14 Mar 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 11.0°C: More cloud occasionally broken under medium overcast. Occasional light rain showers. Fresh southerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:26 GMT

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:20

(53rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I noted the Goosander in flight low over the water at 06:00. Whether she was arriving or repositioning was unclear.
- Little Grebe(s) were neither seen nor heard. However the two Great Crested Grebes were only seen together once with a single bird seen later.
- Black-headed Gulls were very confusing. 33 arrived overhead the water at 06:25, circled once and all but seven departed to the south-west. Some minutes later 44 were seen arriving from the north-west, again with most moving more or less directly away again. Thereafter another count produced 34 low over the water. Just how many different birds were involved is impossible to say.
- *a male Grey Wagtail was singing lustily along the dam face.
- fewer Siskins noted – probably no more than ten.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 59 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 14 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- c.40 Starlings: together
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Greenfinch

Warblers noted (figure in brackets is singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 7 (6) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair arrived; one separated after hassle from the Mute Swans
- 2 Mute Swans
- *8 (6♂) Mallard
- *23 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- no Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >45 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately

Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

Flies:
- *1 male plumed midge

Springtails
- 1 springtail Tomocerus type
- 2 globular springtails

Beetles:
- *1 weevil, possibly Parathelcus pollinarius.

Molluscs:
- *1 unidentified snail

Spiders:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 an unidentified Linyphiidae money spider.

Noted later:
- *1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni on the wall of the sailing club HQ.
- 3 Alder Leaf Beetles on the Teece Drive fence.
- *1 Wrinkled Snail Candidula intersecta on the Teece Drive fence.

A bit of surprise: a very pale salmon sky very briefly.

I am used to photographing flying Mallard at The Flash: here is a drake at the lake.

Same with Tufted Ducks. Easier at The Flash but welcome here. Two ducks and, in the middle, two drakes.

 The duck Goosander was back. Here it is eating breakfast. Not much light at 06:35.

A Long-tailed Tit in a rural location!

And one from a different family group.

A Song Thrush with nesting material. Note many of the spots are heart-shaped.

Again.

A Grey Wagtail was being very noisy around the boxing ring on the dam.

Noisy! The black throat suggests a male. Apparently older females can develop black throats but females would not be found singing.

Very noisy!

This male plumed midge was on the wall of the sailing club HQ. My references suggest such narrow-bodied midges should have a green abdomen so this is obviously a different species.

 This Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni also on the wall of the sailing club HQ.

A weevil, possibly Parathelcus pollinarius.

A Wrinkled Snail Candidula intersecta on the Teece Drive fence.

A snail with a very plain shell that I have not been able to identify.

A Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

One of the Linyphiidae – money spiders. There are many very similar species and detailed examination by experts is needed to specifically identify them.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25– 10:35

(55th visit of the year)

At least four singing Chiffchaffs were new and became my 54th bird species here this year. The first date last year was 18 March.

Other bird notes:
- only one pair of Gadwall for certain. A pair were by the island soon after I arrived. A pair was seen later near the top end but there was no sign of any near the island.
- no gulls when I arrived with 10 Black-headed Gulls arriving in dribs and drabs.
- my first Cormorant here for a while. I noted it fishing. I did not see it again.
- I thought I heard a single distant song of a Reed Bunting: too far away for me to get a bearing. I revisited all likely locations without success. One for another day.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult

Warblers noted (figure in brackets is singing birds):
- *4 (4) Chiffchaffs

Noted on / around the water:
- 18 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 31 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *35 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Cormorant

Noted elsewhere
- three Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni on the wooden handrail along the West side.
- one Alder Leaf Beetle on a lamp pole in the same area.

Several groups of Tufted Duck were gathering together and behaving excitedly as if they might be preparing to set off for their breeding grounds.

Typically low in the water – a fishing Cormorant. Where did it go? I didn't see it again.

My first attempt at capturing one of the Chiffchaffs.

A bit better. This seems an unusually brown-toned bird.

Even better.

A Robin watching me out of the corner its eye.

A sign of Spring. The 'sticky bud' of a Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) opening.

Plane of the day. I may have done this one before. It is a Diamond Aircraft DA 62 owned by the Morson Group. The aircraft's identity is 2-SALE. The '2-' indicates it is registered in Guernsey, dare I suggest for tax reasons? The 'SALE' part is appropriate as the company is sponsor of the Sale Sharks rugby team. Diamond Aircraft are designed and built in Weiner Neustadt, Austria. The company has had a Chinese owner since 2017.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
1 Common Gull.
(Tom Lowe, J Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Chiffchaff singing
4 Siskin
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
3 Lapwing
2 Green Woodpecker
4+ Skylark singing
(Martin Grant)

2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
4 Redwing
3 Chiffchaffs singing
57 Magpies
1 Brambling
10 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
7 Swans
6 Gadwall
2 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
77 Coots
1 Common Gull
253 Jackdaws
Linnet
9 Reed Buntings
Willow Tit
Siskin
( Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Chiffchaff
25 Linnet
4 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

Trench Pool
1 Water Rail
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
19 Tufted Duck
4 Stock Dove
25 Wren
28 Robin
25 Blackbird
7 Song Thrush
2 Redwing
7 Chiffchaff singing
41 Magpie
142 Jackdaw
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
7 Pochard
43 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
86 Coots
1 Water Rail
176 Jackdaws
26 Blackbirds
41 Redwings
20 Greenfinches
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)