19 Nov 25

Note:
19 Nov - 1 Dec

Sightings will be unformatted and without images.

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The Flash:  09:25 – 10:25
Priorslee Balancing Lake:  10:35 – 11:40

2.0°C > 4.0°C:  Sunny periods. Fresh north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise:  07:40 GMT]

There are no photos worth showing from today.

A "Winter schedule" visit avoiding the early snow and then the school run, starting at The Flash.

Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(281st visit of the year)

Viewing from the dam-top area only.

Bird notes:
- one of the Pochard I could not sex. My thoughts changed as the angle of light on it changed. Most likely a first-winter drake.
- increase in Tufted Duck numbers.
- the gull counts are from when I arrived. There was a small movement through with nothing unusual seen.

Counts from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Pochard: see notes
- 57 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls only
- 13 Herring Gulls
- 93 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:
(275th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- again four Mute Swans and again the pair from the Balancing Lake were staying together and the resident duo were spending most of the time well apart.
- a big group of Greylag Geese (with one white feral goose among them) were moving around the water eventually settling beside the island. There was little evidence of more birds inside the island.
- only only drake (Common) Teal was seen alongside the island but with more than 100 of the Greylag Geese jammed in the area the other teal was possibly hidden from view.
- only one drake Pochard found.
- Tufted Duck remain in lower than usual numbers for this date. When larger numbers are seen they do not seem to stay.
- a few Goosanders hanging on.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 34 Canada Geese
- 134 Greylag Geese
- 1 white feral goose
- 4 Mute Swans
- 27 (21♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) (Common) Teal: see notes
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 3 Moorhens only!
- 72 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls: one adult and four immatures
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near?) adult
- 6 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret remains

Noted around the area:
Too cold for most things despite the sun.
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
26 Greylag Geese
5 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
134 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
2 Water Rails
229 Coots
>400 Wood Pigeon
302 Fieldfare
88 Redwings
309 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
17 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged
c.145 Wood Pigeons
47 Redwings
82 Fieldfares
238 Jackdaws
2 Siskins
11 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2008
The Flash
10 Goosanders
c.30 Tufted Ducks
c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.200 Black-headed Gull
1 Buzzard
(Mike Cooper)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Gadwall
8 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
4 Goosander
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Woodcock
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
25 Greylag Geese
1 drake Teal
34 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
drake Ruddy Duck
11 Lapwings
>1080 Black-headed Gulls
1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
202 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
16 Blackbirds
142 Fieldfares
15 Redwings
158 Jackdaws
100 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
c.3000 Black-headed Gull
c.2000 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls
12 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
1 Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
5 Redwing
23 Fieldfare
13 Reed Bunting
8 Siskin
170 Rooks
220 Jackdaws
c.500 Starlings in roost
c.500 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)

18 Nov 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 6.0°C: Early cloud clearing for while. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:38 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:25

(280th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the two Canada Geese that flew in yesterday remain.
- the returning Greylag Geese flock was seen after a few days absence. Just one of the mainly-white feral geese with them.
- for the first time as long as I can remember there were no Mute Swans present.
- a pair of Pochard seen again: did I overlook them yesterday?
- the Water Rail was heard calling from the north-east area again.
- a strong passage of Wood Pigeons, initially heading north-west; later mostly more westerly.
- where the Black-headed Gulls today? I noted my first at 07:35. My highest count was a mere thirteen.
- by contrast Lesser Black-backed Gulls started to arrive by 06:50. Early arrivals came from the South with later arrivals streaming in from the north-east. At least 300 were involved. I noted 64 arriving after 08:00.
- only three Song Thrushes were heard singing. The Blackbird was silent today.
- two Cetti's Warblers noted: the usual singing male and another calling bird.
- a Reed Bunting was heard calling in the south-west area. This species remains scarce.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *138 Greylag Geese: 131 inbound together preceded by seven
- *1 mainly white feral goose with Greylags
- *c.1481 Wood Pigeons: of these c.1450 were noted in 17 migrant groups: see notes
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *7 Cormorants: single and sextet
- c.300 Jackdaws
- 59 Rooks
- 11 Starlings: together
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- no Mute Swans
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 36 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only again
- 7 Moorhens
- 47 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 13? Black-headed Gulls only
- *18 Herring Gulls
- *c.365 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 5 Cormorants
- *2 Grey Heron: one chased away

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Springtails:
- *1 small unidentified springtail

Bugs:
- *1 $$ ground-bug Scolopostethus thomsoni or similar

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
Nothing noted

Not much to see of the Beaver Moon.

Pre-sunrise a bank of cloud clearing to the East with some medium-high cloud beginning to pick up colour.

Colouring well.

At its best according to my smart phone.

And again this what my "big camera" made of the sunrise.

The next bank of clouds gathering to the West. Not many leaves left on the trees after the storm.

I counted them so you don't have to! There are 132 geese here: 131 Greylags and one mostly white feral bird. Seven Greylags had preceded them by a minute or so. The wide-angle available on the camera is a boon here.

