Thursday, 30th (06:25 - 09:53) - Very strange weather at the lake this morning: most of the sky was a solid medium overcast with scattered clouds below and that generally made it a dark start. But far to the south east it was clear and the sunrise produced a great start (and a great distraction to bird-watching) as the
rays shone under the local clouds. After c.08:00 the cloud spread all the way across and lowered, and it became a dull day. The fresh SSW wind was affecting the birds, with the gulls all swirling about making it hard to distinguish real passage birds from local birds - and making it hard to locate other birds amongst the flocks. The wind also brought a lot of M-way road noise across the lake and passerine calls were hard to hear

Whinge, whinge, whinge - not after that great sunrise. Was worth getting up for on its own!

Highlights were again not so much unusual species, but differences
- 3 different Cormorants, with 2 fishing together
- no fewer than 6 sightings of at least 5 different Buzzards one of which attracted the attentions of the local Kestrel
- a Green Woodpecker calling from the Teece Drive area

Main features of the day
- higher number of gulls today, but with all the swirling about I likely seriously under-recorded these
- over 100 Wood Pigeons was my largest flock of the winter in the Ward's Rough area
- a good count of 166 Fieldfare, mainly seen in flight to the E: I think they were all different parties - certainly they were all differently-sized groups
- while I was alongside the NW reeds on sunrise photo duty the flocks of 34 Starlings emerged from my left ear!
- a distant Siskin group - 4 birds - seen

The more detailed notes from the lake
[for yesterday's log I was in different locations and thus no figures are include in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe not seen - cowering from the wind?
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Cormorants today; 1 seen either arriving or repositioning on the lake at 08:17. The looked like an adult and I was a bit mystified when a juvenile with all-white belly seemed to be leaving to the W at 08:37. But at 09:10 I noted there were 2 fishing in the lake, attracting the attention of the Black-headed Gulls, which were ignored
- 1 Herons only for sure: several sightings after 1 heard in flight at 06:47 and then seen in the NW area by 06:57
- the Swans all stayed together and had no interlopers to deal with
- no Greylag Geese noted
- no Canada Geese when I arrived: 3 flew in from the direction of The Flash at 07:20 and left to the E at 08:45
- 38 Mallard only today: again at the dam for an early count, but again the birds had either not arrived or had already dispersed and I logged just 31 at that time. Count was again made later on my return to the dam-top
- 20 Pochard all loafing in the SE area again. I made it 9 drakes today: yesterday was unusual to have an equal sex ratio - today even more unusual for a preponderance of ducks [more birds at The Flash today]
- 56 Tufted Duck today: At least 5 unsexed birds flew off W at 07:09, the other 4 seen in flight at the same time seemed to return. 28 of the 51 present at 09:00 were logged as drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen
- no Sparrowhawks today
- 6 Buzzard sightings of at least 5 different birds: 4 seen heading SW; 1 over Ward's Rough; and 1 (perhaps the same) flushed out of the trees along the N side
- 1 Kestrel seen attacking the Buzzard in the Ward's Rough area
- 4 Moorhens only today: with only 2 of these were along the dam today. Where were they?
- 68 Coots today
- gulls today:
- - the first c.75 Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W at the later than usual time (even for a dark morning) of 07:01. Numbers quickly built up as usual with
at least 1050 by 07:10 when birds started moving off again, mainly to the SE? In the windy conditions there were birds swirling around all the time and quite impossible to know whether these were new arrivals or not. Later sample counts gave me figures of c.450 at 08:20; c,190 at 08:30; c.380 at 08:55; and c.590 at 09:15. 'Unusual' sightings included a party of 20 birds flying very high N over the lake at 09:50. Safe to say there were>1050 today!
- - I logged 216 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying 'over', though it was often hard to tell what they were doing in the windy conditions. The first 7 were logged at the late time of 07:45. I noted the first birds on the lake at 08:20: eventually there were 10 but they did not stay. More started to arrive at 08:55 and by 09:30 there I counted exactly 225 birds. It was, unusually, an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull that was pecking at one of the rather faded orange-red buoys - usually a Herring Gull trait. That seems to give me a total of at least 451 birds
- - 3 Herring Gulls were specifically identified in amongst the large number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake - 1 adult and 2 immatures
- no Feral Pigeons logged
- no Stock Doves logged: no-one was too keen to sit on the wires this morning!
- the first Wood Pigeon was not logged until 08:00. There seemed to be no migrants and little local movement with 65 birds noted in 3 parties; at least 100 were seen in the Ward's Rough area. In addition there were 8 birds flying E; and 9 logged flying W; none on the wires today; and 6 seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 188 for the day
- 1 Green Woodpecker heard calling as I was about to leave
- no Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- no Meadow Pipits
- 1 Grey Wagtail seen in the SW area
- 10 Pied Wagtails logged
- 166 Fieldfares were logged in 6 separate different sized groups seen to the E, flying in all directions! Seemed to be different parties
- 4 Song Thrushes logged today. No song heard
- 62 Redwings: 3 heard before light-enough to see them (I suspect these are birds I flush out of the trees as I walk by, but cannot be certain); 2 in the trees around the lake; with most of the others in a party of at least 40 birds seen to the east at 07:29
- 3 Mistle Thrushes at least, with one at the W end heard in song both before and after 2 birds flew E over the N side trees
- no Goldcrests today
- 3 Long-tailed Tit parties, all seen and heard
- corvid passage is always difficult to observe in the strong winds with birds, especially Jackdaws often so low they are below line of sight for much of the time. Just one flock of Jackdaws, and a steady stream of small parties of both species. I ended with respectable counts of 187 Jackdaws(exactly the same number as yesterday!) and 80 Rooks
- 36 Starlings logged. 3 small parties containing 33 birds flew out of the reeds alongside me at 07:40 with, as often seems to happen, a single straggler flew off 2 minutes later from the same area! 2 more seen flying W in the distance at 08:48
- 4 small finches, apparently Siskins, flew in to alders on the E side of Castle Farm Way
- 6 Reed Buntings logged: 4 heard at the W end again; just 2 seen flying off from the N side area

Checked any street lights I passed-by for insects etc. as usual
- nothing

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was
no Little Grebes; 3 Great Crested Grebes; 3 Cormorants; 1 Heron; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 3 Canada Geese; 38 Mallard (not sexed); 20 Pochard (9 drakes); 56 Tufted Ducks (at least 28 drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; 5 or 6 Buzzards; 1 Kestrel; no Water Rails; 4 Moorhens; 68 Coots; no Lapwings; no other waders; >1050 Black-headed Gulls; 451 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 3 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 188 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; 1 Green Woodpecker; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 10 Pied Wagtails; 15 Wrens; 6 Dunnocks; only 15 Robins; 18 Blackbirds; 166 Fieldfares; 4 Song Thrushes; 62 Redwings; 3 Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 9 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 13 Magpies; 187 Jackdaws again; 80 Rooks; 11 Crows; 36 Starlings; 4 Chaffinches; 27 Greenfinch; 5 Goldfinches; 4 Siskin; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; 6 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammal:
- no Rabbits
- no Grey Squirrels
- new molehills noted along the S side today

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Wednesday, 29th (06:27 - 10:25) - A fine morning at the lake with a few scattered clouds and just the odd, light remnant shower to the N. Enough wind to keep the temperature up and the frost away. Good visibility though some haze

Foot better (not best) and made it all way around

Highlights were not so much unusual species, but some great views of
- a Moorhen on the S side grass was wandering around the 'path' and had to be 'encouraged' out of the way and seemed not at all concerned by my presence or my telescope and tripod!
- a Blue Tit scattering the 'fluff' from the Greater Reedmace: sadly not a Penduline Tit - it is a habit of theirs - but a great view anyway
- NB: Greater Reedmace [Typha latifola] (aka Cattails / Cat's tails) was, I thought erroneously, called Bulrush. But I see that Bulrush is the preferred name in "The Illustrated Flora Of Britain and Northern Europe" by Blamey & Grey-Wilson (no relation) and Reedmace is not mentioned. I thought Bulrush was properly Cypenus papyrus which is probably the species in which Moses was reputedly found. I see that in the USA the large family of reeds and sedges in genus cirpus are also known as bulrushes. (Thank heaven for scientific names!)
- a Mistle Thrush in song, doing its 'storm cock' bit from conifers near the Teece Drive gate

Main features of the day
- more gulls, especially Black-headed, today but nowhere near the numbers of 10 days ago
- another tightly-packed party of c.160 Wood Pigeons suggested migrants, but rather few others. But one of these had me confused as it seemed to be turbo-charged and came jinking and hurtling towards me at great height and speed: all manner of species went through my mind and I had just settled on Snipe when it came close-enough to reveal its true identity! There did not seem to be anything in hot (or otherwise) pursuit
- a blank on the Grey Wagtails for the morning
- very few Wrens - only 12 - noted: odd as there were plenty of Robins (35) and Dunnocks (12)
- scatter of Winter thrushes again and good number of 'local' thrushes
- very few Starlings again
- a Siskin heard, but was busy with the camera at the time
- another one of those frustrating "I wonder what that was" sightings: what appeared to be a small finch-type came bounding towards me at speed low over the N-side trees. I expected it to be a Siskin and waited for it to call as confirmation. But as it got closer it was still inaudible and indeed it looked rather too small and I was left wondering whether it was a Goldcrest - not sure I have ever seen a fly-over Goldcrest!

