single adult Great Black-backed Gull
(John Isherwood)
Top
Thursday, 10th
11:00am-12:30am
Further to Ed's earlier post, the Black-necked Grebe was showing well from 11:00am-12:30am. I also had an adult Yellw-legged Gull in amongst the c.2000 strong gull flock & a surprise with an adult Little Gull, which flew through around 11:45am (I couldn't relocate the bird in amongst the large gull flock anyway...). (Jason)
Early Morning
The Black-necked Grebe showing well alongside the concrete ramp at the W
end of the lake this morning. Seemingly unconcerned about
people / dogs. Entered the reeds occasionally
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Wednesday, 9th
The Black-necked Grebe not seen in the morning
Best birds of the day
- Lapwing on the dam
- Blackbird in full song before 07:00: can Spring be far away? - yes, I
suspect
I also roamed Woodhouse Lane and the fields to the E / SE of the lake
where the low numbers of pigeons and finches was confirmed. The whole area
has changed somewhat since my last visit with all the scrub and most of
the trees on the E side of the Wesley Brook having been removed. The
amount of fly-tipping on the concrete track has increased
Apart from Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks and tits my entire log for the area was
- 1 Buzzard, calling
- 6 Wood Pigeons in the stream-side copse: none in Wards Rough area
- 18 Redwings flushed
- 1 Chaffinch
- 3 Goldfinches
- 2 Bullfinches: a pair. All these finches around the sluice exit
- 1 male Yellowhammer
very disappointing
Meanwhile back at the main task
at the lake
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 Great Crested Grebes: 1 adult and 3 immatures / juveniles
- 38 Swans - 31 + 7; 4 + 0 flew off N; and 2 + 1 flew off S to leave 25 + 6.
Also 2 flew S to the E
- 13 Canada Geese visited for a while
- 27 Mallard: 16 drakes
- 34 Pochard: 19 drakes
- 45 Tufted Ducks: 27 drakes
- 2 Water Rails: bird in NW heard; bird in NE seen
- 15 Moorhens
- no Coot count made: too foggy to make a meaningful count by the time I had
finished elsewhere
-c.1800 Black-headed Gulls by 07:15 when arrival from W stopped: not clear
how many of these had roosted
- c.2000 large gulls, mostly Lesser Black-backed, at 07:00
as usual most of these birds left by 08:30.
- - Later 211 large gulls, mostly Lesser Black-backed flew W: the first 70 very
high before 08:00: the latter low
- - at 08:50 26 Black-headed, 210 Lesser Black-backs and 8 Herring Gulls
- -
at 09:30 202 Black-headed, 54 Lesser Black-backs; 6 Herring Gull and 1
Great Black-backed Gull
- 19 Wood Pigeons only
- 14 Redwings over
- poor corvid dispersal - perhaps those to E lost in mist. 98 in mixed party
at 07:33 contributed most of the 71 Jackdaws and 64 Rooks logged
- 1 Starling: for the second day a single bird seemed to leave the reeds
along the N side
- 13 Goldfinches, many in the NW Alders before 08:00 but not thereafter
-
1
Siskin flew over
and
- 4 moths on the rather few street lights that still work - all Mottled
Umbers, but all very different
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Tuesday, 8th
Notes / totals to supplement the Black-necked Grebe posting
Best of the day otherwise
- Little Grebe at the lake (and now 4 at Trench)
- Yellow-legged-type gulls at both the lake and Trench
Otherwise
- 4 Great Crested Grebes: 1 adult and 3 immatures
- 33 Swans: the 2 + 3 resident and 25 + 3 guests. Adults included Blue 7FAD and Yellow B7CD
- party of Greylag Geese heard over at 06:55 - too dark!
- 9 Canada Geese arrived
- 17 Mallard: 11 drakes (may have been more - the grebe diverted my attention!)
- 31 Pochard: 23 drakes: good count here
- 70 Tufted Ducks: 39 drakes
- 1 Water Rail: scampered across the Wesley Brook footbridge ahead of me
- 11 Moorhens
- 308 Coots: a new 'high' for me
- large gulls spread all across the lake when I arrived: Black-heads arriving low from W. All these left. Passage of large gulls W before 08:00. Birds drifted in after 09:00. The numbers
---- c.1300 Black-headed Gulls: c.500 when I arrived and c.820 more logged flying in
---- 1 Common Gull at 09:35: an adult - distinctly uncommon here
---- c.1500 large gulls (mainly Lesser Black-backs): 1100 on water at 07:00; 331 logged flying high WSW from far to the E between 07:45 and 08:05
---- c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on water by 09:35 were new arrivals
---- 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull by 09:35
---- 102 Herring Gulls by 09:35
---- 1 Great Black-backed Gull by 09:35: a near adult
- 144 Wood Pigeons a better count with party of c.110 flying E
- party of 13 Long-tailed Tits
- in calm fine weather corvids flying high and starting early: 225 Jackdaws but only 35 Rooks
- 1 lone Starling left the N side reeds!
- 28 Goldfinches, but only 3 seen in the Alders
- 3 Siskins and 2 Redpolls heard over: none in the alders
Early Report
Full report from the lake when I have done the totals but a heads-up on a Black-necked Grebe |
