13 Jan 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 5.0°C: Overcast early. Some breaks later even the odd sunny interval. Light westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:16 GMT

* = a species photographed today

There will be no report from me tomorrow, 14th. The high tide is tempting me to the Wirral to see some birds brought close inshore.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:30

(13th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Two Water Rails called concurrently from reeds only a few feet away on each side of me. Needless to say I glimpsed neither.
- At least 200 Black-headed Gulls were on the water by 07:30: I am not sure when they arrived. Eventually at least 300 were present.
- All change with the large gulls. At least 60 came in c.07:40. Then at c.07:50 I counted 96 flying from the North. It then all became rather confusing. The birds already on the water were spooked and flew around with some leaving. Some of the 96 flew on while many of them settled on the water. Thereafter there was a steady trickle of new arrivals and overflights. Numbers 'best effort' at sorting that lot out. Why were all the birds moving South? Have they been watching the weather forecast of the icy blast due soon?
- The two Grey Herons were on opposite sides of the water and seemed content to ignore each other.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 3 Stock Dove: a duo pursued by one in display flight
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 13 Herring Gulls
- 117 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 14 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Water Rails
- 8 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls
- 30 Herring Gulls
- 3 Yellow-legged Gulls
- 124 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorant: two singles and a duo arrived; only one remained
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: in the same place as yesterday
- *1 Early Moth Theria primaria
**all these were males; the females of these three species have no, or only vestigial, wings

Flies:
- *1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *2 plumed midges
- *1 presumed aphid sp.

Other insects:
- *>5 globular springtails including one Katiannidae genus sp.

 It was another cloudy and grey start and I was surprised to see this strip of clearer skies to the East.

 For a while later the weather looked promising. It did not last.

A male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata. It is more or less at the end of the flight season for this species and I was tempted to suggest it might be my last of the Winter. It is a very cleanly marked and fresh-looking specimen so it may be around for a while yet.

A male Early Moth Theria primaria. Only when I looked at the photo did I notice the small male plumed midge lurking at the top left of the view.

A trio here. The large one is a winter cranefly Trichocera sp. The others are globular springtails, species unknown.

What I believe to be a female small plumed midge

It is hard to be sure about this. My best suggestion is an aphid species.

As far as I can determine from the NatureSpot web site this springtail with lines on its abdomen is an as yet not formally described species (and hence unnamed) in the Katiannidae family. It is thought these originated from Australasia and were introduced in the horticultural trade. I do find it strange that now we are more aware of the problems caused to our native flora and fauna by the introduction of alien species then garden centres are still full of exotic plants and their potential hidden hitch-hikers.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35– 10:45

(13th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Two Canada x Greylag Geese. One paired with a Canada Goose: the other arrived with a group of 27 Greylags.
- *A Common Buzzard was on the roof of a building in Westcroft Walk, backing on to the water.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 14 Canada Geese: of these four departed together
- 29 Greylag Geese
- 2 Canada x Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 42 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 84 (46♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: arrived (with Greylags?)
- 20 Moorhens
- 64 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: one second year and two third years
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: one third year and one adult
- 1 Kingfisher: heard only

Elsewhere:

Nothing of special interest

A Common Buzzard on a roof in Westcroft Walk.

And flying off!

Plane of the day: another product of the Piper factory at Lockhaven in central Florida is this 1978-vintage PA-28-181 Archer II. It is privately owned by a Kidderminster resident who flies it from Halfpenny Green Airfield at Bobbington, sometimes grandly called Wolverhampton Business Airfield.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
2 female Scaup
(Paul King)

2013
Priorslee Lake
103 Coot
147 Black-headed Gulls
25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
63 Tufted Duck
1 drake Scaup
2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Priorslee Flash
4 Goosander
38 Tufted Duck
(Tony Beckett)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
5 Great Crested Grebe
20 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
92 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
24 Redwings
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
66 Tufted Duck
236 Black-headed Gulls
36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

East of Priorslee
Willow Tit
Skylark
Brown Hare
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
69 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
8 Swans
4 Gadwall
23 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
256 Coots
c.800 Black-headed Gulls
c.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
c.40 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Willow Tit
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson and unknown observer)

2007
Priorslee Lake
38 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
15 Goosanders
2 Buzzards
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
>215 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
32 Robins
15 Blackbirds
179 Fieldfares
104 Redwings
274 Jackdaws
266 Rooks
218 Starlings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
13 Cormorants
10 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
207 Coots
2 Lapwings
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
61 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
309 Jackdaws
493 Rooks
12 Pied Wagtails
10 Fieldfare
15 Robins
12 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)