The more detailed notes from the lake
[not yet done the detailed log so there are no 'yesterday' figures to include in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe still here
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- no Cormorants today
- 2 Herons yet again with one heard flying in at 06:47 and perhaps the bird in the SE area that was unfazed as I walked along the dam-top: but there was already another in the NW area when I checked
- the Swans all stayed put today but had interlopers to see off: 2 adults arrived c.07:38 and took 10 minutes to see off to the W. Then 2, probably the same, flew in from the W at 07:53 and took 13 minutes to see off [there were 2 'additional' adults at The Flash later - perhaps these birds?]
- no Greylag Geese noted
- no Canada Geese apart from distant calls when too dark at 06:38
- 47 Mallard today: staggered to the dam for the early count, but birds had either not arrived or had already dispersed and I logged just 34 at that time. Count was much later from the dam-top
- 28 Pochard all loafing in the SE area. I made it 14 drakes today - unusually equal number of each sex
- 54 Tufted Duck today: A pair flew off W at 07:17. 31 logged as drakes today
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck still here
- no Sparrowhawks today
- 1 Buzzard only for sure - sailed SW at 08:12 after presumed same lurking to the NE a few minutes earlier; and without anything apparently noticing (or caring)
- no Kestrels
- 9 Moorhens today: 6 of these were along the dam today. The S side bird was most amazing!
- 60 Coots today
- gulls today:
- - the first c.150 Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W at the later than usual time (especially as it was a clear morning) of 06:50. Numbers quickly built up with the last arrivals at 07:07 bringing the total to c.1450. Thereafter the gathering broke and birds soon started to stream away again, mainly to the SE. Later counts gave me figures of c.125 at 07:50; c.190 at 08:20; c.150 at 08:50; and c.110 at 10:00. Some 'unusual' sightings included 1 arriving from the SE at 07:08 before departure began. Then 7 flying W at 07:35 much higher than usual suggesting they were not 'local' birds; with another at 07:45. Safe to say there were >1450 today!
- - I logged 312 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying 'over' with the first 75 logged at 07:34 passing S so far to the east that they disappeared in to what little haze there was! Much of the passage was with south-bound birds to the east of the lake. I noted the first on the lake at 08:18 but it did not stay. A few started to arrive at 08:50 and there were eventually 17, but these all left. A single was present at 10:00. That seems to give me a total of at least 331 birds
- - no Herring Gulls were specifically identified
- no Feral Pigeons logged
- 4 Stock Doves logged: 1 flew W at 07:38 - and again it was the first pigeon logged; 2 were on the wires to the NE as often noted; another flew E at 07:58
- the first Wood Pigeons was logged at 07:38. Other than a flock of c.160 presumed migrants that flew high NW directly over the lake, there little local movement with 51 birds noted in 3 parties; c.40 were seen in the Ward's Rough area. In addition there were 10 birds flying E; and 25 as singles or in small groups flying low W; just 2 on the wires today; but none seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 278 for the day
- no Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- 1 Meadow Pipit heard at 08:14
- no Grey Wagtails today for some reason
- 13 Pied Wagtails logged, with the first at the earlier than usual time of 06:57, but then no more until 07:15
- 69 Fieldfares at least. Most in a party of 52 seen flying off N to the east. There were other bird(s) heard
- 7 Song Thrushes logged today. None of these was in song, though again I logged 3 in full voice as I drove from Newport with 1 as close as where the Wesley Brook goes under Priorslee Avenue - almost within earshot!
- 13 Redwings: 3 heard before light-enough to see them; 5 in the trees around the lake; and a party of at least 5 birds seen to the east with the Fieldfares
- 3 Mistle Thrushes at least, though perhaps more. 2 birds at the W / NW area with one in song and the other scolding. Several sightings of perhaps the same bird on the wires to the E
- 1 Goldcrest seen and heard today
- 2 Long-tailed Tit parties heard and then seen though the roost at the W end seems not to be used at the moment and I catch up with these later
- corvid passage gave me several medium-sized (<75 birds) groups of Jackdaws, but otherwise it was a steady passage of groups of <10 birds for the most part. Petered out earlier than some recent days, with very few logged after 08:00. I ended with counts of 187 Jackdaws and 129 Rooks
- 5 Starlings only logged: from the direction of flight all of these probably roosted around the lake. They flew off in 3 separate (very) small groups
- a Siskin heard, otherwise low numbers of finches
- 8 Reed Buntings logged: 4 heard at the W end; but also 4 seen flying off from the N side area

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 2 Herons; 4 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; no Canada Geese seen; 47 Mallard (not sexed); 28 Pochard (14 drakes); 54 Tufted Ducks (at least 31 drakes); 1 drake Ruddy Duck; no Sparrowhawks; 1 Buzzard; no Kestrels; no Water Rails; 9 Moorhens; 60 Coots; no Lapwings; no other waders; >1450 Black-headed Gulls; 331 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; no Feral Pigeons; 4 Stock Doves; 278 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; 1 Meadow Pipit; no Grey Wagtails; 13 Pied Wagtails; only 12 Wrens; 12 Dunnocks; 35 Robins; 27 Blackbirds; 69 Fieldfares; 7 Song Thrushes; 13 Redwings; 3 Mistle Thrushes; 1 Goldcrest; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 15 Blue Tits; 13 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 14 Magpies; 187 Jackdaws; 129 Rooks; 17 Crows; 5 Starlings; 8 Chaffinches; 9 Greenfinch; 6 Goldfinches; 1 Siskin; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; 8 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammals:
- no Rabbits
- 1 Grey Squirrels along the N side
- no obvious new molehills noted along the N side today

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Tuesday, 28th (06:24 - 09:46) - Started cloudy at several levels with periods of mainly light rain; these fizzled out and by 07:25 the clean line of a cold front with blue sky beyond was visible to the SW though it was 09:30 before the sun emerged from behind this slow-moving clearance. In the interim the high cloud had provided good conditions to see over-flying birds. Light SW winds brought road-noise from the initially wet M-way. Good visibility throughout.

After ministrations from doctor can at least hobble about, but unable to don 'real' shoes or boots, so confined to the concrete at the W end this morning! Thus a restricted log

Highlight
- after an earlier fly-by, the first Cormorant of the winter fishing in the lake as I left.

Main features of the day
- a Water Rail heard - first for nearly 2 weeks
- very few gulls, with a particularly poor showing of Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- one sizeable party of 66 Wood Pigeons suggested migrants, but very few others
- 49 Starlings seen leaving the roost in the NW area

The more detailed notes from the lake
[due to the limited viewing I have not included any 'yesterday' figures in square brackets as there is no meaningful comparison]
- the Little Grebe seen
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes
- after 1 Cormorant seen flying in the far distance to the NW at 07:29 there was an adult fishing in the lake at 09:30
- 2 Herons again with one lurking in the NW reeds by 06:47 when still very dark
- the Swans stayed put today
- no Greylag Geese
- no Canada Geese when I arrived again: and just 3 arrived from the Town Park direction at 07:48. Calls heard at 07:10 but nothing seen
- 26 Mallard today: the best I could do with limited viewing from the W end
- 26 Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area. Rather distant, but with the scope I made it 12 drakes today
- 47 Tufted Duck was the best I could do with limited viewing from the W end. I made it 25 drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck seen
- no Sparrowhawks today
- 1 Buzzard with an eastbound bird again, at 07:18
- no Kestrels
- 4 Moorhens was the best I could do with limited viewing from the W end. Unusually there were 3 together on the SW grass
- 64 Coots was also the best I could do with limited viewing from the W end. The numbers using the SW grass increased to 50 today
- gulls today:
- - no Black-headed Gulls roosted with the first 18 arriving from the W at the very late time (it was a dark morning) of 07:05. By 07:20 when the group broke there were c.750. A party of c.100 that arrived at 07:32 seemed to be new birds. Thereafter there were rather few with counts of c.230 at 07:55; c.175 at 08:30 and 134 logged at 08:45. There was also a party of c.45 that flew very high NW at 07:37 and these seemed unconnected with lake birds. So c.895 seems to be the count
- - I logged just 41 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying over with the first, a single, logged at the late time of 07:59. Apart from a loose party of 23 birds that flew north these were all singles or groups of less than 5. I noted the first 2 on the lake at 08:35, but these left. 5 birds that flew in from the W at 09:05 were the only others on the lake. That seems to give me a total of just 48 birds
- - no Herring Gulls logged
- 1 blue morph Feral Pigeon flew E
- 2 Stock Doves seen on the wires to the NE around the probable nesting area of Woodhouse Farm
- the first of the small number of Wood Pigeons was logged at the late time of 07:50. Other than the group of 66 presumed migrants that flew SW at 08:28, there was a single flock of 13 that seemed to be a local movement; c.40 were seen over the fields towards the Ward's Rough area. There were 9 birds flying E; and 28 as singles or in small groups flying low W; just 2 on the wires today; and only 2 seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 160 for the day
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpeckers today heard calling in the NW area
- 1 Meadow Pipit heard at 08:15
- 1 Grey Wagtail today with only the bird in the W end / Teece Drive area logged
- 11 Pied Wagtails logged, with most heard later than usual - after 1 at 07:16 the next was not heard until 07:30
- 35 Fieldfares seen in 4 parties. A party of 26 heading S; the 9 others in small groups heading E high overhead
- 3 Song Thrushes today. Still no song here, though generally seem to be singing at present
- 24 Redwings: 7 heard before light-enough to see them; 3 seen in the trees around the lake; the other 14 in various small flying parties
- 4 Mistle Thrushes today, with 2 at the W end (one in song); and 2 seen together on the wires to the E
- 1 Goldcrest heard today
- 1 Long-tailed Tit parties heard only
- 1 Coal Tit yet again: and yet again in the NW area
- corvid passage consisted of 2 medium-sized groups of Jackdaws, but otherwise a steady stream of small groups of both Jackdaws and Rooks that started late (dark morning) and then continued with scattered groups until after 08:30, though it tailed off somewhat. Once again a few birds were noted flying 'the wrong way' - N rather than S. I ended with counts of 191 Jackdaws and 123 Rooks
- of the 53 Starlings logged, 48 came out of the NW reeds with 47 of these in 3 parties at 07:41 and a lone bird 2 minutes later. the other 4 flew W much later at 08:19
- 16 Greenfinches was a respectable count considering I was largely immobile
- 7 Reed Buntings seen or heard

Checked any street lights I passed-by for insects etc. this morning
- nothing

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
(all numbers refer to birds visible / audible from W end only)
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 3 Canada Geese (all on the lake); 26 Mallard (not sexed); 26 Pochard (at least 12 drakes); 47 Tufted Ducks (at least 25 drakes); 1 drake Ruddy Duck; no Sparrowhawks; 1 Buzzard; no Kestrels; 1 Water Rail; 4 Moorhens; 64 Coots; no Lapwings; no other waders; 895 Black-headed Gulls; 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; 1 Feral Pigeon; 2 Stock Doves; 160 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; 1 Meadow Pipit; 1 Grey Wagtail; 11 Pied Wagtails; 13 Wrens; 5 Dunnocks; 17 Robins; 12 Blackbirds only; 35 Fieldfares; 3 Song Thrushes; 24 Redwings; 4 Mistle Thrushes; 1 Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 8 Blue Tits; 8 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 14 Magpies; 191 Jackdaws; 123 Rooks; 6 Crows; 53 Starlings; 1 Chaffinch; 16 Greenfinch; 13 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no
Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; 7 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Sunday, 26th (06:32 - 10:15) - Clearing after showers to leave mainly sunny morning - after the sunrise! Moderate S wind, veered WSW and decreased. Excellent visibility throughout.

Back from the South with a trapped nerve in my foot, so walking painful. Did a basic lap, but spent much of the first part of the watch near the SW hut and this did not have the usual visibility.

