1.0°C > 4.0°C: Mostly cloudy with some brighter interludes. Also two very light showers. Just frosted in sheltered areas. Almost calm. Good visibility.
Another triumph for my weather app. Misty it said. It wasn't. When it started rain slightly at 06:45 it changed to a forecast of snow at 09:00. It didn't. Why do I bother?
Sunrise: 08:20 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:25
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:25
(7th visit of the year)
Highlight
Highlight today was a Woodcock seen flying to roost at the later-than-usual time of 07:25. Bird species #47 for me at this site in 2024.
New Bird Species
There were two more additions to the bird list:
48 Goldcrest heard with tits along the North side of the water.
49 Coal Tit singing on the North side of the football field.
Other bird notes:
- One of the duck Mallard today was a paler brown than usual, paler than the bird I photographed last week at The Flash. There has been a number of similar birds present for many years.
- It is an odd-numbered day so the Pochard are back.
- Just four Black-headed Gulls arrived c.07:30, leaving again c.07:55. 23 then flew in at 08:05 with none staying any length of time.
- As yesterday the majority of the large gulls were Herring Gulls, both on the water and overhead.
- A Reed Bunting was heard in flight at 07:00 when still dark. No idea where from and too. Later single birds were heard calling at normal breeding locations still well pre-dawn.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 3 Stock Doves: single and duo
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Herring Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook
- 1 Redwing
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.
- 11 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- *11 (7♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Pochard
- 39 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 73 Coots
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron
The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Cool temperature and dew-covered poles reduced the haul.
Moths:
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata. Same location as yesterday
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata. Same location as yesterday
Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis
Other insects:
- 1 globular springtail
On the Teece Drive fence:
- 1 globular springtail
On the Teece Drive fence:
Nothing noted
Also of note:
- *female flowers of Hazel Corylus avellana (as well as male catkins)
Also of note:
- *female flowers of Hazel Corylus avellana (as well as male catkins)
A distant low-light shot of a pair of Mallard with a very pale brown duck.
On the left the female flower of Hazel Corylus avellana, on the right three male catkins. The flowers are wind pollinated.
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35
(7th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Many of yesterday's Tufted Ducks gone again.
- Two of the Great Crested Grebes were doing a desultory head-shaking display with the third looking on from a distance.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 31 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 49 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 20 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first winter
- *1 Kingfisher
Bird species added today to the year list from here.
None
On the street lamp poles:
On the street lamp poles:
Nothing noted
Of interest elsewhere
- *Fluffy Dust Lichen Lepraria finkii
- *Trooping Funnel fungus Clitocybe geotropa
Of interest elsewhere
- *Fluffy Dust Lichen Lepraria finkii
- *Trooping Funnel fungus Clitocybe geotropa
A very smart Great Crested Grebe.
"Where are all the fish?"
Success! But the identity of the fish? Not much to go on.
Another in my long line of poor shots of Kingfisher.
I noted this Trooping Funnel fungus Clitocybe geotropa. It was growing, if that is the right word, well away from the several lines of this fungus I noted back at the start of November. Those have long since faded away. It seems to me unusual for these to appear at this late date.
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years without links are below
2013
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
A drake Scaup
(J Reeves)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Paul Paclett)
2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes.
17 Pochard
45 Tufted Duck
2 Gadwall
1 Pintail
236 Coot
2 Water Rail
1 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
c.140 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
46 Herring Gulls
15 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)