27 Mar 23

Priorslee Lake only

1.0°C > 5.0°C: Mostly clear and frosty start with low-level mist over the water. An area of medium-level cloud from the north-west for a while, beginning to break as I departed. Light wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:57 BST

* = a species photographed today.

I only visited the lake this morning.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:15

(72nd visit of the year)

New here was a shy and quietly sub-singing Blackcap. A few days later than in most recent years. Bird species #81 this year here for me.

Other bird notes:
- A Pheasant was heard calling from the Ricoh copse.
- *I saw five Reed Buntings, at least two of which were males. None was heard to sing.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Goose: pair inbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: two separate pairs inbound
- 38 Wood Pigeons: of these ten flew very high North
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 1 Jackdaw

Not much again

Warblers noted (the number of these singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 17 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 8 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: adult and first year
- 1 Herring Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher: heard only

Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Lead-coloured Drab moth (Orthosia populeti) still in the same place as when it was first noted on 20 March
- *1 plumed midge sp.
- *1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn
- *1 Brindled Flat-body moth (Agonopterix arenella)

Elsewhere:

Nothing of note

An area of could spreading from the north-west took the edge off the sunrise. A touch of mist over the water.

There are still a few Siskins around – many fewer than in recent weeks. This male was one of only two Siskins I noted today.

Here he is again.

And again.

This male Reed Bunting was one of two (the other not seen well) birds in a small patch of reeds alongside the dam. This one is still not in full breeding plumage with a few brown tufts in the crown...

 ...and a few white tufts in the breast.

A frost-covered male plumed midge. This one seems to have a particularly thick set of plumes.

This small spider looks to be a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) which I recognise by the white cross-markings on the abdomen.

I found this Brindled Flat-body moth (Agonopterix arenella) on the wall of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

Plane of the day: this is a Bombardier Global 7500 executive jet about eight miles high (any Byrds fans out there?). If you have the spare $63 million you could have one too. If you don't have the readies then you could ride in one for about $10000 per hour. This one is registered to One Campus Drive Services of Parsippany, New Jersey which does not explain much!

(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

6 Great Crested Grebes

5+ Cormorants

31 Tufted Duck

1 Kittiwake

7 Fieldfare

6 Chiffchaffs

c.230 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Cackling Goose

2 Teal

49 Tufted Ducks

3 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebes

7 Great Crested Grebes

7 Wigeon 

2 Gadwall 

1 Pochard 

34 Tufted Ducks 

c.500 Black-headed Gulls

7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

31 Herring Gulls

1 Common Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull

1 Great Black-backed Gull 

5 Redwings

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash 

3 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Pochard 

62 Tufted Duck 

Steppe Gull?

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

2 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Cormorant 

26 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool

3 Cormorants

2 Goosander 

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Dunlin

1 Raven

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

2 Shoveler

1 Willow Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

4 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

16 Fieldfares

1 Willow Warbler

4 Great Crested Grebe 

4 Herons 

4 Gadwall

29 Tufted Duck

c.215 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

2 Pochard

27 Tufted Ducks

16 Meadow Pipits

36 Robins

28 Blackbirds

5 Chiffchaffs

1 Redpoll

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes

1 Pochard

24 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

1 Water Rail

127 Wood Pigeon

21 Wrens

3 Fieldfare

3 Redwing

3 Chiffchaff

2 Willow Warblers

8 Sand Martins

22 Siskin

6 Linnets

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam, Martin Grant)