Highlight
- 1 Meadow Pipit overhead
- 2 Jackdaws seen on the SW grass - unusual around the lake
- 5 Siskins flew S

Main features of the day
- 2 Buzzard sightings, but neither Sparrowhawk nor Kestrel logged
- the gales in the S / SW not moved many gulls inland yet!
- one large, tightly-packed party of c.200 Wood Pigeons suggested migrants, but very few others
- scatter of Winter thrushes still
- 2 Starlings seen leaving a possible roost in the NW area

The more detailed notes from the lake
[there are no 'yesterday' figures to include in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe seen again
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Cormorant seen in the far distance to the E, heading S
- 2 Herons again with one already lurking in the NW reeds chasing off another that seemed to have the same idea
- the Swans all stayed put today
- a party of 11 Greylag Geese flew W at 08:17, being first seen very far to the E
- no Canada Geese when I arrived, though two unseen flocks flew over as I was getting out of the car. 14 birds came in 4 separate arrivals, all from The Flash direction. Most stayed, at least until the yacht people arrived
- 41 Mallard today: did not stagger round to a 'dam watch' at first light and these were counted while they were scattered all around the lake
- 27 Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area. I made it 14 drakes today
- 70 Tufted Duck today at least, with 69 present when I did the main count, though 1 drake has flown off at 07:10. Of these 69 there were at least 35 drakes. Birds heard at 06:48 may have been other birds flying off. After the yacht folk arrived at a flock of c.25 Aythya ducks left to the W at 09:58 - perhaps to The Flash
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck was seen today
- no Sparrowhawks today
- 2 Buzzard sightings with the first bird seen flying E, low over the N side at 07:08
- no Kestrels
- 11 Moorhens today: 6 of these were along the dam today
- 70 Coots with the numbers using the SW grass still increasing - 48 today
- no Lapwings noted
- gulls today:
- - once again unsure whether the first 120 Black-headed Gulls I saw at 06:47 had roosted and were put to flight by a Heron, or whether they were arriving. No more noted until 06:55. Thereafter numbers built to a disappointing high of c.400 by 07:10 when birds started to stream out. Thereafter there were rather few with counts of 58 at 07:35; 73 at 08:05; c.185 at 08:35; and c.275 at 09:15. So c.400 seems to be the count
- - some of the flying parties of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were hard to see from my location, but there were few heading S to E this morning. I logged just 182 flying over with the first logged at the rather late time of 07:43. I noted the first on the lake at 08:30 and there were eventually 86 birds by 08:45. These all left and I think that the 47 present at 09:45 were all new arrivals. That seems to give me a total of at least 315 birds
- - 5 different Herring Gulls logged: an immature at 08:30; an adult at 08:45; and 3 immatures together in with Lesser Black-backed Gulls at 09:10
- - no Great Black-backed Gulls
- no Feral Pigeons logged
- 1 Stock Dove flew W at 07:40 - it was unusually the first pigeon logged
- the first of a disappointing number of Wood Pigeons was logged at the late time of 07:58. Other than the tight flock of c.200 presumed migrants, there appeared to no local movements; none was seen in the Ward's Rough area either. There were no birds flying E; but 19 as singles or in small groups flying low W; none on the wires today; and only 2 seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 221 for the day
- 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers today with a bird calling from the N side and then a bird seen flying from the E side of Castle Farm Way and disappearing off NW
- no Sky Larks today
- 1 Meadow Pipit heard and then seen flying E and later S
- 1 Grey Wagtail today with only the bird in the W end / Teece Drive area logged
- 11 Pied Wagtails logged, with most (all?) NOT flying E / NE from the putative town-centre roost
- 45 Fieldfares seen in 4 parties all heading S; at least 1 more heard
- 1 Song Thrush only today. This was rather disappointing as 3 were heard in full voice as I drove from Newport (and later in the day I heard 4 more elsewhere also in full song)
- 38 Redwings: 3 heard before light-enough to see them; none in the trees around the lake; but a party of at least 30 birds seen to the SW; the other in various small flying parties
- 1 Mistle Thrushes today, seen on the wires to the E
- 1 Goldcrest heard today
- 1 Long-tailed Tit parties heard and then seen, with at least 14 birds
- 1 Coal Tit again: still in the NW area, but on a different group of trees today
- corvid passage was again confusing: the first 3 Jackdaws were flying N at 07:20 - the wrong way (and several singles also flew N later). But soon after these 3 a party of at least 120 Jackdaws flew low across the lake. There were no large groups of Rooks, but some larger than usual late parties of c.20 birds of both species after 08:00. The Jackdaws on the SW grass were seen at 09:10. I ended with counts of 264 Jackdaws and 71 Rooks
- 2 Starlings seen flying S at 07:40 seemed to have come from the bushes along the N side. No others were seen
- 22 [35] Greenfinches was a lower count: and as inexplicable as the higher number yesterday
- the 5 Siskins heading S, otherwise very few finches and no Goldfinches or Bullfinches
- 2 Reed Buntings only heard and none seen flying off

Checked any street lights I passed-by for insects etc. this morning
- nothing

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
(numbers of passerines lower than usual today due to my relative immobility during the early part of peak passerine activity)
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Cormorant; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; 11 Greylag Geese; >14 Canada Geese (14 on the lake); 41 Mallard (not sexed); 27 Pochard (at least 14 drakes); 70 Tufted Ducks (at least 36 drakes); 1 drake Ruddy Duck; no Sparrowhawks; 2 Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Water Rails; 11 Moorhens; 70 Coots; no Lapwings; no other waders; >400 Black-headed Gulls; 315 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 5 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; no Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 221 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; 1 Meadow Pipit; 1 Grey Wagtail; 11 Pied Wagtails; 22 Wrens; 8 Dunnocks; 18 Robins; 22 Blackbirds again; 45 Fieldfares; 1 Song Thrush; 38 Redwings; 1 Mistle Thrush; 1 Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 12 Blue Tits; 9 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 16 Magpies; 264 Jackdaws; 71 Rooks; 12 Crows; 2 Starlings; 8 Chaffinches; 7 Greenfinch; no Goldfinches; 5 Siskins; no Linnets; no
Redpolls; no Bullfinches; 2 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
no species of Mammal:
- no Rabbits
- no Grey Squirrels
- no obvious new molehills noted along the N side today

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Friday, 24th (15:55 - 16:15) Evening update - Very cloudy and a strengthening wind from the southeast. Mild though at 10 degrees.

Main Highlights
- Thousands of Gulls on the water, mainly Lessers. I estimated around 1700. Had a good look but couldn't locate any Yellow legs. A few Herring Gull and about 400 Black-headed Gulls with a few just starting to lose their summer heads.

Other highlights:
- 2 Great Crested Grebes at the Wesley Brook end of the lake.
- Resident pair of Swans still present with juvenile in tow.
- 22 Canada Geese on the grass bank next to the slipway
- Didn't do a duck count but plenty of Pochard, Tufted and Mallard about.
- A few Coot and one Moorhen walking along the Dam path.
- 7 Magpie on the Dam squabbling over the bread left by a passerby.
- 1 Carrion Crow
- 1 Grey Wagtail was a flyover
- 3 Pied Wagtails, all seperate birds flew southeast towards the M54 Motorway Services. Possible Roost!
- 43 Starlings came over the lake at 16:05, circled several times and feined to land in the reedbeds to on the northbank and then sudennly shot off over the motorway and headed south at 16:15
- 1 Reed Bunting flew north over the Lake

My Log this evening:
2 Great Crested Grebe; 2 Adult + 1 Juvenile Mute Swan; 22 Canada Geese; Pochard; Tufted; Mallard;. Coot; 1 Moorhen; c.1700 Lesser black-backed Gulls; 5 Herring Gulls; c.400 Black-headed Gulls; 7 Magpie; 1 Carrion Crow; 1 Grey Wagtail; 3 Pied Wagtail; 43 Starlings; 1 Reed Bunting.

(Martin Adlam)

Wednesday, 22nd - (06:24 - 09:11 // 09:53 - 09:58) - A mainly fine morning with just the lightest of shower from well-broken cloud. Light winds. Good visibility.

Again at the 'normal' watch-spots, but ahead of some business in Telford and a drive to Eastbourne. Also stopped briefly on the way back from town to check the gull numbers.

Highlight
- male Blackcap seen in hawthorns around the Teece Drive gate

Main features of the day
- Greylag Geese over
- one of the Moorhens seen standing on one of the seats along the dam-top
- Lesser Black-backed Gulls seemed to roost here: first time this winter. Big numbers over as well
- Great Tit in full song 6 Buzzard sightings continued the good run, but no Kestrel logged

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe was seen today
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again. Once again there seemed to be some 'exchange': while there were 2 in the NW area at first light, one of these seemed to move off to consort with the adult that is usually along the N side and the dam area; later it seemed to move back again
- 1 Heron only for sure today: many sightings of singles could have all been the same bird
- the Swans present and no flights this morning
- 23 Greylag Geese flew E at 06:59 in 2 parties
- no Canada Geese when I arrived: 22 flew in from The Flash area at 06:55 and stayed throughout
- 47 [46] Mallard today: 42 [40] recorded when I did the early (06:40) 'dam count'. 5 more seen flying in
- 27 [33] Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area. I made it 15 [19] drakes today
- 55 [69] Tufted Duck today: a party of 3 left at 07:05 before I did the main count. I logged 30 [37] of the 52 present at the full count as drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen again today
- 1 [0] Sparrowhawk seen to the NE at 07:35
- 3 [6] Buzzards. The usual 'south / westbound' movement, starting at 07:12
- no [1] Kestrels
- 11 [11] Moorhens today: 9 [9] of these were again along the dam today, with one standing on one of the seats
- 59 [57] Coots another increase
- no Lapwings noted
- gulls today:
- - the first 500 Black-headed Gulls had arrived by 06:38 - I think all the birds prior to that were Lesser Black-backed Gulls. At least 1650 birds present by 07:00 when they started to leave. Later counts gave the following: 07:50 c.180 birds; 08:40 c.380 birds; 09:55 >600 birds
- - the Lesser Black-backed Gulls were in big numbers today, starting with at least 620 present at 06:30, though they had started to leave to the W by 07:00 and were much reduced to just 36 at 07:50. More arrivals from c.08:00 with 143 counted by 08:20. Birds started streaming in from the N at 08:50 and there were at least 1300 present by 09:55. Big parties overhead gave me a total of 2012 birds with several flocks estimated at c.300 birds. That seems to give me a total of at least 4022 [2221] (the 2102 over; the 620 that had roosted; and the 1300 at 09:55)
- - 3 [9] different Herring Gulls logged, a rather disappointing number in the circumstances with just 2 adults and 1 immature seen in the flock
- - no [0] Great Black-backed Gulls
- no [5] Feral Pigeons logged
- 1 [3] Stock Dove, seen on the wire to the NE
- the first Wood Pigeon was logged at 07:40. A total of 149 [44] birds counted in 7 [3] parties of apparently local movements; c.50 [23] more flew into Ward's Rough area today. There were 12 [6] singles flying E; and 25 [5] singles flying low W; 7 [0] on the wires today; and just 3 [10] seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 246 [88] for the day
- 1 [0] Kingfisher heard in flight, but not seen
- 1 [1] Great Spotted Woodpecker today with a bird calling in the NW area
- no [0] Sky Larks today
- no [0] Meadow Pipit either
- 2 [1] Grey Wagtail today with birds in the W end / Teece Drive area; and on the dam-face
- 8 [8] Pied Wagtails logged today. The first was very late again at 07:19 [07:16]
- just 4 [96] Fieldfares all in a single group heading S
- 1 [4] Song Thrushes only today
- 34 [13] Redwings: 4 [3] heard before light-enough to see them; 4 [5] in trees around the lake; the other 26 [5] in various parties with one containing 17 birds
- 3 [2] Mistle Thrushes today: in addition to the usual bird at the W end, 2 others seen flying off NE
- 1 [3] Goldcrests today
- 2 [3] Long-tailed Tit parties seen and heard
- 1 [1] Coal Tit again: and in the same hawthorn as the previous 2 days
- 1 [0] Willow Tit heard along the N side
- no [1] Jays heard
- corvid passage was without any very large groups, but rather protracted again and I ended with counts of 246 [384] Jackdaws and 160 [216] Rooks
- 3 Starlings seen flying SW far to the SE at 07:40 were the only birds noted [9]
- generally few finches
- no [2] Siskins today
- 8 [2] Reed Buntings with 5 seen flying off and at least 3 more calling

