25 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 1.0°C: Not exactly the wall-to-wall clear skies forecast. It started that way, soon with broken medium-level cloud rolling in. Almost calm. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:49 GMT

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:15

(245th visit of the year)

Another addition to my 2023 bird species list for me here when a group of c.30 Pink-footed Geese flew south-east across the fields to the East of Castle Farm Way just after 08:00. My only previous confirmed record of this species flying over here was as long ago as 10 February 1992. I have made a (very small) number of distant 'possible' sightings since.

Other bird notes:
- I hope the adult Mute Swans are OK. They spent the entire time asleep while I was present. The cygnets paddled off and did their own thing.
- A pair of Gadwall and a trio of Pochard were new arrivals.
- The Great Crested Grebe looked to be a different individual: perhaps it is just moulting.
- A Cormorant appeared to emerge from roosting at the West end and then flew low across the water to sit on a buoy for at least the next 90 minutes.
- A Common Kestrel flew East c.08:05, pausing for a brief hover over the dam area. My fifth record for this species here this year.
- All five Rooks noted were flying singly and apparently carrying food in their bills.
- A Mistle Thrush was heard singing alongside Teece Drive c.09:00 with another seen in trees beside the West end footpath. Later it (or another) was sitting alongside the songster giving its rattling call-notes. There were no Song Thrushes singing in the colder conditions.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- *c.25 Pink-footed Geese: as highlighted
- 2 (♂?) Goosander
- 34 Wood Pigeons: of these 12 were in a single group flying high south-west
- 1 Herring Gull
- 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: a duo and a quartet
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 5 Jackdaws
- 5 Rook
- 7 Starlings
- 1 Redwing
- 5 Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 1 Cormorant: see notes
- c.350 Starlings left the north-west reeds in seven groups and one single!

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: departed
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 43 (27♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 131 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- >200 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: one roosted (see notes); another arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: present throughout;

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
Cold with frost-covered poles.

Moths:
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Otherwise:
- the same spider exoskeleton as yesterday

Noted later on the frost-covered Teece Drive fence.

Nothing

New groups of fungus found:

None

Clouds appearing to ruin the forecast clear skies.

More cloud arriving.

I don't expect anyone to be able identify these as Pink-footed Geese. It would have been difficult eve had my camera not been inadvertently left on "hand-held moonlight" setting. The rather ragged line is typical of the species. Luckily I could hear their distinctive calls.

Today's only live inhabitant of the street lamp poles this morning was this Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(229th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Today the Greylag Geese arrived together (with one mainly white goose).

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- *35 Greylag Geese arrived with...
- *1 "mainly all-white?" feral goose
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 37 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 51 (35♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 19 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *22 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Herring Gull: one third winter and three (near) adults; arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Moths:
- *1 Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx): its 19th day
Nothing else.

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): four
Despite the low temperature.

New group of fungus found:
- *++Hoof Fungus (Fomes fomentarius)

33 of the Greylag Geese arriving with...

...twelve of them here.

The apparently mainly white feral goose was with two other Greylags and...

...is not so "mainly white" when seen in flight here...

...and here.

An adult Black-headed Gull flies by.

A third winter Herring Gull.

One of the local Robins has become tame-enough to take food from some people's hand. It did not know I had no food.

Looking beseechingly at me.

Making me feel guilty.

This is the Sprawler moth (Asteroscopus sphinx) here on its 19th day. It did move slightly a few days ago: I do wonder whether it is in fact now dead.

One of just four Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) braving the chilly weather.

This is Hoof Fungus (Fomes fomentarius): a new fungus for me.

(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
Priorslee Lake
6 Gadwall
1 Teal
2 Pochard
99 Tufted Duck
225 Coots counted
1 Woodcock
6 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Green Woodpecker
231 Fieldfare
66 Redwings
c.375 Jackdaws
2 Redpolls
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
31 Greylag Geese
3 Gadwall
8 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
Goosander
143 Coots
1 Yellow-legged Gull
19 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
259 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Allan Heath)

2005
Priorslee Lake
206 Starlings going to roost
C.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow legged Gull
1 Caspian Gull
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
(Martin Adlam)