8.0°C: A cloudy start. Light rain after 07:45 became heavier and heavier with the cloud descending, Very dull and by the time I left The Flash the cloud was covering the tops of the trees. Light south-easterly breeze. Very good visibility becoming moderate at onset of the rain.
Sunrise: 08:22 GMT once more
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:20
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:20
(2nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 26 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:49 with eventually c.130 on the water. Some 20 minutes after they had appeared to begin leaving I noted about the same number all over the south-west grass and adjacent lake. How many of these were new arrivals rather than returnees?
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 29 Wood Pigeons: of these 23 flew low West together
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 8 Jackdaws
- 1 Redwing
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.
None
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 26 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons: as so often, one of these chased off
The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 26 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons: as so often, one of these chased off
The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- none
- none
Flies:
- 1 fly
- 1 barkfly Ectopsocus sp.
- 1 fly
- 1 barkfly Ectopsocus sp.
Beetles:
- 1 unidentified small ground beetle
- 1 unidentified small ground beetle
Other insects:
- 9 at least springtails Pogonognathellus/ Tomocerus type
- 2 at least unidentified globular springtails
- 1 Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii
- 9 at least springtails Pogonognathellus/ Tomocerus type
- 2 at least unidentified globular springtails
- 1 Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii
Spiders:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- 1 Mothercare Spider Phylloneta sisyphia, a Comb-footed spider
- 1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Pachygnatha clercki
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
New fungus found:
- probable Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus
On the Teece Drive fence:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- 1 Mothercare Spider Phylloneta sisyphia, a Comb-footed spider
- 1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Pachygnatha clercki
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
New fungus found:
- probable Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus
On the Teece Drive fence:
Nothing noted
New Bird Species
Bird species added today to the year list from here were:
38 Reed Bunting: calling from the South side
39 Common Buzzard: over fields to the East.
40 Grey Heron: a newly arriving bird chased away by a previously unseen bird.
41 Great Crested Grebe: adult
42 Yellow-legged Gull: adult arrived
43 Mistle Thrush: singing by the Castle Farm Way gate: unusual here. Another singing later alongside Teece Drive
New Bird Species
Bird species added today to the year list from here were:
38 Reed Bunting: calling from the South side
39 Common Buzzard: over fields to the East.
40 Grey Heron: a newly arriving bird chased away by a previously unseen bird.
41 Great Crested Grebe: adult
42 Yellow-legged Gull: adult arrived
43 Mistle Thrush: singing by the Castle Farm Way gate: unusual here. Another singing later alongside Teece Drive
Oh look: two more!
And two more here with a Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii.
Probable Glistening Inkcap fungus Coprinellus micaceus. They are likely to be glistening more than usual by the rain sluicing down on them. A few of these were noted last month nearby. This large group probably also arose from the felling of a tree nearby.
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:02
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:02
(2nd visit of the year)
No gulls, no dog-walkers (only one other certifiable walker); no fishermen; no light.
Bird notes:
- Generally low counts with some birds no doubt sheltering inside the island especially as there was no-one to proffer any food.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 39 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 20 Moorhens: no dog-walkers!
- Coots not counted
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- no gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
New Bird Species
Bird species added today to the year list from here were:
31 Grey Heron
32 Song Thrush: birds singing at top and bottom
33 Pochard: drake on the water
This is a corrected count after I omitted Dunnock when I compiled yesterday's list.
(Ed Wilson)
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup still present.
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
4 or 5 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson and et al)
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 gulls
Adult winter Ring Billed Gull.
Adult Common Gull
3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
Black-necked Grebe
(Ed Wilson and Rob Stokes)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Iceland Gull
(Dawn Balmer, Peter Wilson and et al)
Noted on / around the water:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 39 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 20 Moorhens: no dog-walkers!
- Coots not counted
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- no gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
New Bird Species
Bird species added today to the year list from here were:
31 Grey Heron
32 Song Thrush: birds singing at top and bottom
33 Pochard: drake on the water
This is a corrected count after I omitted Dunnock when I compiled yesterday's list.
(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
Drake Scaup still present.
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
4 or 5 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson and et al)
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 gulls
Adult winter Ring Billed Gull.
Adult Common Gull
3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
Black-necked Grebe
(Ed Wilson and Rob Stokes)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Iceland Gull
(Dawn Balmer, Peter Wilson and et al)