No mammals noted

Checked any street lights I passed-by for insects etc. this morning, but nothing seen

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 1 Heron; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; 23 Greylag Geese; 22 Canada Geese (all 22 on the lake); 47 Mallard (not sexed); 27 Pochard (at least 15 drakes); 55 Tufted Ducks (at least 30 drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; 3 Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Water Rails; 11 Moorhens; 59 Coots; no Lapwings; no other waders; >1650 Black-headed Gulls; >4022 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 3 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; no Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 246 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 1 Kingfisher; no Green Woodpeckers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 8 Pied Wagtails; 19 Wrens; 14 Dunnocks; 26 Robins again; 27 Blackbirds; 4 Fieldfares; 1 Song Thrush; 34 Redwings; 3 Mistle Thrushes; 1 Goldcrest; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; 1 Coal Tit; 1 Willow Tit; 12 Blue Tits; 16 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 9 Magpies; 246 Jackdaws; 160 Rooks; 17 Crows; 3 Starlings; 7 Chaffinches; 5 Greenfinches; 4 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no
Redpolls; no Bullfinches; 8 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)

Tuesday, 21st (06:23 - 10:24) - Started clear and fine but later some light passing showers with hanging 'curtains' of precipitation - winter is here! Frost on the grass in the lee of trees sheltered from the moderate WNW wind. Great visibility.

Again at the 'normal' watch-spots, with more birds to watch today.

Highlight
- 2 Siskins heard and then seen flying S at 07:34: been scarce so far this winter

Main features of the day
- 6 Buzzard sightings continued the good run, but neither Sparrowhawk nor Kestrel logged
- large numbers of both Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls: and more Herring Gulls as well - not many more, but in percentage terms a big increase!
- the Mistle Thrush atop a tree at the W end in full song today for a short while
- no Starlings seen leaving their roost in the reeds today and few others
- small party of Goldfinches in the N-side Alders included what was presumably a juvenile only just acquiring the red face. Late?

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe not seen today
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again. At first light the immature was with its adult companion in the NW area and only later did it wander off. The other adult was mixing it with the Mallard for the bread at the dam-face in the early pre-dawn glow before 07:00
- 2 Herons for sure today: bird(s) heard and seen in flight at 06:32 with several sightings of flying and perched birds. At about 10:00 I flushed one bird, but it was unable to find anywhere to go without getting chased by another and both flew to & fro across the lake, causing much distress to the resting gulls!
- the Swans went for another fly around today, but stayed within sight of the lake
- no Canada Geese when I arrived: 8 flew in from The Flash area at 06:30, but only 2 (of these?) were present by 07:00. 14 more arrived also from the direction of The Flash at 07:04 and these stayed throughout. Later 21 flew E to N
- 46 [53] Mallard today: all 46 [40] recorded when I did the early (06:35) 'dam count'. No more seen in flight and thereafter scattered all around the lake
- 33 [31] Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area. I made it 19 [18] drakes today. I should add that while they are loafing in the SE area when I do the count at c.08:45, then when I am at the dam at c.06:45 they are not at all obvious and are presumably scattered all around the lake feeding
- 69 [52] Tufted Duck today: Parties of 6 & 4 left at 08:30 and 08:35 respectively when it was light-enough to be able to sex these as well as the birds on the lake. I logged 37 [32] as drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen today
- no [1] Sparrowhawks today
- 6 [2] Buzzard sightings of at least 5 birds. The usual 'westbound' movement of 4 birds singly, starting at 07:07. Another seen circling to the E. And finally, perhaps one of the earlier birds, flew E
- no [1] Kestrels
- 11 [10] Moorhens today: 9 [6] of these were along the dam today
- 57 [54] Coots with the numbers using the SW grass steadily increasing - 34 today
- no Lapwings noted
- gulls today:
- - the first 300 Black-headed Gulls had flown in from the W early by 06:36. By 07:00 when they started to stream away to the S there were at least 1750 [550] on the lake. Thereafter only present in modest numbers with sample counts of just 83 at 08:00; 155 at 08:25; 146 at 09:00; c.340 at 09:20
- -the Lesser Black-backed gulls were back in good numbers with 921 [172] logged flying over with most of them flying SW to the N. Probably many more as a large swirling party to the N at 08:30 fed birds both to the lake, birds that passed SW overhead and birds that seemed to head off W. By this time birds had already started to arrive at the lake and I had logged c.400 at 08:05, though at 08:25 there were fewer than 200 left. Thereafter arrival continued until 10:00 when there were at least 1100 on the lake. This was the point at which I flushed the Heron and put them all to flight! That seems to give me a total of at least 2221 [187] (the 921 over; the 200 that had flown off by 08:25; and the 1100 at 10:00!)
- - 9 [2] different Herring Gulls logged: an immature flew off at 08:05. Then 8 birds logged at 08:25 were 4 adults and 4 1st winter birds. In the mass of gulls at 10:00 there seemed to be fewer Herring Gulls. None identified in the parties flying over
- - no [0] Great Black-backed Gulls
- 5 [0] Feral Pigeons, all blue morphs, flew E together
- 3 [2] Stock Doves flew W together
- the first of a disappointing number of Wood Pigeons was logged at 07:35. A total of 44 [145] birds counted in 3 [6] parties of apparently local movements; 23 [c.45] more flew out of the Ward's Rough area today. There were 6 [5] singles flying E; and 5 [27] singles flying low W; none [5] on the wires today; and 10 [12] seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 88 [239] for the day - I log more than this in mid-Summer!
- 1 [3] Great Spotted Woodpecker today with a bird calling as it flew off E (from the SE?)
- no [0] Sky Larks today
- no [1] Meadow Pipit seen
- 1 [2] Grey Wagtail today with only the bird in the W end / Teece Drive area logged
- 8 [9] Pied Wagtails: not a mild night, so another theory goes out the window! The first was very late at 07:16
- 96 [60] Fieldfares all in 2 [2] parties heading S
- 4 [3] Song Thrushes today with 3 together in hawthorns at the Teece Drive gate
- 13 [11] Redwings: 3 [5] heard before light-enough to see them; 5 [0] in trees around the lake; the other 5 [6] in various small parties
- 2 [3] Mistle Thrushes today: in addition to the singing bird at the W end, 1 seen on the wires to the E
- 3 [0] Goldcrests today - 1 seen and 2 more heard
- 3 [1] Long-tailed Tit parties seen and heard
- 1 [1] Coal Tit again: and in the same hawthorn as yesterday!
- 1 [0] Jay heard in the NE area, but not seen
- corvid passage was yet again different. For the first time I can remember the first birds - both Jackdaws and Rooks - were logged flying NW. Not many but ?! Usual outbound passage had some good-sized Jackdaw flocks, but rather fewer Rooks. But passage of both species, but especially Jackdaws, went on and on such that I ended with counts of 384 [310] Jackdaws and 216 [exactly 150] Rooks
- 3 Starlings seen flying SE at 07:25 seemed to be too high to have come out of the reed-bed roost. I flying off S at 07:57 may have been the bird that seems to roost along the N side all by itself - most odd. Just 5 otherwise in a single groups. The total for the day 9 [22]
- 22 [35] Greenfinches was a lower count: and as inexplicable as the higher number yesterday
- the 2 [0] Siskins heading S
- 2 [6] Reed Buntings only heard and none seen flying off

Also
- 3 rabbits seen: 2 together at the W end in the early light(?) at 06:58 possibly noted only because they were noisy on the frosted grass! Much later another at the W end
- 2 Squirrels upsetting the Redwings and Blackbirds in the N-side hawthorns

Checked any street lights I passed-by for insects etc. this morning
- 2 'black' blow-fly types sunning on one of the lamps, but they were photo-shy

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
no Little Grebes; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 43 Canada Geese (22 on the lake); 46
Mallard (not sexed); 33 Pochard (at least 19 drakes); 69 Tufted Ducks (at least 37 drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; 6 Buzzards; no Kestrels; no Water Rails; 11 Moorhens; 57 Coots; no Lapwings; no other waders; >1750 Black-headed Gulls; 2251 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 9 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; 5 Feral Pigeons; 3 Stock Doves; 88 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 8 Pied Wagtails; 22 Wrens; 11 Dunnocks; 26 Robins; 32 Blackbirds again; 96 Fieldfares; 4 Song Thrushes; 13 Redwings; 2 Mistle Thrushes; 3 Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 22 Blue Tits; 14 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 1 Jay; 19 Magpies; 384 Jackdaws; 216 Rooks; 24 Crows; 9 Starlings; 10 Chaffinches; 22 Greenfinch; 6 Goldfinches; 2 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; 2 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 3 Rabbits
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- more new molehills noted along the N side today

Insects:
- 2 'black' flies

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Monday, 20th (06:23 - 09:54) - A mainly fine morning. As I arrived the weather was clearing after the overnight rain and gales and it was pleasantly fine and mild. A few light passing showers mainly passed-by! Light, later moderate, WSW wind.

Back to the 'normal' watch-spots, with a lot less to watch. The overnight gales seemed to have blown the gulls away rather than inland!

