6 Aug 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 15.0°C: Another cloudy start. Soon sunny for a while, clouding again c.08:30. Moderate / fresh westerly wind, gusting strong at times. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 05:36 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:15 // 07:20 – 09:20

(177th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Another group of Barn Swallows seen: eleven were noted flying south-west together over the football field c.05:50. More seen feeding low over the water much later.

Other bird notes:
- a lone Canada Geese early which did not depart. The now usual later arrival.
- no Tufted Duck seen.
- *one of the erstwhile brood of four Great Crested Grebes seemed to be missing.
- a Common Sandpiper was present throughout.
- a single Swift dashed through at 05:45. Two were seen to the East of the dam 07:55 for several minutes and were possibly the same two seen there c.09:00.
- more than 15 House Martins were high over the Ricoh area at 07:30. No juveniles were heard and they seemed to be heading south-west though equally likely just flying in to the wind to make catching food easier. At least two were over the water with Barn Swallows later, joined by at least one *Sand Martin
- Thursday is Racing Pigeons day. Two groups totalling 29 birds were seen flying north-west.
- four of the calling Chiffchaffs seemed to be travelling together and were likely a family party including recently-fledged juveniles: three of them were giving squeakier calls than usual.
- a Common Whitethroat was giving its contact call from the Ricoh hedge.
- a Blackbird was heard giving the special warning call usually reserved to warn recently-fledged juveniles of danger. This species is multi-brooded: this seems a late date to still have young.
though

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 85 Canada Geese: 79 flew East in seven groups; six flew West as a duo (with a Greylag Goose) and a quartet.
- 6 Greylag Geese: 5 flew East as a single and two duos; a single flew West with Canadas.
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 29 Racing Pigeons: see notes
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves again, together
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 171 Jackdaws
- 26 Rooks only

Counts from the lake area:
- 59 Canada Geese: one throughout; 58 arrived in four groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 30 (?♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 56 Coots
- 7 + 9? (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 38 Black-headed Gulls: again none of these visited the football field
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 (5?) Swifts: see notes
- 1+ *Sand Martin
- >17 *Barn Swallows: see notes
- >15 House Martins: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 12 Chiffchaffs
- no Reed Warbler
- 1 Blackcap
- 1 Common Whitethroat

Also noted:
cloudy and windy

Butterflies:
none

Moths:
- 1 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
several bees seen in flight only

Hoverflies:
none

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]

True flies:
very few and none of interest

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 3 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 ! *Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

The early cloud soon cleared to give some slight colour to the sunrise.

I only noted three juveniles with this adult Great Crested Grebe. It is just possible the fourth was with the other parent. There were several adults on view, none with juveniles in attendance.

The cloudy and breezy conditions brought the hirundines down to feed low over the water. This is a Sand Martin. Note the short, stubby bill and white throat.

Here again. The dark chest-band is just about visible and note the short forked tail. This species is normally the first Summer migrant to arrive, usually somewhere in the UK during the last few days of February. I see it here from mid-March and it can occur in some numbers during bad weather while birds are still arriving in to late-April. Sightings here after this are uncommon with birds mainly staying around their breeding territories. Atcham Bridge on the old A5 is a good place to see them.

This Barn Swallow seems to be a male from the length of the tail streamers.

A juvenile or female with shorter streamers.

This is a juvenile with white on the forehead and throat instead of the adult's red.

Two of the three Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella I noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn.

I pursued this moth until it eventually perched where I could see it. It looks to be "just" a Straw Grass-moth A. straminella though the reason I went after it was that it looked smaller than I expected.

Well the eye is in focus! My first Common Carpet moth Epirrhoe alternata of the year.

"Come in #6". A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris taking a break from whatever it was doing.

The neat, parallel yellow band on the side of the thorax confirms the species identity.

Before the cloud rolled back and the insects went in to hiding I found this Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *unidentified micromoth [Harpella forficella?]
- 1 *Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata

Flies:
- 2 *midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Frustrating. I had no idea what I was photographing on the wall of the tunnel – perhaps just part of the idiot scribblings was my thought at the time. Not so: it is a (small!) micromoth. Obsidentify was 94% sure it is Harpella forficella (since given the name Yellow-striped Bark Moth). This species has only recently arrived in the UK and is not described or illustrated in my Field Guide. NatureSpot describes it as "a very distinctive species" with their photos looking nothing like this. Google Lens suggested Indian Meal Moth Plodia interpunctella described by NatureSpot as "distinctively marked" and also looking nothing like my photo. Had I realised at the time it might be a moth I would have taken an angled photo which might have helped.

