3 Apr 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C: Cloudy with spells of light drizzle. Moderate southerly wind. Very good visibility, moderate in drizzle.

Sunrise: 06:39 BST

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 06:25 // 07:15 – 09:10

(72nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- surprise of the day was the drake Pochard that 'appeared' diving in the middle of the water c.08:00 and was not seen thereafter. It is a late date for this winter visitor, especially so as it was only in small numbers anyway. I had seen none here since 16 January.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 5 Canada Geese: a pair and a trio outbound.
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair outbound
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- *20 (18) Chiffchaffs
- 11 (10) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: one pair(?) throughout; a single arrived and was chased away
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (3♂) Mallard: also 5 (5♂) on the upper pool
- *1 (1♂) Pochard: see notes
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately as ever

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Flies:
- 2 male plumed midges
- *1 cranefly Tipula varipennis
- *1 leather-jacket cranefly larva

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
- 5 other springtail Tomocerus types

Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Noted later:

Flies:
- *caddisfly, probably Stenophylax permistus
- *cranefly Tipula rufina

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Arthropods:
- *Two Toothed Door Snail Clausilia bidentata

Flower:
- *an exceptionally early-flowering Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium

A rubbish photo to show the drake Pochard during one of its brief appearances on the surface.

A Chiffchaff posing for me. Note the pale area on the bend of the folded wing...

...showing more clearly here as it is about to fly off.

A Mistle Thrush singing away.

This caddisfly is probably Stenophylax permistus. This group of insects has about 200 species in the UK and identification is essentially a job for an expert so I cannot be too confident. It would be my first log of this species.

I found this cranefly with well-patterned folded wings on the Teece Drive fence. It is Tipula rufina.

And this cranefly with fewer markings showing on the folded wings and which was on a street lamp pole pre-dawn is Tipula varipennis.

This is what I believe to be a leather-jacket, the larva of a cranefly.

One of the few springtails that was identifiable was this Tomocerus vulgaris.

A new creature for me: a Two Toothed Door Snail Clausilia bidentata.

An exceptionally early-flowering Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium. This species often lasts well in to Winter until the first very hard frost. The first noted umbellifer of the new year is usually Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris which I have to see here so far.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Of note:

Nothing

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:10

(74th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Mistle Thrush was singing from trees at the bottom end of squirrel alley before flying off toward the Co-op.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 28 Canada Geese
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 31 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 24 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 28 Coots

Noted elsewhere:

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni on fencing

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
2 Greylag Geese
9 Tufted Duck
c.30 Sand Martins
1 Swallow
4 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
3 Greylag Geese
2 Common Teal
53 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
c.25 Sand Martins
2 Swallows
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebe
2 Gadwall
32 Tufted Ducks
75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
41 Herring Gulls on the water.
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
Hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Martin Ryder)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Tufted Duck: both drakes this morning
7 Blackcaps
14 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
40 Tufted Duck
7 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Pool
5 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
3 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

Redhill
6 Tree Sparrow
(John Isherwood)

2011
Nedge Hill
Male Common Redstart
4 Wheatear
(Martin and Ian Grant)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
12 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
2 Stock Doves
178 Wood Pigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Skylarks
3 Meadow Pipits
168 Sand Martins
1 House Martin
28 Wrens
29 Blackbirds
3 Blackcap
4 Willow Warblers
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Tits
8 Greenfinches
4 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)