As scatter of interesting records, but as so often what might have been the best 'got away': while along the N side in the wooded area I glimpsed a raptor being harried by a Black-headed gull. I expected a Buzzard, but the bird was far too grey-toned for that and had obvious white under-tail coverts. These pointed to Accipiter sp. but it seemed very large and was flying away, high up and with leisurely and elastic wing-beats with none of the 'flap-flap-flap-glide' urgency of a Sparrowhawk. Could it have been a Goshawk: I doubt it - 'funny Sparrowhawks' are usually just that! And Goshawks are rarely away from cover. I guess an adult female Sparrowhawk that despite what most bird-books say are often grey-backed

Main features of the day
- no matter what the unidentified raptor was I still logged the trio of Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and Kestrel again. And one of the Buzzards was, unusually, flushed out of the trees along the N side
- 8 Lapwings over the lake for a while
- smaller numbers of both Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 different Great Spotted Woodpeckers logged
- a Mistle Thrush atop a tree at the W end not quite doing his full 'Storm Cock' bit, but audibly in sub-song
- a few Starlings seen leaving their roost in the reeds: few others

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe seen briefly skittering across the lake
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again, but the immature seemed to spend most of the time along the S side rather than with its adult companion which stayed in its NW home area
- 2 Herons I think today: with a bird heard in flight at 06:37 and then right in front of me at the S end of the dam at 06:50 when it managed to both fly in and out again without me noticing! This bird was presumably one of the 2 birds that flew N across the lake before 07:00
- the Swans have definitely changed behaviour in the last week with the cygnet often some way away from either of the adults; and the cob wanders off across the lake on his own. Today a second cygnet was present on the lake at 07:00 and did not seem to be arousing the ire of the cob, though it had managed to disappear by 07:15
- no Greylag Geese today
- no Canada Geese when I arrived: 4 flew in from The Flash area at 07:24; 7 more from the direction of the Town Park at 07:36; and 9 more from the same direction at 07:43. They all then stayed throughout
- the drake Teal not seen today
- 53 [52] Mallard today: 40 [42] recorded when I did the early (06:35) 'dam count' after which 9 flew in from the E; and 4 more were noted at the W end
- 31 [34] Pochard again mostly loafing in the SE area. I made it 18 [22] drakes today
- 52 [48] Tufted Duck today: 2 of these seen flying from the W at 07:04. When I did the main count I logged 32 [29] as drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen today
- 1 [1] Sparrowhawk seen high to the E with a Jackdaw in pursuit: this in addition to
- 1 unidentified Accipiter-type seen high to the W - see above
- 2 [3] Buzzards. One to the E at 07:03 though too dark to be certain
whether it was coming or going! Then the one in the N-side trees
- 1 [2] Kestrel. The male powered across the lake at 07:20 this morning
- Water Rail was not heard again: wonder if it has moved on?
- 10 [8] Moorhens today: 6 [6] of these were along the dam again
- 54 [49] Coots was today's variable count! I think I have a partial explanation for the variability: the birds that congregate on the SW grass are not in fact that sedentary, and will move away at times. Previously when conditions have dictated that I do the lake count 'in bits' I have counted those on the grass and assumes they stay there. Thus I can over- or under-record. Today I did a single sweep when there were just 22 on the grass - there had been 31 earlier; and then 25 later
- 8 [11] Lapwings were overhead at 09:08 but did not stay - gulls today:
- - the first 4 Black-headed Gulls flew in at the later time of 06:43 this morning. I kept careful count of the arrivals (as best as I could in the pale dawn light!) and logged 144 more arriving all from the W. But that did not stop there being 550 on the lake at 06:53. So where do they come from? At this point the group broke up, but birds did not begin to leave until 07:10. Thereafter there seemed to be few around today, confirmed by periodic counts that gave me just 37 at 07:30; 165 at 0815; 91 at 09:00; and 74 at 09:20
- -the Lesser Black-backed gulls were in much lower numbers today, with almost all the birds passing W / SW to the N. When I totalled the fly-overs logged today it was just 172 [710]. There were short-staying singles at 07:56 and 08:35; and then a small arrival with a grand(?) total of 13 birds at 09:12! The total for the morning is therefore 187 [1435]
- - 2 [1] different immature Herring Gulls logged flying off
- - no [0] Great Black-backed Gulls
- no [4] Feral Pigeons seen to the N
- 2 [3] single Stock Doves flying over
- the first Wood Pigeon was logged at 07:32. A total of 145 [114] birds counted in 6 [8] parties of apparently local movements; c.45 [0] more seen dropping in to Ward's Rough area today. There were 5 [7] singles flying E; and 27 [70] singles or small groups (<6 birds) flying low W; 5 [0] on the wires today; and 12 [11] seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 239 [202] for the day
- 3 [0] Great Spotted Woodpeckers today: the bird from the far SE had the sense to call in flight so I could log it as it flew to the N side! Later 1 seen on the flimsy top stem of one of the conifers to the E of Castle Farm Way. And then as I was about to leave one was calling in the NW area
- no [0] Sky Larks today
- 1 [0] Meadow Pipit seen in flight to the S of the lake
- 2 [1] Grey Wagtail: back to 1 on the dam-face and another at the W end / Teece Drive area
- 9 [12] Pied Wagtails: lower number reflecting the mild night?
- 60 [142] Fieldfares seen in 2 [5] parties and a scatter of singles
- 3 [3] Song Thrushes again today
- 11 [15] Redwings: 5 [7] heard before light-enough to see them; none [2] in trees around the lake; the other 6 in various small parties
- 3 [0] Mistle Thrushes today: in addition to the sub-singing bird at the W end, 2 more flew W to the N together
- no [2] Goldcrests heard today - first blank day for some weeks
- again only 1 Long-tailed Tit party seen and heard, but up early and calling at 07:09
- 1 Coal Tit was my first here for a couple of weeks
- 1 Willow Tit heard was also the first for a while: near the Teece Drive gate
- corvid passage was slightly better today with several parties but these smaller than in some recent days. However passage continued for some while and with small parties rather than singles such that I ended up with respectable counts of 310 [158] Jackdaws and exactly 150 [after exactly 100] Rooks
- just 15 Starlings came out of the NW reeds at 07:20; perhaps another one from the N side at 07:51. Otherwise just 6 over in 2 groups. So the total for the day 22 [57]
- 35 Greenfinches was a good count: almost all of these seemed to come from the W end hedge area, though I was too far away to be certain
- 6 [0] Reed Buntings with 3 heard and 3 different birds seen flying off

Checked any street lights I passed-by for insects etc. this morning
- 1 Greenbottle-type fly
- 1 spider that sits with its long legs kept parallel to its body

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 2 cygnets; no Greylag Geese; 20 Canada Geese (all on the lake); 53 Mallard (not sexed); 31 Pochard (at least 18 drakes); 52 Tufted Ducks (at least 32 drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; 1 unidentified Accipiter sp.; 2 Buzzards; 1 Kestrel; no Water Rails; 10 Moorhens; 54 Coots; 8 Lapwings; no other waders; >550 Black-headed Gulls; 187 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 2 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; no Feral Pigeons; 2 Stock Doves; 239 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; 1 Meadow Pipit; 2 Grey Wagtails; 9 Pied Wagtails; 21 Wrens; 9 Dunnocks; 40 Robins; 32 Blackbirds; 60 Fieldfares; 3 Song Thrushes; 11 Redwings; 3 Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; 1 Coal Tit; 1 Willow Tit; 12 Blue Tits; 7 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 15 Magpies; 310 Jackdaws; 150 Rooks; 25 Crows; 22 Starlings; 4 Chaffinches; 35 Greenfinch; 12 Goldfinches; no
Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; 6 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammals:
- more new molehills noted along the S side

Insects:
- a Greenbottle fly (Muscidae sp.)
- a spider

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Sunday, 19th (06:21 - 10:32) Another fine and chilly morning with frost on the grass. Less wind made it less unpleasant.

For some days now most of the action has been with birds flying to the E so I thought I would do something different today and walk straight to the top of the lane to the E of Castle Farm Way and get a good view over the lake and the surrounds [See Local Area]. Not sure whether I picked the wrong day or whether it takes time to get to know where to look but, while I saw just about everything I expected to, the numbers were well down - even the corvids seemed to have gone AWOL - the larger flocks anyway. Suppose I will try it again: lot less road noise, not that this is a problem on Sundays.

Then at last a sunny day and little wind, so I spent a lot of time catching up on some autumn(?) colour pictures.

These two distractions mean that the passerine counts around the lake are rather low again.

Main feature of the day
- 25 geese over again - they were Greylag Geese, so I assume yesterday's same-sized party was too. They were heading W but were not at The Flash when I got there some 10 minutes later
- a drake Teal was lurking with a party of diving Tufted Ducks
- Sparrowhawk, Buzzards and Kestrels all seen again
- 11 Lapwing came from the fields to NE and stayed at the lake for a while - same number as seen yesterday
- biggest early arrival of Black-headed Gulls for a while - over 1000 before 07:00: relatively few later
- fewer Lesser Black-backed Gulls overhead and, perversely, almost all flying far to the N rather than S over my position at the E end! Later a good count of >700 birds on the lake before the arrival of the yacht folk put them to flight
- a reasonable number of Pied Wagtails again
- not in a position to see any Starlings leave the roost in the reeds, but small parties flying W