What a splendid moth. It is a Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata. Ignoring several moth identities outstanding this is species #29 for me in the tunnel this year.

A male midge of a species for which I have never been able to find an identity.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15

(174th visit of the year)

New bird species:
As it was a week or so ago at the Balancing Lake *Kingfisher becomes a belated addition (and my 73rd bird species) here this year.

Other bird notes:
- I could only find 16 Mute Swans today.
- a lower number of Mallard and Tufted Duck for some reason.
- I managed a walk around without seeing or hearing a single Moorhen.
- no Great Crested Grebe seen again.
- five Cormorants were again in trees on the island, four of them noted flying in together.
- two *Grey Herons today.
- a Little Egret was with Black-headed Gulls on the edge of the island when I arrived but seem to have gone later.
- the Ring-necked Parakeet was heard calling from the island and then flew off South only to return a flew minutes later and disappear in to the wooded area behind Ennerdale Road.
- Bullfinch is a species I record here only sporadically. I noted birds calling from two different locations today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
all these gulls loosely together
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 10 Greylag Geese: of these two departed and four arrived
- 16 Mute Swans
- 24 (?♂) *Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- no Moorhens!
- 45 *Coot
- no Great Crested Grebe again
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: briefly
- 5 Cormorants again
- 2 *Grey Herons
- 1 Little Egret: departed?
- 1 *Kingfisher

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins again

Warblers noted (no song):
- 2 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 small spider at the top of a tall street lamp pole.

One of the two Grey Herons I noted here this morning. This was wandering through the Coots all the while stabbing away at small fry. The Coots (four in this view) seemed remarkably unconcerned.

"Can you see what it is yet?" It was a long way away and travelling at speed. I am surprised the camera even managed to pick out the Kingfisher as it dashed by.

A Song Thrush peers at me. For once I managed to persuade the camera not to focus on the twig.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
1 (imm/fem) Common Redstart
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Dunlin
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Tern
(Merv)

5 Aug 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 19.0°C: A cloudy start. The forecast rain did not arrive and the clouds broke to give sunny spells. A moderate south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:34 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:45

(176th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Unusual today was a group of at least 30 Barn Swallows heading more or less East over the football field at 05:55. These had to have been migrants heading off. Seems very early. Perhaps they too are experiencing difficulty in finding insects. A few minutes later at least a dozen House Martins were high overhead. I noted juvenile begging calls and I doubt these would be migrating before the youngsters were independent.

Other bird notes:
- just three Canada Geese early and I am not sure these ever departed. The now usual later arrival.
- a trio of Tufted Duck present throughout.
- yesterday's large count of gulls was not repeated. Apart from a change in the wind direction I can offer no explanation.
- no Swift sightings.
- 19 Starlings flew East c.06:10 in singles / small groups.
- the lower counts of passing Jackdaws and Rooks is likely down to my incompetence. With that change in the wind direction their flight path was very different and I probably missed many until I realised where I should be looking.
- another indication of the passage of the seasons was the first overflying Pied Wagtail leaving wherever the roost is these days and heading out to feed.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 59 Canada Geese: all flew West in six groups
- 24 Greylag Geese: 20 flew East in two groups; a quartet flew West later
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves together
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- 95 Jackdaws
- 36 Rooks
- 19 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 82 Canada Geese: three throughout? 79 arrived in at least six groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens again
- 55 Coots
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls: none of these visited the football field
- 5 *Herring Gulls
- 34 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.30 Barn Swallows: see notes
- c.12 House Martins again: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 7 Chiffchaffs
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 3 Blackcaps

Also noted:
more today though still very quiet

Butterflies:
- 2 Small White Pieris rapae
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 2 *Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 *Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Moths:
- 3 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths too faded / seen too fleetingly to confirm their identity.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- ! *probable Field Cuckoo-bee Bombus campestris
- *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
singles only of each species
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
an unidentified dragonfly flew off: they always seem to see me before I see them

True flies:
- ! *Thick-headed Fly Conops quadrifasciatus [Four-banded Beegrabber]
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp.
other flies that I could not identify and did not seem worth the effort.

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

Not an exciting dawn sky.

An adult and immature Great Crested Grebe from a family I have not previously photographed. Their territory in the south-west area is not easy to access and they usually keep out of the way.

