27 Mar 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 8.0°C: Cloudy again after much overnight rain. The lower pool towards The Flash was overflowing across the path. Brightened to the East, staying cloudy to the West and later the South with a shower after 09:30. Moderate / fresh south-easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:55 GMT

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:20 // 07:15 – 09:35

(65th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Grey Heron flew in from the East at 05:50. It, or another, flew in from the West at 07:25 and flew off to the East at 07:40.
- *a Common Buzzard and a Carrion Crow were noted tangling as the crow drove the buzzard away.
- the non-singing Blackcap was a male and very close to a singing male. Strange. No females seen as yet this year.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 6 Canada Geese: three singles and a trio outbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: two pairs outbound
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Sand Martin: very briefly

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 15 (13) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (7) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (4♂) Mallard; also *4 (4♂) again on the lower pool between the lake and The Flash
- *29 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Herring Gull: first year, briefly
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult arrived
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 or 2 Grey Herons: see notes

Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Dicranomyia chorea: a new species for me
- 2 springtails Tomocerus type
- *1 larva, just possibly a Light Emerald moth Campaea margaritaria.

Beetles:
- *1 weevil species to be identified

Other things:
- *1 Common Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris

Spiders:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Noted later:

Bees:
- several unidentified presumed queen bumblebees in flight only

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni on the Teece Drive fence.

Plant:
- *first Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-Hedge Alliaria petiolata of the year

Yesterday I noted a surplus of drake Mallard at The Flash. There is also a surplus of drake Tufted Ducks here – eight here; and just one duck.

Great Crested Grebes are very ungainly and surprisingly white in flight. Also visible here are the strange feet, designed for chasing fish under water.

With the feet at the very back of its body landing on water has to accomplished by body-surfing, here scattering the Tufted Ducks.

A spat between a Common Buzzard and a Carrion Crow. The crow was successful in driving the buzzard away. Later I note two pairs of Buzzards soaring to the west of the area.

A few more gulls were seen today, all but two as fly-overs. This smart adult Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in and sat around on the water for a while.

The banded abdomen and the distinctive 'M' mark on the folded wings identify this cranefly as Dicranomyia chorea. It is mainly a Spring-flying species and a first for me.

This appears to be a larva but of what I am unsure. The best match on the web seems to be the Light Emerald moth Campaea margaritaria which I have seen here. But I do not have any literature to help.

A weevil. I will ask the Shropshire recorder whether she can help.

I know it was a wet night but quite what this Common Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris was doing fifteen feet up a lamp pole is unclear.

Some things seem to be a bit out of kilter this year. Here is my first Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-Hedge Alliaria petiolata plant this year. In previous years I recall getting one of my 'five-a-day' by munching on the tasty fresh leaves, all the while searching for the first Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. These warblers have been present for over a week.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- just two midges

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25– 07:10

(67th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- not such a big surplus of drake Mallard: 13 drakes; 3 ducks!
- a Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling at the top end of squirrel alley.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 28 Canada Geese: of these ten flew as separate pairs
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 16 (13♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 29 (20♂) Tufted Duck: same number and composition as at the Balancing Lake.
- 7 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted elsewhere
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni on the West side fence rail.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
5+ Cormorants
31 Tufted Duck
1 Kittiwake
7 Fieldfare
6 Chiffchaffs
c.230 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Cackling Goose
2 Teal
49 Tufted Ducks
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
7 Great Crested Grebes
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
1 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
5 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Pochard
62 Tufted Duck
Steppe Gull?
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
26 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
3 Cormorants
2 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Dunlin
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
2 Shoveler
1 Willow Warbler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
4 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Fieldfares
1 Willow Warbler
4 Great Crested Grebe
4 Herons
4 Gadwall
29 Tufted Duck
c.215 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
16 Meadow Pipits
36 Robins
28 Blackbirds
5 Chiffchaffs
1 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
127 Wood Pigeon
21 Wrens
3 Fieldfare
3 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warblers
8 Sand Martins
22 Siskin
6 Linnets
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam, Martin Grant)