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe seen consorting with 2 Great Crested Grebes in the NW area today
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Herons seen fighting right in front of me at 06:42 after I heard one in flight at 06:31. 1 seen flying off SE at 07:47, but an adult in the NE area at 09:00 and an immature flushed out of the NW area at 09:45. This suggests perhaps 3 birds today
- the resident Swans untroubled this morning: they even managed a formation flight the length of the lake - the first time I have seen the cygnet fly!
- the 25 Greylag Geese flew W over at 10:25
- no Canada Geese when I arrived today. I heard them from the lake at 07:17 and at 08:30 I counted 10. There were 15 by 09:45 though
- the drake Teal was a real surprise, especially lurking with the diving ducks
- 52 [44] Mallard today: 42 recorded when I did the early [06:35] 'dam count' after which another 10 were seen flying in 3 groups, all from the E / SE
- 34 [36] Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area again. I made it 22 [23] drakes today
- 48 [47] Tufted Duck today: I noted none in flight today, though was hardly in the right position to do so. When I did the main count I logged 29 [28] as drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck seen briefly, once, along the N side today
- 1 [2] Sparrowhawk seen to the N, being harried by a Crow, as usual
- 3 [4] Buzzards. One to the E at 07:00 with another heard calling at the same time. 1 flew S at 07:40 and seemed to be a different bird
- 2 [1] Kestrels. A male was seen to the NE at 07:04. After 08:00 a female was on the wires to the E despite the attentions of a Crow trying to dislodge her
- Water Rail was not heard today
- 9 [6] Moorhens today: 6 [3] of these were together along the top of the dam, almost running between my legs and along the S part of the dam today
- 49 [47] Coots was today's variable count
- 11 [11] Lapwings came from the NE at 07:35 and stayed until flushed just before 08:00
- gulls today:
- - the first 38 Black-headed Gulls flew in at the earlier time of 06:33 this morning and there was a rapid and sustained build-up until 06:50 when I had logged c.1080 arrivals, after which they started to leave. I only did one other count before the yacht-folk arrived: that gave me c.380 at 08:40
- -the Lesser Black-backed gulls were flying over in lower numbers and as noted were mainly passing W / SW to N, with few to the E / SE. When I totalled the fly-overs logged today it was 710 [1094]. There was a short-staying party of 23 birds on the lake which left at 08:40. After 08:55 there was a more general arrival from the N and I estimated 725 at 09:20 when the yacht folk's arrival put them to flight - but not to The Flash! The total for the morning becomes 1435 [1166]
- - no [2] Herring Gulls logged: there may have been some in amongst the big party of Lesser Black-backed Gulls - the birds were, as usual, pointing into the wind and that meant that they were cross-lit and the tone of the mantle was hard to discern, changing as the birds swayed in the breeze
- *** late note: I have just looked at some pix I took of a rather pale immature gull to check it was indeed a Lesser Black-backed Gull and lo - quite clear in the photo is an otherwise unnoticed preening adult Herring Gull! So the number goes to 1 - the immature was a Lesser ****
- - no [0] Great Black-backed Gulls either
- 4 [0] all-white Feral Pigeons seen to the N
- 3 [4] Stock Doves today: all W in a tight group
- the first Wood Pigeon logged at 07:26. A total of 114 [803] birds counted in 8 [12] parties but none of these was particularly high or large and all were presumably local movements; none [0] seen in the Ward's Rough area again, and I was close-enough to see in to the trees today. There were 7 [30] singles flying E; and 70 [36] as singles or small groups (<6 birds) flying low W; none [0] on the wires yet again; and just 11 [17] seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 202 [910] for the day
- no [1] Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- no [0] Sky Larks today
- no [2] Meadow Pipits over the lake
- 1 [2] Grey Wagtail only: 1 on the dam-face
- 12 [20] Pied Wagtails a reasonable number in the circumstances - as most pass over the lake going NE then from my position to the E many would be invisible - certainly inaudible. First at the unusually early time of 06:48, suggests a roost-dispersal
- 142 [258] Fieldfares seen in 5 [10] parties, again mostly westbound: must be a lot on the Welsh Coast by now!
- 3 [5] Song Thrushes today
- 15 [13] Redwings: 7 [1] heard before light-enough to see them; 2 [1] in trees around the lake; the other 6 in various small parties
- no [0] Mistle Thrushes again today
- 2 [1] Goldcrests heard
- only 1 Long-tailed Tit party seen and heard, containing at least 8 birds
- corvid passage defeated me in my different vantage point. Some of the birds I did see were passing low to the E where they would probably not have been visible from my usual watch-spots. And passage of both species carried on with many small groups for over an hour. But I logged no large parties at all and today's totals were a disappointing 158 [201] Jackdaws and exactly 100 [158] Rooks
- as noted I was not in a position to see whether any Starlings left the NW reed-bed, but 1 bird seen flying S did seem to have left the N side on its own yet again. Otherwise 56 seen flying over, all westbound in 4 groups. Total for the day 57 [348]
- the number of finches was remarkable only by being so low, though largely determined by my absence during roost-dispersal and dawn activity
- no [4] Reed Buntings for much the same reason

Checked those street lights I passed-by for insects etc. this morning without success, but did not make a complete search

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 3 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; 25 Greylag Geese (all over}; 15 Canada Geese (all on the lake); 1 drake Teal; 52 Mallard (not sexed); 34 Pochard (at least 22 drakes); 48 Tufted Ducks (at least 29 drakes); 1 eclipse drake Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; 3 Buzzards; 2 Kestrels; no Water Rails; 9 Moorhens; 49 Coots; 11 Lapwings; no other waders; >1080 Black-headed Gulls; 1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; 1 unidentified Gull; 4 Feral Pigeons; 3 Stock Doves; 202 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 12 Pied Wagtails; 10 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 28 Robins; 16 Blackbirds; 142 Fieldfares; 3 Song Thrushes; 15 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 2 Goldcrests; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 7 Blue Tits; 5 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 13 Magpies; 158 Jackdaws; 100 Rooks; 11 Crows; 57 Starlings; 4 Chaffinches; 1 Greenfinch; no Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; no Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammals:
- no Rabbits in the rain
- no Grey Squirrels
- more new molehills noted along the N side

Fungi:
the Shaggy Ink-cap no longer visible

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday, 18th (13:00 - 14:00) (Lunchtime Report) - Despite being 10 degrees Centigrade the cold Sourth-westerley made it feel very chilly. When I arrived at the dam end it was a clear blue sky, but a few local showers came across as I was leaving.

Main highlight was a Yellow-legged Gull seen at 13:50, in amongst the large number of Lesser-black Backed Gulls.

Other birds noted this lunchtime then were:
- 2 Great Crested Grebes on the lake, at either end of the lake
- The resident Mute Swans and Juvenile still together.
- Plenty of Ducks
-- Mallard were spread all around the edges of the lake
- - The Pochard however were all congregated in the southeast corner of the lake, in the shelter of the woods. I logged 22 drake and 10 ducks
-- There were three goups of Tufted Duck with a total of 49 spotted.
-- Just in front of the Wesley Reedbeds there was an eclipse drake Ruddy Duck
- Not many Coot with only 37 logged and there were 2 Moorhen by the dam
- At 13:25 a Buzzard drifted south, which didn't go unoticed by a a few Lesser Balck-backed Gulls that mobbed it, whilst it was over the lake.
- The Gulls were plentiful:
-- Lesser Black-backed Gulls totaled c.1700. When I arrived a party of 180 birds left the lake and flew north. But between 13:00 and 14:00 several large parties arrived and departed.
-- In amongst the Lessers were 2 Great Black-backed Gulls. They left at 13:15 with one of the main parties of Lessers.
-- At 13:00 there were 2 Herring Gull and then 3 others joined them later
-- Perserverence paid off by continually checking the Herring Gulls. At 13:50 I came across a Yellow-legged Gull. Having just arrived with a large flock of Lessers, they all started preening once on the water and I was given a great comparison between the legs. I was so pleased as half-an-hour earlier I was convinced I had spotted one but just couldn't be sure. However this individual was very different from the 5 Herring Gulls around it, with its clear unmarked head and distinct orbital ring around the eye, and of course the yellow legs
-- Black-headed Gulls totaled c.500 on the water, but fluctated throughout the next hour. On individual still had his summer head.
- Two small parties of 5 Jackdaw in each, headed northwest over the lake at 13:25 and 13:27
- By the slipway there were 5 Magpie
- A Pied Wagtail was on the dam
- In the southeast corner of the lake in the tree line by the motorway slipway there was a small party of Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrest
- Also in the same area there were 2 Robin, 1 Wrens and a Dunnock .

Totals then:
2 Great Crested Grebe; 2 + 1 Juv Mute Swan; 40 Mallard; 32 Pochard; 49 Tufted Duck; 1 Ruddy Duck; 37 Coot; 5 Moorhen; 1 Buzzard; c.1700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 5 Herring Gull; 1 Yellow-legged Gull; 2 Great Black-backed Gulls; c.500 Black-headed Gulls; 5 Magpie; 1 Pied Wagtail; 3 Long-tailed Tit; 1 Goldcrests; 2 Robin; 1 Wren; 1 Dunnock

(Martin Adlam)

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Saturday, 18th (06:18 - 10:06) (Morning Report) - A fine and rather chilly morning where I was able to watch the grass change from green to white in those areas sheltered from the brisk W wind. Excellent visibility with good conditions for watching fly-overs. Quieter around the lake

Main feature of the day
- some frustrating geese over: they called more like Greylag Geese, but 25 would be an exceptional number. In size though they looked too big for Pink-footed Geese (though it was still rather dark at 07:04)
- eclipse drake Ruddy Duck put in a brief appearance again
- probably 2 different Sparrowhawks today
- probably 4 different Buzzards
- 11 Lapwing seen over fields to NE
- probable Woodcock pre-dawn
- fewer, but still high numbers of, Lesser Black-backed Gulls over again: reasonable number on lake
- strange small-billed (like Common Gull) dark-backed (like Lesser Black-backed Gull) (as yet?) unidentified gull
- larger number of Wood Pigeons, but I think local movements rather than passage
- Great Spotted Woodpecker bounding in from the SE again
- many more Pied Wagtails - did the cold persuade them to a town-centre roost last night?
- good numbers of Fieldfares
- Raven seen flying over
- over 200 Starlings roosted in the reeds