Some scruffy-looking gulls at the moment as they moult. This is an immature Herring Gull (the pale inner primaries identify it as such). Most of its outer secondaries are missing. Also missing are the secondary lesser coverts exposing the white bases of the greater coverts. Two (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls look on.

Another immature Herring Gull, this one showing little sign of moult. It is a juvenile / first- winter showing the typical Herring Gull paler inner-primaries. At this age these feathers have darker tips. The black tail-band does not wrap around the side of the tail as it would on a Lesser Black-backed Gull and it shows mottling on the upper tail.

An immature Lesser Black-backed Gull showing many instances of moult. Just two old outer primaries remain to be replaced and white bases to the secondaries show where the relevant greater coverts have been dropped as have some primary coverts.

A Common Buzzard appeared from the local wood again - against the light. So it was down to the photo-editor to produce as good a result as I could achieve.

A Gatekeeper butterfly Pyronia tithonus at rest with the wings held such that the number of white spots in the black circle of the forewing is hidden. Luckily the colour, just visible, is enough to identify it.

A smart butterfly: a Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

A Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella at rest with the right wing wrapped over the left preventing the split of the pale streak in to "fingers" being visible.

This is a puzzle and I initially tended to agree with Obsidentify: "unidentified bumblebee"! But we are made of stronger stuff.

A bumblebee species with a white collar and a white tail with no obvious midriff band. Hmm. After a partial ID from Google Lens and then studying both the Field Guide and Steven Falk's Flickr pages I suspect it is a male Field Cuckoo-bee Bombus campestris. As he – the expert – notes "it is a highly variable species which can produce challenges during field identification". A species I have not (mis?)identified for some years.

Like all cuckoo-bees it does not make its own nest. The female of this species lays her eggs in that of the Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum.

Just enough here to identify this as a Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum with ginger on the thorax and white on the tail just showing through the Knapweed. This is the first I have seen of this species from what is most probably a second brood.

This is a Common Carder Bee. The ginger on the thorax is faded and bald in the centre and there is extensive white along the flanks.

 It was singles of each species of hoverfly again. Here is the Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus.

A male Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta (or Long Hoverfly if you prefer).

And another Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis.

Along with the cuckoo-bee this was the find of the day. It is the Thick-headed Fly Conops quadrifasciatus also known, for obvious reasons, as Four-banded Beegrabber. There were precious few bees for it to grab today.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata

Flies:
- no midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata

Arthropods:
- none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 4 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

One of the few pug moth species I feel happy to identify unaided – a Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10

(173rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Best today was a Common Sandpiper seen amongst the Black-headed Gulls on the East side of the island. Just as I noticed it a Magpie flushed it. I heard it calling as it was flying around for a few minutes but I never saw it again.

Other bird notes:
- 17 Mute Swans today. At least one was heard in flight while mu view, was typically. blocked by trees.
- no Great Crested Grebe seen.
- five Cormorants were in trees on the island.
- just one Grey Herons noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 17 Mute Swans
- 31 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 6 Moorhens
- 39 Coot
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Common Sandpiper: departed
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Unlike the specimen at the Balancing Lake this Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella is resting with the left wing overlapping the right. As a result the end of the clear streak is visible as it splits in to two "fingers" beyond half-way along the wing. So this species is ambidextrous (or whatever the adjective is for wings rather than hands).

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
A female Teal
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
30 House Martins
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

4 Aug 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

18.0°C > 21.0°C: Cloudy and humid after very slight overnight rain. A moderate southerly breeze after the usual calmer start. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:32 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:45

(175th visit of the year)

Best today was a fly-over Little Egret heading East at c.05:40. Perhaps the bird recently at The Flash as none was seen there this morning.

Bird notes:
- no geese early again. A later arrival.
- a hitherto unseen Tufted Duck lifted off the water at 09:05 and circled away to the East.
- many more gulls this morning:
most (74) of the Black-headed Gulls arriving from the West flew straight over with at 06:00 just seven on the lake and 11 on the football field.
at 04:45 c.40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew low from the West. I was not in a position to see the water but when I was there were 15, presumably of these, leaving the East. I have assumed that they all visited briefly. At c.05:50 there were 31 more on the football field, these also leaving to the East. A few more visited. A steady passage of birds overhead was also noted.
- a Sparrowhawk dashed through c.09:30 putting up at least 25 Goldfinches from the Poplar trees at the West end.
- four Swift sightings. A single was high over the estates to the north-west at 07:25 with at least a dozen House Martins. Two were over the South side at 08:50. A single was over the West end at 09:20 and then two were high to the North at 09:40. How many individuals were involved?
- two groups of Starlings flew East c.05:50.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Canada Geese: two groups flew West
- 32 Greylag Geese: 25 flew East in four groups; seven flew West together later
- 74 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Little Egret
- 1 Stock Dove
- 66 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 139 Jackdaws
- 53 Rooks
- 18 Starlings

