21 Oct 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C: Cloud lifting and clearing from the north-west after yesterday's deluge. Light north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:46 BST]

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

A venture out once the rain had stopped. The Flash visited first. The Balancing Lake only viewed from the dam-top area.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 11:10 – 11:55

(216th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- apart from a few Wood Pigeons there were no birds noted flying over.
- a Little Grebe may have been new in. However fishermen reported seeing one last weekend and it may well have been lurking, as they do.

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 2 + 2 Mute Swan
- 14 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

Noted later:
- *a tiny unidentified insect, possibly a springtail

No help from my apps about this tiny creature. One helpfully suggested it was an insect. The other thought it might be a glow-worm or a horsefly! I think it might be a springtail or a thrip. I found it on a railing of the 'boxing ring' on the dam.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 10:05 – 11:00

(202nd visit of the year)

The water-level was perhaps as high as I have ever seen it with much of the lowest part of the island under water.

Bird notes:
- the Goosanders were mobile again today with apparently four flying in. Some birds were noted inside the island and there could well have been more out of sight.
- quite where all the Moorhens were is hard to say. The number I record seems to be inversely proportional to the number of dogs being walked. Today everyone seemed to be walking their dogs now the rain had stopped.
- what seemed to be a dead Black-headed Gull was floating in the water. Not, I hope, bird flu.
- single Redwings were flushed from two separate locations around the water.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Siskin

Warblers noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 29 (18♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 17 (>10♂) Tufted Duck
- *47 brownhead Goosander: see notes
- 2 Moorhens only
- 40 Coots
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

On / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Mammals:
- Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

This one of many brownhead Goosanders almost seemed as if it was about to join the Mallard and Tufted Ducks in accepting bread.

Unusually close.

(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

2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull, though it could have been Mew/Ring-billed Gull!
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper/Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
42 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
8 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
30 Robins
(Ed Wilson)