20 Dec 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake only

7.0°C > 8.0°C: Cloudy early then clear for a while. A rain shower as I was leaving. Moderate westerly wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 08:19 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Just a visit to the lake this morning. A busy day doing other things.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:45

(266th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Very few Black-headed Gulls today with no more than c.75 by 07:45 and no further obvious arrival.
- A Water Rail was seen scurrying away down a ditch in the north-east area.
- Of the c.135 Jackdaws about 110 of these flew past in one loose group some way to the East of Castle Farm Way.
- The Cetti's Warbler was heard calling and then seen flitting between patches of reed. No song heard.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 27 Canada Geese: 16 South; a duo outbound; a duo and septet inbound
- 60 Greylag Geese: all outbound in six groups, one of which comprised 44 birds
- 7 Feral Pigeons: together
- 20 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- c.135 Jackdaws
- 1 Raven
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 8 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.
- 4 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: briefly
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 55 (35♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail
- 10 Moorhens
- 119 Coots
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Great Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola punctatus
- several non-biting midges Chironomus sp.

Bugs:
- 2 globular springtails

Spiders and allies:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 possible Zygiella sp.

On the Teece Drive fence:

Nothing found

A sliver of red sky pre-dawn.

Most of the cloud dispersed for a while.

A few aircraft trails across this early sky.

Unusual background for this male Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata). It is on the overhang of the street lamp where the electronics are attached.

A winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Two globular springtails presumably of different species though I have no idea what they might be. Both were smaller than many of the globular springtails I see and can sometimes attempt to identify.

Not too many spiders around today. This is a Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Obsidentify was not all helpful over this spider. Its prime suggestion was a garden centipede! Reference to the eakringbirds internet site suggests it is likely a Zygiella sp.

(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
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
94 Tufted Ducks
10 Goosander
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
2 Fieldfare
85 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe
151 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Little Grebe
1 Shoveler
1 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
133 Coots
54 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
1 Redwing
4 Fieldfare
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Water Rail
>3000 Black-headed Gulls
28 Swans
2 Gadwall
52 Pochard
112 Tufted Ducks
287 Coots
10 Redwings
199 Jackdaws
6 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.2800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
18 Pied Wagtails
2 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)