13 Feb 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 5.0°C: Barely broken cloud to start. Soon overcast with mainly light rain after 08:45. Light southerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:32 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:05

(35th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a pair of Canada Geese flew in from the East at 07:05. I did not notice them again. Perhaps the potential breeding pair disappearing in to their hidden nest site? If not then the recent resident birds not seen.
- *the adult Mute Swans seen mating.
- a drake Gadwall was heard and seen once in the middle of the water. I did not see or hear it thereafter.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 19 Jackdaws
- 11 Rooks
- c.75 Starlings: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: pair arrived: see notes
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: see notes
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 21 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 51 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- >180 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on or around the slightly frosted street lamp poles pre-dawn

Moths:
- *1 Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria: moth species #7 this year here

Flies:
- *2 small plumed midges
- *1 wood gnat, probably Sylvicola fenestralis

Other insects:
- *2 springtails Tomocerus vulgaris-type
- *1globular springtails, likely Dicyrtoma fusca.

Spiders:
- *1 unidentified money spider sp.
- *1 other spider sp.

Later:
Nothing of note

The Mute Swans were noted dipping their heads in the water in tandem. Water can be seen dripping off the cob's bill. His bill in now bright-toned and the swelling at the base full-size indicating he is in breeding condition. Note too his thicker neck.

Not just in breeding condition! The head-dipping is a prelude to mating.

 I think I would be arrested if I tried this.

No-one drowned. Now where was the camera's video button when I needed it?

And it wasn't yet Valentine's Day. Last year I noted the pair at The Flash mating on 28 February so perhaps not such an early date as I first thought.

My first Dotted Border moth Agriopis marginaria here this year. This species has the same shaped cross-line as Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria but lacks the black dot in the wing of this latter species. The 'dotted border' refers to the black dots along the wing trailing edge (only faintly visible on this specimen) and not to the sub-terminal white spots that are not a consistent feature of the species.

A small, plumed midge, this one a male because of its plumed antennae.

A wood gnat, probably Sylvicola fenestralis as this is the only species in a group of very similar species that are noted as active throughout the Winter.

One of two springtails of the Tomocerus vulgaris-type. As previously noted when freshly-emerged (from tiny eggs) the abdomen is covered in scales which often wear away such that the markings are little guide to the species involved. Also the juveniles look like smaller versions of the adults and may moult as many as ten times before becoming full-sized.

This is one of the globular springtails, likely Dicyrtoma fusca. There are similar species. My camera does not have sufficient resolution for me to specifically identify most individuals.

An unidentified species of money spider, apparently with breakfast in its jaws. For some reason Obsidentify is refusing to identify anything this morning.

Another well-marked but still unidentified spider.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:10– 10:00

(35th visit of the year)

A plod around in light rain with nothing too much of note

Bird notes:
- my largest count of Tufted Duck so far this year (there were also more than recently noted at the Balancing Lake). What is puzzling is that some days (like today) I note more ducks than drakes but other days it is the other way around, often significantly so. I assumed this might be due to some difficulty spotting ducks lurking in the shadows on dull days. Not so today which was very dull.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 42 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 101 (49♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 40 Coots
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Kingfisher

Of note.
Nothing

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Velvet Scoter
3 Greater Scaup
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Candles landfill / Horsehay Pool
1 Iceland Gull
3 Caspian Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gull
Herring x Lesser Black-backed gull hybrid
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1000+ large gulls
2 Iceland Gulls
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
4 Gadwall
39 Pochard
84 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
173 Coots
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Geoff Holmes)

2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Pink-footed Geese
c.70 Golden Plover
80 Fieldfares
10 Great Crested Grebes
10 Pink-footed Geese
10 Pochard
38 Tufted Ducks
151 Coots
1 Water Rail
1065 Wood Pigeons
273 Jackdaws
186 Rooks
400 Starling
27 Robins
23 Blackbirds
10 Song Thrushes
11 Greenfinches
48 Siskins
1 Redpoll
10 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)