25 Jan 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C: A very misty and murky start with drizzle. The drizzle soon stopped. It was after 09:30 before the cloud lifted to leave moderate visibility below the Telford 'hat' - visibility was very good by Donnington. Light southerly wind. Mainly poor or very poor visibility.

Sunrise: 08:04 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:40 – 09:25

(24th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Many of the Tufted Duck seemed to have left, probably to boost the number at The Flash. In the poor visibility it was a struggle to see the ducks, though the drakes seemed obvious-enough.
- The duck Goosander seemed quite happy again.
- Tuesday's Great Crested Grebe seen again with two birds again at The Flash.
- There were six Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the water by 07:35. I did not see them earlier, neither did I see them arrive (or depart come to that). Could they perhaps have roosted here?
- The milder weather tempted five Song Thrushes in to voice. A Mistle Thrush was giving its rattling call from alongside Teece Drive but did not sing.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
***only birds flying low directly overhead could be seen
- 34 Canada Geese: outbound in three groups
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- 3 Redwings again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 9 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls:
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Heron: arrived separately; usual chasing

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

Moths:
- 1 Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria: same

Flies:
*1 wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis

Noted in the sailing club shelter:
- *1 spider Neriene montana

Noted on the Teece Drive fence:

Moths:
- *1 Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria. a paler individual.

A second Pale Brindled Beauty moth Phigalia pilosaria today. This very much paler example I found on the Teece Drive fence.

Apart from the long-term Pale Brindled Beauty moth the only other insect I found on the street lamp poles was this wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis.

With the dearth of things on the street lamp poles I looked in at the sailing club shelter. I only found one spider, this Neriene montana.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:30– 10:30

(23rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- An influx of Tufted Duck: from the main lake?
- A Kingfisher was back on a favoured perch when I arrived. It had gone later.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 42 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 69 (35♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 (2♂) Goosander
- 19 Moorhens
- 47 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Kingfisher

Six Goosanders were present today: here they all are.

And one of the drakes.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
11 Pochard
61 Tufted Duck
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
98 Coots
4 Redwings
c.735 Jackdaws
c.257 Rooks
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
92 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Peregrine
6 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
31 Wigeon
12 Gadwall
1 Greater Scaup
>700 Black-headed Gulls
7 Common Gulls
>1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>300 Herring Gulls
7 Great Black-backed Gulls.
(Ed Wilson, (John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine
1 Little Grebe
30 Swans
4 Gadwall
28 Pochard
86 Tufted Ducks
1 Buzzard
296 Coots
5 Redwings
27 Greenfinches
c.30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Goldeneye
1 Water Rail
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
c.120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.45 Herring Gulls
10 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
24 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
152 Coot
1 Water Rail
c.48 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)