16 Feb 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 13.0°C: Early well-broken cloud with some sun. Clouded after 08:45. Fresh SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:25 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:15

(41st visit of the year)

A new bird for my year list here. While I was on the dam top I thought I could hear a Skylark singing over the fields to the E. The noise of the traffic in Castle Farm Way made it hard to be certain and the trees were blocking the view. They can no longer use a traditional site that is easily visible from the dam as it now has houses on it. But it mattered little as a calling bird flew S later. Bird species #65 here this year for me.

Other bird notes:
- I noted the unusual sight of a Collared Dove perching in the hedge at the W end. Mostly I see this species flying over.
- The gulls were late appearing again though there was more of them. 18 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:15 and then a big arrival of c.300 birds at 07:30.
- No large gulls were on the water until after 08:00. Then several large groups passed over with a sizeable number diverting in at 08:20 comprising 32 Herring Gulls and just 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. More of the latter arrived afterwards while a significant numbers also passed over.
- Almost all the c.280 Jackdaws flew overhead in one large group, swirling around as they rode the air currents making an accurate count impossible.
- A loose group of 12 Carrion Crows flew N as six obvious pairs. Within each of the pairs the two individuals were well separated. This separation is usual behaviour with this species.
- The Cetti's Warbler was calling in the NE area at 07:10.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: two duos outbound
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 28 Herring Gulls
- 176 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Common Buzzards
- >280 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
- 1 Skylark

Counts from the lake area: probably some Moorhens and Coots sheltering in the reeds.
- 2 Canada Geese: present throughout
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls
- 44 Herring Gulls
- *56 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

On and around the street lamps: rather breezy

- 1 small plumed midge

- *1 springtail of the Tomoceridae group

- *2 springtails of the Katiannidae group

- *1 ichneumon sp.

- *1 beetle sp., just perhaps Omonadus floralis

- *3 spiders of different species:

        1 Nuctenea umbratica

        1 Ozyptila sp. almost certainly O. Praticola

        1 unidentified money-spider type

An uninspiring photo of the setting moon. A layer of thin high cloud means there is no detail of the moon's surface. It was just good to see it after many cloudy mornings.

The sunrise was also rather uninspiring considering the forecast wind and rain. Just a delicate salmon pink flush. The only red visible are the traffic lights on the Castle Farm Interchange.

When the large gulls arrived they remained separate from the Black-headed Gulls in the foreground. All the larger gulls here are Lesser Black-backs: the Herring Gulls were mostly in another group to the left.

One of the many first-winter Herring-type gulls that dropped in. This one caught my attention with its very obvious and rather wide tail band - on a typical Herring Gull this usually is narrower and rather smudgy on the inner edge. The obvious brown tips to the paler inner primaries don't seem to fit either Yellow-legged or Caspian Gull at this age. Therefore it must be a Herring Gull.

Male Greenfinches in breeding plumage are both handsome-looking and fierce-looking with their dark eye-patch and stout bill.

Is this my best photo so far of a springtail of the Katiannidae group? Answers on a postcard....

Two for the price of one. The larger insect is a quite small ichneumon – the 'wasp-waist' is just about visible. The smaller insect is a springtail, perhaps of the Tomoceridae group though it looks smaller than most of them that I find.

A small beetle I found on a lamp pole. It bears some resemblance to Omonadus floralis but I am no expert.

One of three small spiders I noted. Thanks to Nigel for a speedy response, identifying it as a juvenile(?) female Nuctenea umbratica, a nocturnal relation of the garden spider.

Spider #2. It has a very different and rather unusually-shaped abdomen. Nigel explains: it is a crab spider but not the usual Xysticus cristatus. It is an Ozyptila species almost certainly O. Praticola. I could not get a photo of the third spider as it was swinging by a thread in the wind and then ran off when I tried to capture it. I don't blame it.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:20

(39th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Drake Tufted Ducks (56) are outnumbering the ducks (36) by some margin.
- When I arrived the water was full of gulls. The Black-headed Gull count was possibly incomplete as I could not see all the water at the time I did the count. The large gull numbers are likely correct. Before I could get to a better vantage point something put the gulls up and later there were just 63 Black-headed Gulls and four Herring Gulls with all the Lesser Black-backs having departed.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing from the tree-tops at the top end – but only while I changed the battery in the camera! I cannot recall seeing this species anywhere around the lake for many years. Usually I only hear song in the distance.
- A few *Siskins and Goldfinches again in the Alders above the top end.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard

On /around the water:
- *43 Canada Geese: 18 of these flew off
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- no Teal located
- 5 (5♂) Pochard remain
- 92 (56♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens only
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: displaying
- >204 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 10 Herring Gulls: see notes
- *27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron only

On /around the street lamp poles

Nothing noted

Elsewhere:
- A bumble bee seen in flight – my first this year. Too fast to ID

Three of the Canada Geese departing. It seems to me to be rather unusual that these are flying out c.09:30. Over the years I have noted most leaving before sunrise. 

Just ten of the unusually large group of 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, all adults, that were present when I arrived. They flew off before I could get a better angle to show them.

Marks out of ten? Very few! I included this as I was surprised to see a Goldfinch (on the right) happily in very close company with two male Siskins.

NOTE

By the way: after some software / internet problems I finally managed to organise a video that I took on Monday (14th) HERE, of the Great Crested Grebes displaying. It is now with the stills for that day if you scroll down. Thanks to Martin for his patience!

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2014

Priorslee Lake

8 Pochard

(Tony Beckett)

2010

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes

4 Gadwall

44 Pochard

55 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

151 Coots 

12 Siskins

2 Redpoll

23 Linnets

9 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

3rd winter Glaucous Gull

1st winter Glaucous Gull

(Paul King)

2006

Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes

3 Cormorants

2 Gadwall

8 Pochard

26 Tufted Ducks

118 Coots

2 Lapwing

c.1200 Black-backed Gulls

c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

55 Herring Gulls

c.574 Wood Pigeons

220 Jackdaws

199 Rooks

1 Skylark

11 Pied Wagtails

20 Robins

19 Blackbirds

1 Fieldfare

2 Redwings

1 House Sparrow

10 Greenfinches

7 Siskins

16 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)