20 Feb 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 9.0°C: Broken cloud at multiple levels: clearer to the West later. Light / moderate southerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:18 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:20

(38th visit of the year)

Highlight today was a trio of Shoveler first noted circling relatively low down at 07:10. They continued to circle, gaining height before departing to the West. I am unsure whether they had been on the water earlier. I have assumed not. Against the low cloud it was not possible to confirm the sex of the trio. This brings my bird species total for the year here to 62.

Other bird notes:
- *the duck Goosander still here.
- just one pair of Great Crested Grebes seen and these in a different area of the water to either pair seen yesterday.
- hard to know how many Black-headed Gulls there were. Four groups each of at least 50 birds came in from the West and overflew the water. Some at least appeared to circle around to the North and may have reappeared. c.100 eventually settled on the water.
- two Mistle Thrushes were noted in trees at the south-east wooded area. Later perhaps one of these giving its rattle call at the West end.
- at least 50 Siskins flew over in four groups. These were likely the birds seen in trees around the Wesley Brook later.
- *my first Reed Bunting song of the year: [first song date not recorded in 2023; first song noted 08 February 2022]

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 8 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound; two pairs inbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: single outbound; single and pair inbound
- 3 (?♂) Shoveler: as highlighted
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 50 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair throughout
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 14 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *>100 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls
- *2 Cormorants: arrived separately

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

Moths:
- *1 Shoulder Stripe Earophila badiata
- *1 Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria

Flies:
- *1 plumed midge sp.
- *1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata.
- *1 small fly sp. possibly a drain fly Psychoda surcoufi.

Other insects:
- 2 springtails Tomocerus sp.

Spiders:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Notes later:
- *Scarlet/Ruby Elf-cup fungus Sarcoscypha sp.

Still here: the duck Goosander. The small amount of white above the base of the bill suggests this is a first year bird.

Taken in dull light is this Black-headed Gull now in breeding plumage. The black hood (not head) is complete, it shows white crescent marks above and below the eye, and the bill is now a darker red, still with a black tip.

The disadvantage of drying your wings on a buoy like this is...

...that if there is a breeze you can get spun around, as this immature Cormorant is finding out.

This is the male Reed Bunting that was intermittently singing. The white moustachial stripe will remain: the rest of the blotchy black areas will soon wear to become solidly black in full smart breeding plumage that no self-respecting female can fail to be impressed by.

A delicately-marked moth, a Shoulder Stripe Earophila badiata. It becomes moth species #8 for me here this year. My previous records here were on 19 March 2023, 17 March 2019, 08 April 2018 with my first on 02 April 2017. These dates might indicate this species is responding to global warming.

Two for the price of one. On the right a Dotted Border moth Agriopis marginaria showing a rather clearer dotted border than the previous example I noted earlier this year. On the left a male plumed midge which I cannot identify from this view.

The typically hunched appearance of a mosquito at rest. It is a female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata, the only species in the group with spotting in the wings. The appellation 'banded' refers to the abdomen which is hidden by the wings in this view. A female because of the proboscis – "all the better to pierce your skin with".

This small fly is possibly the drain fly Psychoda surcoufi. This species is less 'furry-looking' and holds its unmarked wings at less of an angle than the other 90+ species in the family.

Three species of spider were on the street lamp poles today. This is a Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp. with the characteristic bulge at the end of its abdomen.

This one is a Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis.

And this a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

I noted this Scarlet or Ruby Elf-cup fungus Sarcoscypha sp. growing on a rotting stick in the ground. Separation of the two species requires a microscope – and knowledge of their differing characteristics.

I then found this other specimen on a stick easier to access. Seems the fungus gnats have been at this one. What is the creature with legs on the left side? I did not notice it at the time and....

...it is no more obvious in this view.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25– 10:20

(39th visit of the year)

Council contractors were about to take to the water in a boat to measure the volume of water. They did not know why the council needed this information.

Bird notes:
- *a pair of Gadwall re-appeared (assuming they ever departed).
- *Mallard noted 'roof-sitting' for the first time this year.
- both Mallard and Tufted Duck were flying around making accurate counts difficult.
- Goldcrest noted at both top and bottom end of the area.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 6 Greylag Geese at least
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- *2 (1♂) Gadwall
- *31 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 78 (40♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: departed

Of note.
Nothing else

Could be better! Right against the island between the obvious pair of Mallard is a pair of sleeping Gadwall. Have these been here all along? Have they returned? Or are they a new pair?

It is that time of year when the Mallard decide to sit on roofs.

I usually see Collared Doves sitting on chimneys, telegraph poles and the like. To see one feeding on the ground is less common. I am impressed by how sturdy the legs look.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
5 Pochard
7 Tufted Duck
13 Redwings
227 Jackdaws
172 Rooks
Meadow Pipit
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Pochard
174 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
29 Wigeon
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves, John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
2 Goosander
Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Kumlien's Gull
(Peter Wilson/Dawn Balmer )

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Pochard
13 Tufted Ducks
1 Curlew
c.620 Black-headed Gulls
68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
146 Wood Pigeons
34 Robins
18 Blackbirds
15 Song Thrushes
8 Redwings
193 Jackdaws
101 Rooks
12 Greenfinches
11 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Cormorants
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
122 Coots
963 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
14 Greenfinches
62 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)