0.0°C > 2.0°C: Cloudy: dull: light drizzle in the air later. Light south-east breeze. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:51 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: 06:10 – 09:10
+ = 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: 06:10 – 09:10
(246th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The adult Mute Swans back to normal behaviour today.
- A Woodcock was seen flying to roost c.07:15.
- Black-headed Gulls were noted flying South and I initially assumed these were birds that had arrived at the lake (at the unusually late time of 07:20) just moving off. This small movement seemed to go on too long and some were with obvious overflying large gulls. I cannot estimate the number involved: double figures for sure.
- Single Cormorants simultaneously approached the lake from opposite directions, circled twice and carried on. Later another, bolder individual did arrive.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- ?? Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 8 Herring Gull
- 87 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 1 Rook
- 1 Redwing
- 7 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 2 Siskins
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.380 Starlings left the north-side reeds in 13 groups
Two Reed Buntings were heard calling along the South side before dawn: neither was seen to leave this potential roost site.
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 37 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 133 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 22 Herring Gulls
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived
The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
Cold again:
Moths:
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
Otherwise:
Spiders and allies:
- *1 spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- *2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
- also the same spider exoskeleton as seen the previous two days
Noted later on the Teece Drive fence.
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
New groups of fungus found:
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15
(230th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A 24-hour fishing marathon overnight may have affected some of the counts: no Common Teal or Pochard located.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 41 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *55 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander: arrived and departed
- 18 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
A brownhead Goosander leaving. The white panel in the hindwing shows no indication of spreading toward the forewing and hence I am safe in saying this is a duck.
These are small fungus growing on a small dead broken branch. My app could not give a positive identification, suggesting it was likely a species of Crepidotus. Looking at photos on the NatureSpot web site it seems possible it is the common Variable Oysterling (C. variabilis).
(Ed Wilson)
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2012
Priorslee Lake
22 Tufted Ducks
143 Coots
Nuthatch
34 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
228 Jackdaws
98 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
11 Greylag Geese
27 Pochard
70 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
70 Coots
>400 Black-headed Gulls
315 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls
221 Wood Pigeons
22 Blackbirds
45 Fieldfares
38 Redwings
264 Jackdaws
71 Rooks
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
2 Ruddy Duck
C.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Herring Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Caspian Gull
Sparrowhawk
c.628 Jackdaws
c.358 Rooks
(Martin Adlam)
- *1 spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- *2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
- also the same spider exoskeleton as seen the previous two days
Noted later on the Teece Drive fence.
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
New groups of fungus found:
None
Not much on a gloomy day so some favourites(?). A spider Clubiona sp.
A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis).
A harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15
(230th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A 24-hour fishing marathon overnight may have affected some of the counts: no Common Teal or Pochard located.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 41 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *55 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander: arrived and departed
- 18 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
Moths:
- 1 Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx): its 20th day but possibly dead
Nothing else.
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- 1 Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx): its 20th day but possibly dead
Nothing else.
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Nothing
New group of fungus found:
- *Crepidotus sp., perhaps Variable Oysterling (C. variabilis)
New group of fungus found:
- *Crepidotus sp., perhaps Variable Oysterling (C. variabilis)
A duck Tufted Duck flies by.
(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
2012
Priorslee Lake
22 Tufted Ducks
143 Coots
Nuthatch
34 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
228 Jackdaws
98 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
11 Greylag Geese
27 Pochard
70 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
70 Coots
>400 Black-headed Gulls
315 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls
221 Wood Pigeons
22 Blackbirds
45 Fieldfares
38 Redwings
264 Jackdaws
71 Rooks
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
2 Ruddy Duck
C.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Herring Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Caspian Gull
Sparrowhawk
c.628 Jackdaws
c.358 Rooks
(Martin Adlam)