11 Apr 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Mainly clear: rather hazy with some very thin high cloud developing. Light ESE breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:22 BST

A few photos from today (*)

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:20

(84th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Common Sandpiper seen again. Too many dog-walkers kept it on the move and I was unable to tell whether it was possibly the bird ringed on the Scottish Borders that passed through last Spring.
- Early clear skies allowed me to see many more Jackdaws passing to the East on roost dispersal, all before 06:00. No Rooks noted with them or later.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: trio inbound
- 7 Greylag Geese: more or less together inbound
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 163 Jackdaws: gulp

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 6 (6) Willow Warblers
- *19 (14) Chiffchaffs
- no Reed Warblers again
- 8 (6) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Sand Martin: briefly 08:45
- 2 Barn Swallows: singles at 07:40 and 08:40
- 1 House Martins: briefly at 08:45 with the Sand Martin

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: as yesterday – the resident pair and two pairs arriving and being chased away
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens again
- 37 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *2 midges without plumed antennae
- *1 male spider

On the walls of the sailing club HQ:
Nothing noted

Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 11 midges of at least three species

Noted later:
- *male Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

 A clear if somewhat hazy start to the day. Soon went downhill.

A Chiffchaff keeping an eye on me.

Yes: I am still here. The legs do not look dark here: probably the angle of the sunlight?

A male Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) cleaning a wing with a leg. Only the males of this species have the tapered abdomen. The abdomen of the female is broader and rounder at the tip and leg colour is needed to separate these from Common Dronefly (E. tenax).

A presumed female midge and therefore without plumed antennae. The abdomen markings suggest this is not the common Chironomus plumosus. It is unusual to find midges resting head-down.

The only other thing I noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn was this male ('boxing gloves' palps) spider.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:50 – 07:35

(77th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I noted the Canada Goose with the 'angel wing' deformity clambering on to the island. It is many weeks since I last noted it. Since it clearly cannot fly where has it been?
- The Shoveler trio still here, all together
- The drake Gadwall was seen and heard at both ends of the water but seemed to have gone later.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming and calling at the top end only.
- No idea why fewer Chiffchaffs were noted.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 8 (8) Willow Warblers
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (2) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted

None

Noted on / around the water
- 33 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans: ? eggs
- *3 (2♂) Shoveler
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 16 (13♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *8 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only again
- no Cormorants

Noted on / around the street lamp poles
- 1 midge without plumes

Elsewhere:

Nothing of interest

Two drake and one duck Shoveler in typical pose, head down with the bill being used to sift goodies out of the water.

They have to come up for air occasionally!

Rather few Tufted Duck remain. Here are all eight with seven of them being drakes.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
3 Grey Herons
2 Greylag Geese
4 Tufted Duck
1 Common Sandpiper
>6 Sand Martins
1 Grasshopper Warbler
7 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Greylag Goose
1 Cackling-type Goose
24 Tufted Ducks
3 Sand Martins
3 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Greylag Geese
22 Tufted Ducks
3 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
12 Greylag Geese
4 Tufted Duck
2 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
12 Swallow, House Martin & Sand Martin.
2 Little Ringed Plover
2 Common Sandpiper
2 Willow Warbler
(Arthur Harper, Ian Grant and John Isherwood)

The Flash
Cackling Canada Goose
4 Sand Martins
2 Shoveler
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)

Trench Middle Pool
House Martin
4 Sand Martin
2 Chiffchaffs
(Martin Grant)

Trench Lock Pool
12 Sand Martins
(Martin Grant)

2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
80+ Hirundines
1 House Martin
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
10 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Buzzard
2 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaff
3 Linnet
2 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)

Priorslee Village
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
(Martin Adlam)

Nedge Hill
1 Mallard
1 Buzzard
2 Red-legged Partridge
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
8 Skylark
3 Meadow Pipit
1 Fieldfare
1 Blackcap
2 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
4 Linnet
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
4 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
2 Stock Doves
90 Wood Pigeons
2 Kestrels
1 Skylark
1 Meadow Pipit
4 Grey Wagtails
6 Pied Wagtails
2 House Martin
24 Wrens
15 Robins
24 Blackbirds
1 Wheatear
4 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
13 Greenfinches
3 Siskins
2 Linnets
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)