15 Mar 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 09:20
Location

Sunrise: 06:22

c.+5°C > +8°C: Broken cloud to start soon filled in, but clearance from E at 09:45. Calm, then light N breeze. Moderate visibility, becoming good

Highlight this morning was my first Green Woodpecker of the year calling at the lake

(39th visit of the year)

Notes
- 2 first year Swans flew in but were soon persuaded to move on
- back to regular 5 Gadwall this morning
- 2 single Lapwings over - perhaps the same one twice?
- at least 11 Siskins in the trees today
and
- 1 flightless female Dotted Border moth on the lamps

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 Canada Geese (2 parties)
- 2 single Lapwings
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 5 Feral Pigeons (2 groups)
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 2 Greenfinches
- 4 Goldfinches
- 3 Siskins again

 The counts from the lake area
- 4 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard again
- 15 (9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Cormorants
- 15 Great Crested Grebes again
- 21 Moorhens yet again
- 62 Coots
- 8 Black-headed Gulls

Not often you see the outer tail feathers of a Great Spotted Woodpecker – just two bands. A female here – no red on the nape.

Two Great Crested Grebes in full punk display.

These two Moorhens seemed to be getting friendly, but ...

 ... then decided against it.

This Cormorant too tired to stand on the platform and spent the whole time lying down. Note just a few white feather-tips on the neck-ache.

This is supposed to look like this: the small dots are 100s of small 'midges' that were swarming around me this morning – hurry up summer migrants and hoover them up.

This a female Dotted Border moth – like many species of moth that fly in winter the females are flightless with vestigial (as here) or no wings. It is thought this allows the females to devote all their energy to egg-production. Dispersal is made not by the female laying eggs on suitable food-plants but by the caterpillars, as soon as they emerge, climbing stems and using a silk thread to acts as a spinnaker – just like many species of spider.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 09:30 – 09:55
Location

(27th visit of the year)

Notes
- 3 of the Mallard again sitting on roofs in Derwent Drive

Birds noted flying over
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 Goldfinch
- 1 Siskin

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 34 Canada Geese
- 1 the all-white feral goose
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 27 (16♂) Tufted Duck again
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe still
- 1 Moorhen
- 10 Coots
- 2 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2007, 2010 and  2011
2011
Priorslee Lake
2  Pochard
18 Tufted Duck
23 Redwings
5 Meadow Pipits
26 Greenfinches
8 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

 Trench Lock
6 Sand Martins
(Ed Wilson)

 The Flash
5 Pied Wagtails
1 Chiffchaff singing
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebe 
4 Great Crested Grebe 
1 Heron
6 Gadwall
1 Pochard
41 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
108 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

 2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorant
12 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
A leucistic Black-headed Gull
3 Stock Dove
391 Wood Pigeon
27 Wren
23 Robin
21 Blackbird
8 Fieldfare
7 Chiffchaff singing
43 Magpie
11 Greenfinch
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

 The Flash
6 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
33 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
3 Chiffchaff singing
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
7 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
c.1110 Black-headed Gulls
22 Wrens
20 Robins
19 Fieldfares
19 Redwings
7 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)