1 Mar 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 7.0°C: Early patchy mist and low cloud coming and going under scattered medium / high cloud. Cleared to a thin high overcast by 09:00. Light NNW wind. Good visibility, sometimes moderate, even poor when the mist rolled in.

Sunrise: 06:57 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:15

(48th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Only the adult Mute Swans today.
- Wood Pigeons have been doing display flights and been heard calling for some weeks. This morning I heard one calling in the dark as I arrived.
- A pair of Great Crested Grebes were seen at first light displaying along the E end of N side. Later one of these(?) roamed the lake widely. Much later a pair was displaying in the NW area at which time I could only see one other bird on the water. So are there three or four?
- Not sure where the Jackdaws were this morning: only two seen. I may have arrived a bit late for the main group on a bright morning though I would have expected to catch a few more in the way of stragglers.
- *Two Mistle Thrushes perched briefly on trees at the E end by Castle Farm Way – not a usual haunt for this species.
- A third Reed Buntings heard in song. At least two others heard calling.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls: 14 of these first year birds, including 10 together
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard yet again
- 2 Jackdaws only
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans: pair only
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 36 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- *3? Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gulls: first year bird
- *1 Grey Heron: departed

On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn: rather soggy poles after yesterday's rain and now mist:
- *>5 springtails sp. none identified
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)

Almost clear skies and mist did not make for a good sunrise photo. The best I could manage.

The displaying Great Crested Grebes in the NW area. I only saw these just before I departed for The Flash.

A 'grab shot' as this morning's Grey Heron departed. It clearly is a different bird as it has no wing feathers missing. While missing feathers do regrow I doubt they do so that quickly.

I still seem to be carrying the branch around that gets in all my foregrounds. Here it is partly obscuring one of the two Mistle Thrushes that perched briefly in trees close to Castle Farm Way – the opposite end of the lake to where I usually see this species.

Two of the springtails I noted. They look different sizes yet the markings seem similar. They are covered in moisture so the exact markings are even harder to discern than usual. [I have just noticed that on the extreme right there is another really minute insect that looks to be another springtail]

A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). For me just about the easiest spider to identify.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(46th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pair of Teal were by the island throughout.
- Now seven drake Pochard: two were asleep by the island; one at the other end of the island; and four together at the top end
- Two sightings of a single Great Crested Grebe. Same bird?
- A Mistle Thrush was heard in song from way to the N of the water again.
- At least 20 Siskins were heard twittering from tall trees along the E side. At least six more were in tree tops near the medical practice.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Sparrowhawk sightings: at least two birds (male and female on size difference)
- 3 Jackdaws

On /around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 26 (18♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal still
- 7 (7♂) Pochard
- 62 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 26 Coots again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *23 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull

Noted on /around the street lamp poles:
- *several small red-eyed flies

Of note elsewhere:
Nothing

This is a better photo of a Black-headed Gull than any I took in the rain at the lake yesterday. This one is in full breeding plumage. In this light it is possible to see the hood is dark chocolate brown – compare with the jet black of the folded wing-tip sticking out behind its head.

A side elevation view.

It was one of a group of gulls that were picking at or just below the water surface. I took many photos but never managed to capture any food item.

This Herring Gull was rather distant, standing on the island. The light was rather contrasting to show the plumage detail. However the bill pattern identifies it as a 'second year' bird. It should now be starting its moult from second winter in to second summer plumage: 'second year' covers all the bases.

One of the flies has an important message for us all!

And here is that fly. The eyes are red but not as bright red and some species I see. I have no idea why the inner edge of the eyes is bright white.

(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
Shirlett High Park
16 Crossbills
(Yvonne C)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)

Horsehay Pool 
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock
3 Pochard
50 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
1 Water Rail
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Great Crested Grebes
4 Heron
3 Cormorants
5 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
107 Coots
2 Water Rails
606 Wood Pigeon
334 Jackdaws
156 Rooks
25 Starlings
11 Pied Wagtails
21 Fieldfare
1 Redwing
1 Willow Tit
26 Starlings
10 Greenfinches
69 Siskins
3 Redpolls
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
29 Pied Wagtails
23 Blackbirds
6 Greenfinches
17 Siskins
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)