5 Mar 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 3.0°C: Early scattered low cloud below a medium overcast. Low cloud increased with a light sleet shower after 09:00. Very light SW wind. Mainly very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:48 GMT

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 08:45

(54th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Pheasant was calling again, today from the quiescent academy grounds.
- A Stock Dove was calling from trees along the North side. They used to nest in a hole in a dead tree near the Teece Drive gate but the tree fell down more than ten years ago. Since then almost all my records of this species here have been of fly overs only.
- Coot numbers seem unusually variable at present. Birds are building nests and can be hiding in the reeds as they do so.
- As so often is the case it was the alarm-calling tits that alerted me to the presence of the Sparrowhawk overhead. Tits are always alert and have sharp eyes but I guess when your life depends on it....
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming opposite the last houses in Teece Drive again.
- At least five, probably six and perhaps more, sightings of Long-tailed Tits nest building at different locations.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: a single and a quintet
- 24 Wood Pigeons: of these 18 flew high North together
- 2 Collared Doves: singles
- 3 Black-headed Gulls again
- 1 Herring Gull
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk again
- 4 Rooks: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 12 Canada Geese: of these four arrived as a single; a pair; and a single paired with...
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (4♂) Mallard again
- 5 (4♂) Pochard again
- 21 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 55 Coots: see notes
- 5 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- 28 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gulls: first year
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult again
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 male Dotted Border moth (Agriopis marginaria): on the same lamp pole as yesterday but a different specimen
- 2 'winter' midge sp.
- *1 presumed winter cranefly sp.
- *1 springtail sp.

Noted later:
- *very first flowers of Cowslip (Primula veris)

I also made my first visit of the year to the Priorslee Avenue underpass. It seemed devoid of any moths, other insects or spiders. Perhaps due to the dry spell?

One of three Grey Herons present keeping a watchful eye on me from behind one of the fishing platforms.

It was a very differently-marked male Dotted Border moth (Agriopis marginaria) this morning.

I think this is one of the winter craneflies judging by the well-isolated head. The body looks slim and rather short, though the shadow of the folded wings created by the camera flash makes that tricky to judge. Note bottom left there is a tiny globular springtail lurking.

The very first flowers of Cowslip (Primula veris) are beginning to emerge. I should have done a bit more 'gardening' to move that obtrusive dead leaf.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:50 – 10:15

(50th visit of the year)

My 52nd bird species here this year was noted when a Rook flew over. This species is rather scarce here, certainly at the times I tend to visit.

Geese and ducks were doing a lot of flying around and difficult to census. However the number of Tufted Ducks was certainly much reduced.

Other bird notes:
- *A trio of Shoveler new in. Unusually the drake was outnumbered by the ducks.
- *A splendid full adult drake Goosander was a welcome sight on a dull day. The ducks is rather smart too.
- *A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming and then seen at the top end.
- At least five sightings of Long-tailed Tits nest building at different locations.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook

Noted on / around the water
- 14 Canada Geese only
- 1 Greylag Goose still
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- *3 (1♂)Shoveler
- 21 (15♂) Mallard
- [the all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck) not located]
- 24 (11♂) Tufted Duck only
- *4 (1♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *85 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second year
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: second year
- 1 Cormorant
- no Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere:
Nothing noted

At extreme range in dull weather (it was sleeting) this is just a record shot of the pair of Shoveler, the drake on the right. There was another duck Shoveler lurking close-by.

An adult duck Goosander showing off her splendid crest.

An adult drake Goosander. Note that he has much shorter and thicker crest feathers that barely protrude from his nape.

An adult breeding-plumaged Black-headed Gull. Note the black on the wing is restricted to the tips of the primaries and the outer edge of the outer two primaries.

Here on the water next to what I think is a second year bird with very little dark showing in the folded wing. It may just be a first year in advance state of moult because the tail tip, partially hidden, looks all black.

Compare that with this first year bird which has dark tips to the secondaries as well as the primaries; to the primary greater coverts; and to all the lesser coverts.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker. It is just about possible to see the red on the nape that identifies this as a male and was therefore the bird I heard drumming a few minutes earlier.

A perky Wren. Come on look at me...

That's better.

Your toe-nails need cutting!

Unbelievably half-decent photos of a Goldcrest on consecutive days.

I assume it is singing and not being sick.

Looks fine here.

Reaching up...

...and eating a morsel.

(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

2013
Horsehay Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
20 Goosander
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Paul King)

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

Priorslee Flash
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
4 Great Crested Grebes
8 Pochard
51 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Heron 
6 Gadwall
28 Pochard
57 Tufted Duck
c.1000 Black-headed Gulls
55 Magpies
1 Linnet
2 Siskin
12 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.10 Herring Gulls
2 Common Gulls
9 Mute Swans
12 Tufted Duck
8 Great Crested Grebe
(Mike Cooper)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
1 Cormorant
11 Pochard
90 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
607 Wood Pigeon
11 Greenfinches
23 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)