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe seen briefly right at the W end as I sneaked in to the reeds for a sunrise shot
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Herons with several sightings again: one bird heard and then seen on the dam at 06:36, another flew off from the N side at 06:59
- the resident Swans untroubled this morning
- 22 Canada Geese today, I think! I counted 23 birds on the dark lake when I arrived, but after 10 flew off E 06:38 I could only find 12! These stayed until 09:58 when they too left but in the direction of the town park
- the 25 unidentified geese noted above
- 44 [39] Mallard recorded when I did the early [06:35] 'dam count'
- 36 [37] Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area. I made it 23 [27] drakes, but they were in deep shade and at an unhelpful angle against the wind and some immatures were hard to ascribe
- 47 [55] Tufted Duck today: I noted none in flight today. All 47 [54] present when I did the main count, and I logged 28 [24] of them as drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck seen briefly, once, at the W end
- 2 [1] Sparrowhawks I think: a male flew E over the N side trees at 08:20. Just 7 minutes later another(?) did the similar thing
- 4 [3] Buzzards recorded. 3 of them flew, singly, W: the first heard calling as it passed unseen at the very early time of 06:40; another at 06:56; and the 3rd at 08:04. One seen flying E far to the N was likely a 4th
- 1 [1] male Kestrel dashed S across the lake at 06:48
- Water Rail was not heard today
- just 6 [11] Moorhens today: only 3 [6] of these were together along the N part of the dam
- 47 [54] Coots was today's variable count!
- 11 [0] Lapwings were over the fields far to the NE: my first for a few days
- what seemed to be a Woodcock shot from behind me at the W end and jinked in to the bushes on the SW shore at 06:48. In the dark I was unable to see
anything other than a shape, but what else? Pigeon-sized, but quite a different flight and no clatter of wings. Not seen again
- gulls today:
- - the first 90 Black-headed Gulls flew in at 06:47 this morning: by 06:55 there were at least 600 after which they started to leave. Sample counts of the birds on the lake
- ----- 08:00: c.260
- ----- 09:10: c.320
- again I'll pick the largest count and say there were at least 600 [>625] birds present
- -the Lesser Black-backed gulls were in good numbers again. The early S-bound passage took place overhead with very few far to the E today. Again at times there were other flocks cross-flying W-bound. There seemed to be no N-bound movement today. When I totalled my fly-overs log it came to 1094 birds. On the lake there was a single briefly and a short-staying party of 6 birds before the more general arrival that reached 165 [168] birds by 09:10 (= 172 [241]). The total for the morning becomes 1166 [2245]
- - 2 [2] different Herring Gulls logged: an adult and an immature
- - 0 [1] Great Black-backed Gulls
- - the 'strange' thin-billed dark-backed bird may reveal more in the picture I took, but all the birds were bobbing in the wind in a tight groups and out of sync with the tripod blowing in the wind (to say nothing of me shivering): we shall see - or not!
- no [11] Feral Pigeons
- 4 [9] Stock Doves today: 3 of these flying E; and another on the wires to the NE
- the first Wood Pigeon was seen at the very early time of 06:51 when a bird 'lost its nerve' as I stood alongside its chosen roost spot at the W end at 06:54. The next was logged at 07:31! A total of 803 [290] birds were counted in 12 parties seen high overhead, all within a 20 minute window and going in various directions. For reasons I cannot entirely explain these birds did not look as if they were going somewhere, more looking for somewhere to go! Indeed I am not 100% sure that all the flocks were of different birds, though they were all of different sizes. Some might have combined or split? 24 [57] more birds were logged flying low in 2 [3] smaller parties and were presumably local movements; none [50] seen in the Ward's Rough area. A few others with 30 [9] singles flying E; 36
[18] flying W; none [0] on the wires again; and 17 [0] seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 910 [424] for the day
- 1 [1] Great Spotted Woodpecker came bounding in from the SE again
- no [0] Sky Larks today
- 2 [0] Meadow Pipits flew W and looked as if they might land in the W end trees, but I never saw them again
- 2 [2] Grey Wagtails as usual: 1 on the dam-face; and 1 in the SW area today
- 20 [6] Pied Wagtails a much better count: as I query above - did the cold persuade them to a town-centre roost last night?
- 258 [374] Fieldfares seen in 10 [10] parties. One group of 11 birds was mixed in a passing group of Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 [3] Song Thrushes today
- 13 [58] Redwings: 1 [1] heard before light-enough to see them; 1 [7] in trees around the lake; the other 11 in various small parties
- no [0] Mistle Thrushes again today
- 1 [1] Goldcrest heard again
- 2 Long-tailed Tit parties heard, one of which was seen to contain at least 15 birds
- corvid passage took place at an unexpectedly low-level this morning, which means that I could not see many of the birds that (presumably still) took the easterly track. The always higher-flying Rooks were less affected. Today's totals were 201 [379] Jackdaws and 158 [151] Rooks
- the Raven flew N at 07:50, and called: what I thought was one flying S at 08:20 turned out to be a Rook with a very full bill and crop
- 348 [28] Starlings logged today with 241[2] seen leaving the NW reed bed - the first c.220 at 07:15, and then small parties of 15 & 6 at 07:24. There were birds flying W again - 102 of the other 107 did so in 4 parties
- the number of finches was unremarkable again, though an unidentified party of 10 birds was seen to the E at the early time of 07:10: now Siskins are always early ?
- 4 [4] Reed Buntings heard only

Did not check the street lights for insects etc. this morning

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 22 Canada Geese (all on the lake); 25 unidentified geese; 44 Mallard (not sexed); 36 Pochard (at least 23 drakes); 47 Tufted Ducks (at least 28 drakes); 1 eclipse drake Ruddy Ducks; 2 Sparrowhawks; 3 Buzzards; 1 Kestrel; no Water Rails; 6 Moorhens; 47 Coots; 11 Lapwings; 1 probable Woodcock; no other waders; >600 Black-headed Gulls; 1166 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 2 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Yellow-legged Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gull; 1 unidentified Gull; no Feral Pigeons; 4 Stock Doves; 910 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; 2 Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 20 Pied Wagtails; 18 Wrens; 9 Dunnocks; 22 Robins; 21 Blackbirds; 258 Fieldfares; 5 Song Thrushes; 13 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 1 Goldcrest; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 10 Blue Tits; 9 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 10 Magpies; 201 Jackdaws; 158 Rooks; 12 Crows; 348 Starlings; 9 Chaffinches; 24 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 3 Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers; 10 unidentified finches in party

Also recorded
Mammals:
- new molehills noted along the N side again

Fungi:
- the Shaggy Ink-cap is all but 'ink'

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday, 17th (06:24 - 10:20) - [08:50 - 09:45 with walk around the lanes etc. to E / SE - See Local Area]

Another strange weather day and nothing like the forecast I heard. Raining in Newport as I was about to leave and I wondered whether to bother. But it was just showery rain, though rather unpleasant in the fresh conditions and with a fresh / strong SW wind, so I took shelter in the SW. It was very dark at times too. Later the cloud lifted and it began to clear with sparkling visibility but with a heavy shower that forced me away without all the usual areas visited. The combination of rain, wind, sheltering in the SW hut and the M-way road-noise kept all the passerine numbers well-down

Main feature of the day
- Little Grebe present again
- 3 different Buzzards
- big number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls over again: fewer on lake
- immature Great Black-backed Gull
- small Wood Pigeons passage
- both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, almost next to each other
- good numbers of Fieldfares
- fewer Redwing over

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe seen briefly today
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Herons with many sighting again: after one seen and heard in the NW area at 06:39, one was seen flying off E. A presumably different bird, an adult, was then seen along the N side and on the dam
- the resident Swans untroubled this morning
- 26 Canada Geese today: 22 had arrived me before I arrived; and 2 'pairs' of birds flew in later
- 39 [47] Mallard recorded: did not do an early 'dam count' in the wet weather (wimp!)
- 37 [29] Pochard mostly loafing in the SE area. At least 27 [19] adult drakes
- 55 [54] Tufted Duck today: 8 flew off at 06:53 (but it was rather hard to be certain they were not Pochard); 2 more left at 07:30 (these were Tufted Ducks). Of the 45 [54] present when I did the main count, I logged 24 [33] of them as adult drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen today again
- Sparrowhawk dashing across the fields to the E - at least I think it was Sparrowhawk and not what would have been a site-first Merlin! Views too brief
- 3 Buzzard sightings, all I think different birds, all to the E with the first at the early time of 06:57
- 1 [2] Kestrel on the wire to the E of the lake
- Water Rail was not heard today
- 11 [9] Moorhens today: 6 [3] of these were together along the N part of the dam
- 54 [47] Coots was today's variable count!
- gulls today:
- - the first 15 Black-headed Gulls flew in at the late time of 06:49 this morning: by 07:00 there were only c.90, and birds had already started to leave. Again did some periodic counts of the birds on the lake
- ----- 08:10: 155
- ----- 09:45: c.625
- Again I'll pick the largest count and say there were at least 625 [>650] birds present. Just prior to 09:45 some 200 of these birds (?) had flown in along the line of the Wesley Brook from the SE (Shifnal) direction. Also 1 was seen flying high W to N with Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- -the Lesser Black-backed Gulls were in high numbers again. With stronger winds the early S-bound passage took place overhead and far to the E and all-points in between, though at times there were other flocks cross-flying W-bound. After 08:30 there was a small N-bound movement again, but nothing equivalent to that seen yesterday. Neither was there such a large or sustained arrival at the lake. When I totalled all the fly-overs I had logged it came to 2004. There were short-staying small parties of 6, 2, 29 and 36 on the lake before the more general arrival that reached 168 birds by 09:40 (= 241). The total for the morning becomes 2245 [2571]
- - 2 [3] different Herring Gulls logged: different adults with each of the early parties of Lesser Black-back Gulls: none with the largest group
- - 1 [0] Great Black-backed Gull seen flying off - appeared to be a 3rd winter bird
- 11 [3] Feral Pigeons: all blue morph-types with 10 E in 4 small groups; and 1 W with a Stock Dove!
- 9 [7] Stock Doves today: 7 of these flying W in 3 small groups (1 with the Feral Pigeon); and 2 seen over the fields to the W
- 2 big parties totalling 290 [137] Wood Pigeons at height were likely migrants, c.100 flew E and c.190 also E far to the N; 57 [97] more logged flying low in 3 [4] smaller parties were presumably local movements; another party of 50 [-] was over the trees in Ward's Rough to the E. Other than these sightings birds were very scarce with 9 [9] singles flying E; 18 [17] flying W; none [2] was on the wires to the E; and none [10] was seen in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 424 [272] for the day
- 1 Green Woodpecker heard calling in the rain in the NW area. While I was looking for this bird
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling in the NW area as well
- 1 [2] Sky Larks seen flying E
- 2 [2] Grey Wagtails yet again - the usual: 1 on the dam-face; and 1 in the Teece Drive area
- 6 [4] Pied Wagtails another poor showing
- even though all passerines were in low numbers in the wet and wind that does not explain just 1 Dunnock!
- 374 [212] Fieldfares seen in 10 [6] parties and a few small groups, mostly to the E, but moving off S, W and NW. Do not think there is any duplication in the counts
- 3 [5] Song Thrushes today in generally lower numbers around the lake
- 58 [50] Redwings: 1 [3] heard before light-enough to see them; 7 [5] in trees around the lake; a party of c.44 seen to the E; the other 6 in various small parties
- no [7] Mistle Thrushes today after the bumper crop yesterday
- just 1 [5] Goldcrest heard in the wet and windy conditions today
- only 1 Long-tailed Tit party heard in the wet and windy conditions today
- no [1] Jays heard
- corvid passage was very good considering the conditions with some good parties of Jackdaws low in the wind, and a reasonable passage of Rooks
that kept on coming. The day totals were 379 [563] Jackdaws and 151 [144] Rooks
- 28 [33] Starlings logged today with just 2 [21] seen leaving the NW reed bed at 07:30 after the lone bird was seen exiting the N side at 07:24. The other 25 were going in various directions again
- the number of finches was remarkable low!
- 4 [6] Reed Buntings with 2 seen flying off from the N-side reeds

Did not check the street lights for insects etc. this morning

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
[remember all passerines in low numbers due to rain and wind]
1 Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Cormorants; 2 Herons; 2 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 26 Canada Geese (all on the lake); 39 Mallard (not sexed); 37 Pochard (27 adult drakes); 55 Tufted Ducks (at least 24 adult drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; 1 Sparrowhawk; 3 Buzzards; 1 Kestrel; no Water Rails; 11 Moorhens; 54 Coots; no waders; >625 Black-headed Gulls; 2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 2 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no Yellow-legged Gulls; 1 Great Black-backed Gull; 11 Feral Pigeons; 9 Stock Doves; 424 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; 1 Green Woodpecker; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; 1 Sky Lark; no Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 6 Pied Wagtails; 10 Wrens; 1 Dunnock only; 13 Robins; 23 Blackbirds; 374 Fieldfares; 3 Song Thrushes; 58 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 1 Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 8 Blue Tits; 3 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; no Jays; 9 Magpies; 379 Jackdaws; 151 Rooks; 10 Crows; 28 Starlings; 2 Chaffinches; 8 Greenfinches; 10 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; no Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammals:
- new molehills noted along the E side below the dam

