5 Jan 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 5.0°C: A cloudy start began to break after c.08:30 with some sunny spells. A few light showers were not needed. Almost calm with some mist over the water. Light /moderate westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:35

(5th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Mute Swan cygnets are spending more and more time apart from the adults. They slept at opposite ends last night, all getting back together again after dawn. The cygnets then flew a circuit of the lake on their own, still at low level so they do not yet know what the big outside world looks like.
- Pochard back again!
- Both here and later at The Flash the composition of the Tufted Ducks has reverted to more drakes than ducks.
- 10 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:55 with eventually 21 together before they began to move off. As yesterday birds seen moving West with one group of 58 and small groups and singles.
- 10 large gulls arrived c.08:10. Of there there were three (near) adult Herring Gulls and two adult Yellow-legged Gulls. The other five were immatures and on the views available at the time could have been either species. I have assumed they were Herring Gulls for the log.
- Two Cormorants were noted apparently climbing away, one c.07:45 and the other c.07:55. Has these roosted or were they arrivals that decided against visiting? Later two approached the lake together but stayed only a few minutes.
- *At least 40 Siskins were in Alders by the Teece Drive gate c.09:10.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2+ Greylag Geese: inbound behind trees
- 2 Stock Doves
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 88 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: departed
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 28 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 79 Coots
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: see notes

New Bird Species
Bird species added today to the year list from here was:
45 Great Black-backed Gull: an adult visited briefly

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

Moths:
- *1 male Early Moth Theria primaria

Other insects:
- 2, at least, springtails Pogonognathellus/ Tomocerus type

Spiders:
- *1 male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Pachygnatha clercki
- *1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Noted on the Teece Drive fence:
- *1 female Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria

I took advantage to take photographs of the close group of at least 40 Siskins that were feeding on Alder cones close to the Teece Drive gate. Here are (quite) a few of the results. A female munching away with a husk dropping away.

Going back for another seed.

Another female with a wing partially open to steady itself.

The best portrait of a female I managed.

A busy area with two here.

The black cap identifies this as a male.

Another bird discarding a husk as it munches away.

A puzzle here. Why is the breast so bright yellow-orange? Not sure: it is possible it is pollen from the catkins.

Tucking in.

The same male Early Moth Theria primaria in the same place on the same street lamp pole as yesterday.

I cannot recall previously seeing a female Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria. I am not sure you could call this camouflaged.

A slightly different view of probably the same male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Pachygnatha clercki.

Another smart Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:35

(5th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A group of nine Greylag Geese flew South with five of them turning back to splash down on the water.
- Gadwall and Common Teal found again. I suspect they had been hiding inside the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Greylag Geese: see notes

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 42 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 43 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 2 (2♂) Common Teal
- 35 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens: too many dogs
- 44 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed

New Bird Species
Bird species added today to the year list from here were:
40 Lesser Black-backed Gull
41 Great Spotted Woodpecker: calling from island
42 Greenfinch: near surgery

Noted on the street lamp poles:
- *1 (Common) Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum

On one of the street lamp poles I found this (Common) Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
151 Coot
220 Black-headed Gull
18 Lesser Black-backed Gull
28 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
6 Mute Swan
8 Herring Gull
10 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Horsehay Pool
11 Goosander
(Tony Beckett)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Female Goldeneye
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
75 Herring Gulls
2 Caspian Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Martin Grant/Kriss Webb)

Donnington Wood
1 Waxwing
(Dave Tromans)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
13 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
3 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Caspian gull was present
1 Ring Billed Gull.
2500 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson/Jack Wildman/Richard Vernon)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
>20 Pochard
>70 Tufted Duck
A drake Goosander
1 Water Rail
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
>150 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull
Yellow-legged
Common Gull
6 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
c.2100 Black-headed Gull
c.1600 Lesser Black-backed Gull
126 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Water Rail
1 Goldeneye
1400 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
74 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
8 Great Crested Grebes
18 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
236 Coot
40 Siskins
14 Robins
13 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)