14 Oct 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 7.0°C: Overcast at medium-low level. Moderate easterly wind. Good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:35 BST]

As is usual when it is raining at my usual start time I wait until the school run nonsense is over and then visit The Flash first before moving on to check the Balancing Lake from the dam-top area only.

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:35 – 11:15

(217th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a very quiet morning with just a few gulls flying in and out.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 19 Mute Swans
- 15 (10♂) Mallard
- 8 (1♂?+) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 198 Coots [oops: yesterday should have read 168 and not 18]
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Herring Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

One of the visiting Mute Swans – this one a cob judging by the size of the knob at the base of its bill – seems to be delighting in taking a bath.

And then needs to get rid of the water...

...and get its feathers back in to alignment.

That's better.

It is not all peace and quiet among the visitors.

16 of the visitors begin to congregate as the resident cob heads their way (the 17th was out of view behind the vegetation).

"My lake and don't you forget it!"

The resident cob means business.

A first winter Herring Gull.

Skimming through the low cloud was this Grob G115E Tutor T.1. These are operated by Bournemouth-Headquartered Babcock Aerospace Ltd. on behalf of the Royal Air Force (RAF) who employ them on AEF (Air Experience Flight) duty. This one operates out of RAF Cosford with the University Air Squadron (UAS) of Birmingham University.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:25

(220th visit of the year)

I was told by one of the residents that a group of at least five drake Pochard were noted during one daytime walk recently. A good record: this species is primarily a visitor only in the depth of Winter.

Bird notes:
- several apparent new arrivals were lurking alongside the island: a duck Shoveler; two drake (Common) Teal and a winter plumage Little Grebe. Whether these were genuine new arrivals or birds sometimes resting inside the island is hard to say.
- a further decline in the number of Tufted Duck.
- singles of both Grey and Pied Wagtail noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (0♂) Shoveler
- 37 (24♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 66 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens: one of these a road casualty
- 141 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: immatures, arrived
- 1 Cormorant

Noted around The Flash:

Moths
- 2 November Moth-type. Epirrita dilutata agg.

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird pupa Harmonia axyridis

 One of a trio of long-range specials with birds tucked up against the island. Here is a duck Shoveler.

Two drake (Common) Teal. The left bird with the yellow under-tail and green and brown head separated by a yellow line is easy to sex. The other bird is more difficult with its head tucked up. At first glance the patterned flanks might suggest a duck. Close examination of the head just about reveals it too has a drake head-pattern.

Smallest of the trio is this winter plumage Little Grebe.

Don't say I didn't warn them about learning the Green Cross Code. A sad end for a juvenile Moorhen.

Yesterday's November Moth-type has acquired a friend. These may, or may not, be the same species. None of four possibilities - Autumnal Moth; Small Autumnal Moth; November Moth; and Pale November Moth - has any recognised sexual difference in markings though females have more rounded wings All species are very variable in markings. [It was only while double-checking these facts that I realised there are now four confusion species and not three as I thought. The Small Autumnal Moth is associated with heathlands so is unlikely to trouble us.]

Not sure there is anyone home in this Harlequin Ladybird pupa Harmonia axyridis.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years.

2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Redwing
(Glenn Bishton)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
2nd winter Common Gull
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
54 Mute Swans
3 Wigeon
6 Pochard
12 Tufted Ducks
15+ Lapwings
203 Coots
Meadow Pipit
3 Skylarks
1 Siskin
6 Redwing
Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorant
Water Rail
Lapwings
37 Robins
21 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
6 Song Thrushes
48 Redwings
Siskin
300 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)