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 16th (06:12 - 10:25) - Weather was very odd this morning with periods of bright, almost luminescent, high overcast and great conditions for spotting over-flying birds; periods of lower cloud and very dull conditions; and even some rather persistent and light rain that could be seen hanging in curtains
from the clouds. Mild again, especially before the SW breeze sprung up

Main feature of the day
- 4 Cormorants 'hovering' high overhead
- my first Greylag Goose at the lake for a while
- Good number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- small Wood Pigeons passage
- some Fieldfare and Redwing over
- huge party of Corvids all mixed up with big party of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Fieldfare
- another Redpoll over (and several over Newport area later in the day)
and
- the first Rabbit sightings for ages

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- to confound me the Little Grebe was nowhere to be seen today
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 4 Cormorants were high overhead at 08:04, checking their westbound progress to pause and per down at the lake, with the birds seeming to 'hover' against the breeze at their height (calm at mine!) before they moved on
- 2 Heron sighting again with one flushed from the SE area at 06:25. Not seen then until an adult flew across the W end of the lake at 10:00: assumed a different bird
- the resident Swans were probably too low-down and did not see the 2 adult potential interlopers that flew W to the N. Perhaps these were the 2 semi-resident birds seen at the Flash later?
- Canada Geese were calling overhead as I arrived at 06:12 and again a few minutes later, but they must have flown straight over as none was present on the lake until 2 arrived from the W with a Greylag Goose at 07:05. 3 more arrived from the SW at 07:20. 8 more flew W overhead at 09:50. With the assumption that the 'heard' birds were at least groups of 2 then the day count was at least 17
- 47 [45] Mallard was the full count. Only 38 [44] counted off the dam at 06:30.
- 29 [30] Pochard were again all loafing in the SE area. At least 19 [19] adult drakes
- 54 [75] Tufted Duck today: None seen flying in or out. All 54 [59] present when I did the main count, and I logged 33 [31] of them as adult drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen today again
- 1 Buzzard noted flying SW overhead at 07:35 - and I do mean 'flying' as, for a Buzzard, it was putting a lot of effort in
- 2 [0] Kestrels close together on the wires to the SE of the lake was rather unusual
- Water Rail was not heard today
- 9 [9] Moorhens today: 3 [5] of these were together along the N part of the dam
- 47 [50] Coots was today's variable count!
- gulls today:
- - the first 37 Black-headed Gulls flew in at 06:33 this morning: by 07:00 there were c.350, after which birds started to leave. The usual periodic large (>100 birds) groups from the W, followed by slow departure back. I did some periodic counts of the birds on the lake
- ----- 07:30: 72
- ----- 08:00: c.230
- ----- 08:30: c.260
- ----- 09:00: c.650
- ----- 10:00: c.550
- but not sure what that tells me! So I'll pick the largest and say there were at least 650 [>550] birds present. But I should note some 'odd' records of: a lone bird flying high N; 23 flying W far to the N in with a large party of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and nothing to do with the lake; and 1 more flying high N also with Lesser Black-backed Gulls. That maked 675!
- -the Lesser Black-backed gulls are easier in way, but more to report. Passage started at 07:20 with birds flying S to the E of the lake and I counted 737 birds. After 08:00 I noted that birds were also flying SW and passing to the N & W of the lake and I counted another 341. Then at 08:30 birds started, rather unusually, passing overhead going N and there were at least 193 more. Finally I noted a huge group of birds to the N and this was the prelude to a sustained mass arrival on the lake with a count - well more an estimate - at 09:45 giving at least 1300 birds, after which I ran out of enthusiasm (and ink) to keep track of small parties flying in and out. That makes at least 2571 [1329] for the day. Again I note the relative paucity of immatures and the preponderance of large darker backed birds - it is hard to find Herring Gulls as they are so, relatively, small
- - 3 [7] different Herring Gulls was all I could find amongst the hordes of Lesser Black-backs: 1 1st-winter type; and 2 (more or less) adults
- - nothing that looked like a Yellow-legged Gull or a Great Black-backed Gull today: and no sign of Common Gulls either: most odd
- 3 [3] Feral Pigeons: 2 all-white birds circling over the estate to the N; and a blue morph flew S
- 7 [0] Stock Doves today: 3 seen back on their old breeding-season haunt of the wires to the NE; and 2 pairs flying over
- 2 parties totalling 137 Wood Pigeons at height were likely migrants, c.90 N and 47 W; 97 more logged flying W in 4 smaller parties at low-level were presumably local movements; 9 singles flew E; 17 flew W; 2 were on the wires to the E; and 10 in the trees and bushes around the lake. Equals 272 [242] for the day
- no Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- 2 [2] Sky Larks again - 1 seen flying W to the N; the other heard
- 2 [2] Grey Wagtails today - the usual: 1 on the dam-face; and 1 in the Teece Drive area
- 4 [6] Pied Wagtails a particularly poor showing
- 212 [72] Fieldfares seen in 6 [2] parties
- 5 [3] Song Thrushes today: one briefly, very briefly, in song
- 50 [22] Redwings: 3 [2] heard before light-enough to see them; 5 [7] in trees around the lake; a party of c.30 seen flying to the N; the other 12 in various small parties
- 7 [0] Mistle Thrushes today: 2 different birds on the wires to the E; much later 4 at the W end together; and then 1 atop a conifer near the Teece Drive gate (I had one in full song later near Newport)
- 5 [4] Goldcrests seen or heard today
- 3, perhaps 4, Long-tailed Tit parties heard: one seen with at least 15 birds; and another with at least 8 birds
- 1 [0] Jay heard from the NW area again
- corvid passage was truly amazing: at 07:20 there were at least 500 birds very high far to the N, apparently forming up to fly off SSE to the E of the lake. While I was trying to sort out how many were Jackdaws and how many were Rooks they crossed the path of hitherto unseen V-formations of some 150 gulls, several closer groups of Jackdaws flew through the scope; and to add to the confusion there was a party of some 70 Fieldfare flying the other way. On the assumption that my first impression was correct and there were c.400 Jackdaws and c.100 Rooks in this large party, then the day totals are 563 [40] Jackdaws and 144 [54] Rooks. But ?
- 33 [0] Starlings logged today with 21 counted leaving the NW reed bed at 07:32. The other 12 were going in various directions and no westbound movement was recorded
- Greenfinches were heard (and some seen) leaving a small roost in the hedge at the W end. Otherwise numbers of finches were unremarkable
- the Redpoll was heard flying N at 07:40
- 6 [3] Reed Buntings with 1 seen flying off from the N-side reeds

Did not check the street lights for insects etc. this morning

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today was:
no Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; 4 Cormorants; 2 Herons; 4 adult Swans and 1 cygnet; 1 Greylag Goose (on the lake); 17 Canada Geese (5 on the lake); 47 Mallard (not sexed); 29 Pochard (19 adult drakes); 54 Tufted Ducks (at least 33 adult drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; no Sparrowhawks; 1 Buzzard; 2 Kestrels; no Water Rails; 9 Moorhens; 47 Coots; no waders; >675 Black-headed Gulls; 2571 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 3 specifically identified Herring Gulls; no probable Yellow-legged Gulls; no Great Black-backed Gulls; 3 Feral Pigeons; 7 Stock Doves; 272 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Kingfishers; no Green Woodpeckers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 4 Pied Wagtails; 23 Wrens; 11 Dunnocks; 32 Robins; 26 Blackbirds; 212 Fieldfares; 5 Song Thrushes; 50 Redwings; 7 Mistle Thrushes; 5 Goldcrests; 3 (4?) Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 15 Blue Tits; 12 Great Tits; no Treecreepers; 1 Jay; 13 Magpies; 563 Jackdaws; 144 Rooks; 11 Crows; 33 Starlings; 6 Chaffinches; 20 Greenfinches; 7 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; 1 Redpoll; no Bullfinches; 6 Reed Buntings; no Yellowhammers

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 2 Rabbits at the W end - the first for weeks
- new molehills noted along the N side

Fungi:
- a single rather late Shaggy Ink Cap is fast fading in the grass of the factory at the Teece Drive gate

(Ed Wilson)

Top

Wednesday, 15th (06:10 - 09:57) - Again the weather was better than forecast: it stayed dry and there was even some sunny bits, though it was very dull at times as well. Always breezy.

Main feature of the day
- the number of, especially Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- possible Yellow-legged Gull in amongst the Lesser Black-backs
- fewer of most other things
- Redpoll over the best of the rest

The more detailed notes from the lake
[As usual some counts from yesterday are included in square brackets for comparison]
- the Little Grebe still present: because I said "it seems to be a permanent feature off the NE reeds" it was elsewhere today
- the 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- several Heron sighting with one flying across the lake at 06:24. That seemed to be an adult (hard to be certain at that time!); later a juvenile seen several times
- the resident Swans had 2 adult interlopers that took nearly 20 minutes to see off. As so often happens the flying in and out of these large, conspicuous birds went unseen by me and it was the 'Easter egg' pose of the cob that alerted me to their arrival
- apparently no Canada Geese on the lake at first light, though there were 22 present by 07:55! 34 flew overhead, eastbound, in a single noisy party at 06:41
- 45 [47] Mallard 44 was the count of birds off the dam at 06:30. A drake flew in from the SE soon after
- 30 [35] Pochard were today all asleep in the SE area - until now there have been 2 or 3 groups and some birds feeding (the books say they are nocturnal feeders, but Pochard can't read. At least 19 [22] adult drakes)
- 75 [56] Tufted Duck today: 16 (as groups of 14 & 2) apparently all this species seen flying off W in the gloom at 06:49. Of the 59 [56] present when I did the main count, I logged 31 [22] of these as adult drakes
- the eclipse drake Ruddy Duck not seen today
- 2 sightings of probably the same male Sparrowhawk over the N trees, the first at the pre-dawn time of 07:10
- no Buzzards noted today!
- no Kestrels today
- Water Rail was not heard today either: the ditch in the NE area now had a lot more water and is beginning to look more suitable
- 9 [8] Moorhens today: 5 [4] of these were together along the N part of the dam
- 50 [46] Coots: I did not today that now many of these birds have moved to the traditional winter feeding site of the SW grass that, because that area has not been mown recently, they can disappear behind the tussocks. Not sure that this explains why the numbers fluctuate as normally I wait for a dog-walker to flush all the birds on to the water and count them there
- gulls today:
- - not sure how to come up with a number for this species today. I thought there were none as I arrived but as the Heron flew low across the lake at 06:25 there were 22 Black-headed Gulls flying about. Whether these were present overnight and were flushed or whether they just happened to be arriving is
rather conjecture, but I think the latter, though only 2 singles were seen until 26 more arrived until 06:43. Numbers built up to c.300 by 06:55 when they started to leave to the S & SE. Thereafter several large groups flew in from the W totalling at least 700 birds, but I am inclined to think that the