Counts from the lake area:
- 61 Canada Geese: arrived in four groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived with Canadas
- 2 Mute Swans
- 26 (?♂) Mallard only
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 53 Coots only
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 18 Black-headed Gulls: 11 of these were on the football field c.06:00
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 77 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons: at least two birds coming and going

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6? Swifts: see notes
- 5 Barn Swallows
- c.12 House Martins: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Reed Warblers
- 5 Blackcaps

Also noted:
not much in the cloudy conditions

Butterflies:
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Moths:
- 5 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths too faded / seen too fleetingly to confirm their identity.
- 1 ! Blood-vein Timandra comae

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]: two
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]: one

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
another, unidentified, dragonfly flew by

True flies:
- I didn't see any flies that I could identify or seemed worth the effort.

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Some you win and some you lose. The long-term failed street-lamp along the West end path has been fixed since yesterday but my torch was in terminal decline.

Moths:
- 1 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Four-winged flies:
- 1 *Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Earwigs:
- 1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata

About as good as the sunrise got this morning.

I tried later but most of the colour had faded. It is mostly Coots (and a few Mallard) in the foreground.

Family party. The four "humbug" Great Crested Grebe juveniles look to be thriving.

On a street lamp pole around dawn was this Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella. Note the clean edge to the white streak along the folded wing which splits in to only two (three?) "fingers" towards the (battered) tip of the wing.

Compare with this Straw Grass-moth A. straminella which shows a poorly defined pale streak which splits in to four (or five) "fingers" more in the middle part of the wing. It is unusual to find this species at rest anything other than head down.

My first Blood-vein moth Timandra comae of the year. I record this species most years. Note the feathered antennae indicating this is a male. There is a similar species, the Small Blood-vein Scopula imitaria, which is easily distinguished as the "blood line" does not go from wing-tip to wing-tip.

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum covered in pollen from Knapweed.

Also on Knapweed a Buff-tailed Bumblebee B. terrestris managing to avoid getting covered in pollen.

Very few hoverflies again: a Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis.

Another happily(?) resting on a street lamp pole.

And just this one Pellucid Fly V. pellucens.

A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea. Not a "true fly" as this species has two pairs of wings (true flies have one pair and halteres).

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

Flies:
- 6 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum

- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *cranefly Tipula lateralis

Arthropods:
- none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

The commonly-seen cranefly Tipula lateralis. Note the relatively long antennae, the pale stripe down the abdomen and the pale area toward the leading edge of each wing.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10

(172nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 16 Mute Swans was all I could see this morning. It is always possible one was hiding the "other" side of the island.
- a single Cormorant was standing on a tree on the island.
- three Grey Herons again.
- no Little Egret: possibly the bird seen here recently was the individual noted flying over the Balancing Lake earlier.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet was heard again, this time from across the water. I then saw one, perhaps two, flying in front of the trees between Ennerdale Road and the A5. I tried playing its calls on my Merlin app but it failed to respond or was too far away to hear.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles

Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese: of these a pair departed and two singles arrived
- 16 Mute Swans
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens only
- 41 Coot
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 15 *Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 *Grey Herons

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
- 1 Blackcap

Nothing noted around the area

A relatively recently-fledged Black-headed Gull. When it has moulted in to first-winter plumage it will have lost the brown on its crown and on its hind-neck but not in the wings which will continue to show brown area, albeit fading, until the moult in to adult-winter plumage this time next year.

One of the three Grey Herons here today. This was sitting on the railings alongside Derwent Drive.

Aren't you glad you are not a fish?

Another of the Grey Herons, this one standing on what seems to be a plank of wood in the water by the entrance to Wordsworth Drive.

Still glad you are not a fish?

Something all the bird guides tell you Song Thrushes do but I rarely see. The thrush contemplates a snail it has found and brought to the path.

 Lift it up and...

...thwack!

The snail is now separated from its shell.

"Looks delicious".

"All gone!"

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Trench Lock Pool
4 Common Terns
(Dave Tromans)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Grebe
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Grebe
(Ed Wilson)