10.0°C > 11.0°C: Much cloud especially to the East. A very few good breaks. Moderate westerly wind gusting fresh, even strong at times. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:48 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:20
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:20
(33rd visit of the year)
New Bird Species
Highlight today was a Tawny Owl sitting on the fence alongside the Ricoh copse as I arrived. It was too dark to think about a photo and anyway it flew off into the trees before I could gather myself. Bird species #61 for me here this year.
Other bird notes:
- no sign of 'our' duck Goosander.
- a Great Crested Grebe seen once and briefly lurking in the reeds in the north-west area. Could it have been hiding here unseen for many days?
- Black-headed Gulls were much later arriving today and in slightly smaller numbers.
- so where were all the large gulls today? After over 500 yesterday just a handful was noted.
- a Stock Dove was heard calling from the North wood.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 61 Jackdaws
- 27 Rooks
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
Highlight today was a Tawny Owl sitting on the fence alongside the Ricoh copse as I arrived. It was too dark to think about a photo and anyway it flew off into the trees before I could gather myself. Bird species #61 for me here this year.
Other bird notes:
- no sign of 'our' duck Goosander.
- a Great Crested Grebe seen once and briefly lurking in the reeds in the north-west area. Could it have been hiding here unseen for many days?
- Black-headed Gulls were much later arriving today and in slightly smaller numbers.
- so where were all the large gulls today? After over 500 yesterday just a handful was noted.
- a Stock Dove was heard calling from the North wood.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 61 Jackdaws
- 27 Rooks
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
None
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese: pair throughout; another visited briefly
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *c.275 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese: pair throughout; another visited briefly
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *c.275 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn
Moths:
- none
- none
Flies:
- *1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *1 gnat sp.
- *1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *1 gnat sp.
Beetles:
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- *2 other beetles to be identified (perhaps)
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- *2 other beetles to be identified (perhaps)
Other insects
- *1 springtail Orchestella cincta
- *1 smaller springtail possibly Orchestella flavescens
- *1 springtail Orchestella cincta
- *1 smaller springtail possibly Orchestella flavescens
Spiders:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [also called Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [also called Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Noted later:
- *first flower of Blackthorn Prunus spinosa [previous first dates were 25 February in 2023 and 22 February in 2022]
Extensive cloud to the East precluded any red sunrise. This weak colour was visible looking South.
Whereas looking West the sky was, at this time, almost cloudless.
A Cormorant on its favourite perch. It seemed to have no trouble standing there despite the gusty wind.
The small head identifies this as a cranefly. It is one of the winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
An unidentified winter gnat.
A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata tempted out of hibernation by the warm spell.
One of two unidentified beetles I found this morning.
A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
A Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [also called Silver-sided Sector Spider]
The very first flower of Blackthorn Prunus spinosa.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25– 10:25
(32nd visit of the year)
Highlight here was two (at least) Kingfishers making lots of noise and chasing around the top end, across the top field and around the houses. They also perched from time to time but could I find them where they were when they were not being flying blue arrows?
Other bird notes:
- the pen Mute Swan was on her own on the island, perhaps checking out potential nest sites?
- I could not locate the long-staying pair of Gadwall; and most of yesterday's Pochard also seemed to have moved.
- neither did I note the all-white feral duck. Perhaps I was concentrating on the Kingfishers.
- both Great Crested Grebes noted.
- a Goldcrest heard in song for the first time this year.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 79 (44♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 47 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: all immatures, not aged
- *2 Kingfishers
Of note later:
- first leaves of Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
I did note that the Kingfishers were flying like blue arrows!
Some days since a Robin posed for me.
"What is that over there?"
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
8 Pochard
(Gary Crowder)
2013
Priorslee Lake
8 Gadwall
26 Wigeon
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Mediterranean Gull
(Roger Clay / Tom Lowe)
2011
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
<10 Pochard
c.50 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Lapwing
1 Common Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
c.35 Herring Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
c.25 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Jim and Jason)
2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
211 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
23 Herring Gulls
65 Black-headed Gulls
(Martin Adlam)
2007
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
21 Robins
21 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Cormorants
2 Gadwall
19 Pochard
89 Tufted Ducks
183 Coots
c.580 Black-headed Gulls
116 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
540 Wood Pigeon
169 Jackdaws
16 Wrens
10 Dunnocks
27 Robins
34 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
13 Greenfinches
40 Goldfinches
127 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)