26 Mar 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 8.0°C: Overcast at high level. Some lower clouds. Light easterly wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:57 GMT

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:25 // 09:30 – 09:50

(64th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the pen Mute Swan was on the nest throughout.
- no Gadwall anywhere today.
- the only gull today was an adult Black-headed Gull briefly on the subsidiary football field (the area surrounded by a falling down temporary fence) at 06:20.
- the Cetti's Warbler spent most of the Winter along the North side and sometimes also at the West end. Several weeks ago it became much more mobile, singing from most places close to the water. Now it is less vocal and favouring the South side and in particular the area where I sometimes noted what seemed to be two birds during last Summer. I never proved breeding. Perhaps this year?

Counts of birds noted flying over:
It was excellent viewing conditions for over-flying birds: it is a pity there weren't many!
- 8 Canada Geese: a pair and trio outbound; a single and pair inbound
- 8 Greylag Geese: a pair and quartet outbound; a pair inbound
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- *16 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (5) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: pair throughout; a pair arrived and were seen off
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (4♂) Mallard; also *4 (4♂) on the lower pool between the lake and The Flash
- 31 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: see notes
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons: the second flew in and was chased away

Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

Moths:
- *1 Shoulder Stripe Earophila badiata

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa

Springtails
- *1 springtail Orchesella cincta
- *5 springtails Tomocerus type
- *4 globular springtails

Arthropods:
- 3 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 possible comb-footed spider

Noted later:

Flies:
- 1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa

Bees:
- *1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Fungus:
- *presumed Turkeytail Trametes versicolor

Flower:
- *Norway Maple Acer platanoides

I noted this drake Mallard on the lower pool between the lake and The Flash. I am not sure whether this is a first year bird than never acquired full breeding plumage or whether it has already started its post-breeding moult. The latter seems unlikely though I cannot ever recall seeing birds like this at this time of year.

Adult Great Crested Grebes are in full 'punk' breeding plumage now.

A few more Chiffchaff photos before the leaves emerge and hide them from view. This reminds me that another, rather unhelpful, distinction between this species and Willow Warbler is the Chiffchaff's thinner bill.

 "Who me?"

A different Chiffchaff. I cannot explain its brown-tinged throat and breast. There are several races of Chiffchaff, some recognised post-DNA as separate species. Most can be recognised by slight differences in song.

This one sounded just like an ordinary Chiffchaff.

There are two male Reed Buntings singing at the moment. My last photo was of the bird along the South side. This is the one at the West end. This one seems unusually pale, perhaps only because the flank feathers are fluffed up.

My third Shoulder Stripe moth Earophila badiata here this year. Note at its left wing-tip is a tiny globular springtail.

Probably a queen bumblebee looking for a nest site, this one would not settle. There is enough detail in this photo to identify it as a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris.

I have managed to identify the patterned-winged craneflies I have seen recently. Here is one of three I found this morning: they are Limonia nubeculosa. This one, as so often, has lost a leg.

The lower springtail with a prominent band across the centre of the abdomen is almost certainly Orchesella cincta. Another of the globular springtails is at top left.

A spider that is usually at the very top of the street lamp poles but not today: it is a Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

I can't get a positive identity on this spider. It seems to be a comb-footed spider. Whether it is chasing the Tomocerus type springtail or not was unclear.

I presume this fungus is Turkeytail Trametes versicolor. This fungus is normally seen in groups and often semi-circular. I cannot make a different suggestions.

I must have walked past these flowers for at least twenty years without noticing them. They are flowers of Norway Maple Acer platanoides.

And here is another bunch of flowers emerging from its bud.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30– 09:25

(66th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
New for my 2024 bird species list for here was a distant calling Pheasant: species #58.

Other bird notes:
- big surplus of drake Mallard: 22 drakes; 3 ducks!
- a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen and heard drumming at the top end; another bird seen in flight with it. My first drumming here this year.
- still at least one Siskin here.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 9 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 25 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 29 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Noted elsewhere
- 1 plumed midge Chironomus plumosus on a street lamp pole.

I was very pleased to get a reasonable photo of a singing Goldcrest in the shade of squirrel alley on an overcast morning.

About to jump off.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
13 Cormorants
4 Greylag Geese
22 Tufted Duck
5 Sand Martins
6 Redwings
8 Chiffchaffs
>500 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
50 Tufted Ducks
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
1 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Mediterranean Gull.
Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull.
>1500 Black-headed Gulls
2 Redwings
65 Magpies
25 Siskins
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
6 Swans
2 Pochard
85 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Buzzards
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebe
4 Gadwall
36 Tufted Duck
c.160 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebe
3 Greylag Geese
32 Tufted Duck

Trench
1 Cormorant
43 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Little Ringed Plover
1 Cormorant
1 Mallard x Pintail
18 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Little Ringed Plover
1 Kittiwake
33 Wren
29 Robin
24 Blackbird
3 Chiffchaff
39 Magpie
3 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
8 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
1 Snipe
3 Chiffchaff
2 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Barn Owl
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Shoveler
30 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
321 Wood Pigeons
2 Skylarks
5 Meadow Pipits
33 Wrens
21 Robins
21 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
3 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Tit
18 Greenfinches
8 Siskins
1 Linnet
6 Reed Buntings
1 Yellowhammer.
(Ed Wilson)