Priorslee Lake
Priorslee Lake |
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Archive News - March 2009 |
Saturday, 21st - Willow Tit 2 (John Isherwood) Tuesday, 17th - Mute Swan nest building in reeds at ramp end (Mike Cooper) Saturday, 14th -1st winter Glaucous Gull flew through at 0715, westwards. (John Isherwood) Monday, 9th - Glaucous Gull today at 14:00. (Martin Grant) - Not much at the lake: 1 'additional' Great Crested Grebe; 5 'additional' Swans; very few gulls (<50); 17 Redwings rather more than recently; and a Linnet over (Ed Wilson) Friday - Sunday, 6th - 8th A report covering early morning visits on all three days: no major finds and no more sightings of the Bittern; or any unusual gulls - All the 'extra' Great Crested Grebes seem to have left the lake leaving 4 adults (2 pairs). Single extra bird at The Flash some days (and at Trench) - Cormorants most days, but birds don't seem to stay long. Only noted 1 bird with white thigh-patches. A far cry from 5-10 years ago when feeding parties of >20 birds not unusual - 3 different Herons most days - The Mute Swans have been having an interesting time. The long-term residents R17 and 7AUL are back on the lake from The Flash: the lake has seen upto 17(!) additional swans of varying ages, mostly without rings. This morning 2 of the adults were 7ETJ and 7EVI, these being the erstwhile pair from The Flash, and 7EVI is the bird that had to be taken in to care with a damaged wing and has only just been ringed. Meanwhile 'new' residents 52F and 7AUP have The Flash mostly to themselves pair of Gadwall at the lake Sunday morning - Mallard numbers well down as birds go off to nest - small movement of Aythya ducks: single duck Pochards at both the lake and The Flash Friday; and single ducks at both locations Saturday. Small increase in Tufted Duck numbers too with 14 on the lake and 82 on The Flash Sunday - Goosanders seen flying W over the lake Friday and Sunday - Water Rail not heard or seen on any of the days - Coot numbers dwindling as nest territories are set up and fighting starts. Interesting is that on frosty mornings the Coots do not feed on the SW grass until the frost melts - does the cold make their fillings ache? - generally small numbers of gulls these days - <200 in the mornings. And often more birds on The Flash than the lake which seems particularly devoid of large gulls early in the day - not been a good year for raptors, but Friday I saw a Kestrel displaying to the NE over the fields - still low numbers of Wood Pigeons: but several records of Collared Doves flying across from the fields to the E were unusual - single Meadow Pipits over most days - numbers of singing Song Thrushes now reduced - just 4 this morning after peaking at 11 - Mistle Thrushes seem to have stopped singing completely a few Redwings each day - just 1 sighting of Goldcrest recently - but good to know some have survived the cold - Coal Tits singing / seen every day; after an earlier noisy period Sunday was the first time I had heard the Willow Tits for a week - some good numbers of Jackdaws head out in the morning: 444 logged Sunday morning close to my record count. But Rook numbers very low (<30 birds) - Magpies still gathering post-roost: highest counts of 26 in the NW area and 38 in the NE area - these mainly fly away far to the E - a single Starling is still noted some days apparently leaving a roost in the reeds - Chaffinches in full song from early now - 06:07 this morning - single Redpoll and 3 Linnets over Sunday: otherwise it is c.30 Siskins in the alders that are the main finch interest - 3 male Reed Buntings now singing: strange that there never seemed to be a roost in the W end reeds this winter - have seen up to 20 leave in previous years Other things - The moles seem to be exceptionally active this year with new hills emerging while I am walking around - Saturday there were two species of moth on the street-lights along the W end footpath: the first for over a week That about brings us up-to-date With the construction work apparently suspended on the old Celestica site there is a big open area of bare ground with intersting mounds: an early Wheatear anyone? (Ed Wilson) - Juvenile Glaucous Gull seen at 15:35 (Observer not known - reported on BirdGuides at 16:03) Thursday, 5th - Juvenile Glaucous Gull (disappeared with majority of large gulls at 13:00) (Mike Cooper) Wednesday, 4th Afternoon Can hardly believe it: in flight in full view in bright sun - a Bittern flopped in to the reedy areas along the N side at 14:45 A site tick and a year tick for me I went back to the lake by bike this afternoon (via Wall Farm - as you do) and while puffing up Redhill got a call that there were 1st/2nd year Iceland and 1st year Glaucous Gulls present By the time I got there the Glaucous appeared to have flown but the Iceland was giving good views. Was showing Jude (? - apologies forgot your surname) the Iceland Gull when all the birds went up and there dropping in to the reedy bits was a Bittern In fact I suspect it may have been there a while: as I arrived Monday morning at 06:10 and walked from Teece Drive towards the W end reeds, something got up from behind the reeds and flew into the thick reeds in the NW It was the most fleeting view in very poor light but it seemed too small for a Heron and too large for a Moorhen - birds otherwise likely to do the same. Bittern crossed my mind and even wrote it in my log - with lots of ???? Seems I might have been correct! Whatever it flushed all the gulls and when I left there were just 20 Black-headed Gulls left Also this afternoon (Ed Wilson) Morning Usual early start Highlight this morning was the Peregrine sitting on one of the pylons to the NE - the resident Swans R17 / 7AUL back from The Flash and seemed to deter
any strangers (Ed Wilson) Tuesday, 3rd 12:30 – 13:30 - 1W/2S Iceland and Juvenile Glaucous Gulls at the same time on Priorslee Lake the lunch time before 3/3 12:30 – 13:30 (Mike Cooper) Morning A quick update from a short visit to Priorslee Lake this morning ahead of business elsewhere Changes noted (Ed Wilson) Monday, 2nd Lunchtime - a Juvenile Glaucous Gull & 2nd Winter Iceland Gull. (Jim Almond). Morning - A generally quiet morning again at the lake with the following of note - 9
Great Crested Grebes on the lake: the usual 2 pairs and 5 others, one a
very obvious immature A quick trip up the track to Woodhouse Lane produced (Ed Wilson) Sunday, 1st - no Swans when I arrived: 4 adults and 3 1st years arrived (Ed Wilson) |