For some reason the gulls are currently eschewing the two platforms and deciding to use the concrete platform. Two first-winter Herring Gulls among Lesser Black-backed Gulls. This photo illustrates a problem I have with the camera. The legs of the Lesser Black-backs are strikingly yellow in real life. You would not know that here and the colour difficult to distinguish from the pink legs on the first-winter Herring Gull in the foreground.

The gull union: "one out all out".

A very (very) small part of one of the migrant Wood Pigeon parties.

Not what fishermen like to see. Six Cormorants here.

Celebrating its success in chasing the other Grey Heron away this one gives me a fly-past.

A flying barn door!

Look no wings! Full marks and a gold star if you can identify this.

Give up? It is a Cetti's Warbler!

A two-fer: the larger insect is a ground-bug Scolopostethus thomsoni or similar. Obsidentify was sure though NatureSpot would want me to have examined the underside to exclude other similar species. Noted as active all year. Whatever: it is a new species for me. The other insect is a springtail, much smaller than others of this overall shape that I have seen.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Cold again

Flies:
- 8 midges

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 spider only: usual suspect

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:40

(274th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- still four Mute Swans. The pair from the Balancing Lake staying together. The resident duo spending most of the time well apart.
- two drake (Common) Teal were alongside the island today.
- two drake Pochard were new arrivals.
- a few Goosanders hanging on.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 11 Wood Pigeons in a migrant group flying high north-west
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 17 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- 40 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- 4 Mute Swans
- 22 (14♂) Mallard
- *2 (2♂) (Common) Teal again
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 13 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (0♂) Goosander
- *9 Moorhens
- 75 Coots
- *6 Great Crested Grebes still
- *17 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gull: immatures
- 9 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *2 male Mottled Umbers Erranis defoliaria: one of these in the same place for its third day

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *>5 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris

The two drake (Common) Teal were by the island (with two Black-headed Gulls looking on). It occurs to me that in winters of yore (25 years ago perhaps) the island use to host a day-roost of Common Snipe. That would be good to see again.

"Water off a duck's back" - or in this instance a Moorhen's back. Those feathers sure are waterproof.

A Great Crested Grebe still showing head-streaking indicating this is a first-winter bird.

A portrait of a first-winter Black-headed Gull.

The second of two male Mottled Umber moths Erranis defoliaria. This one is, unusually, both "mottled" and "umber".

It was both cloudy and cold – well below the 10.0°C that is usually needed for insect to be active. Nevertheless there were at least five Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris on the Ivy. This angle shows both the face-pattern and parallel-side yellow flash on the side of the thorax to confirm the species identity.

This illustrates how flexible the "wasp-waist" is.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
1 Pochard
102 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
1 Snipe
>500 Starlings
127 Fieldfare
7 Redwings
99 Jackdaws
1 Brambling
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Newport
1 Waxwing
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
1 adult Yellow legged Gull
2 female Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
36 Pochard
49 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
11 Lapwings
1 Woodcock
c.1700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>600 Black-headed Gulls
5 Herring Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
910 Wood Pigeons
22 Robins
21 Blackbirds
258 Fieldfares
13 Redwings
201 Jackdaws
158 Rooks
348 Starlings
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam / Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
c.1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
10 Herring Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Wigeon
(Martin Adlam)

17 Nov 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 5.0°C: Wall-to-wall clear. Keen northerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:36 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:05 – 09:20

(279th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two Canada Geese flew in.
- not at all sure about the Mute Swans. The resident cob was seen chasing a bird at 07:30. I was not is a position to see the resident pen and I assumed he was chasing a visitor. Two birds were seen leaving to the North at 07:45 after which there was none on the water. So was he chasing a visitor? or was he trying to persuade his partner to leave? The pen was identified when her Darvic ring Blue 7JUE was read from a photo at The Flash later.
- no sign of any Pochard
- it was a brownhead Goosander that visited briefly today: c.07:40.
- the first Water Rail of the second-winter period with one calling from the north-east area.
- another strange passage of Wood Pigeons. Several (very) small flocks flying north-west after 07:30. One group of c.100 birds flew North.
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls were circling low over the water by 06:40 with eventually c.350 noted.
- rather more Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived before 07:30: c.100. But fewer – just eight – arrived later.
- as yesterday four Cormorants arrived as separate singles and a duo. I did not note any of these leaving: only one was present later. A trio flew over.
- a low count of both Jackdaws and Rooks overhead. I did see a very large party of birds (>250?) a long, long way to the East which might have been Jackdaws (or almost anything else!).
- in colder conditions only five Song Thrushes were heard singing. The same Blackbird was singing again.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 176 Wood Pigeons: of these 132 were noted in five migrant groups: see notes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 81 Jackdaws: see notes
- 34 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Skylark
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 7 Starlings!

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: but see notes; departed
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 40 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: briefly
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 52 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- c.108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *2 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata [on a different pole to yesterday]

Flies
- 1 small female plumed midge
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- *5 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
Nothing noted

A none too-exciting sunrise with no cloud (don't knock it!) to give more colour in the sky.

Two Song Thrushes hiding from me as they tuck in to hawthorn berries. They would not allow me closer...

...and neither would this Redwing which was only slightly more cooperative.

 A male Great Tit attending to its feathers.

With an itch on its back!

"Have you just taken my photo?"

A female Greenfinch...

 ...and another showing how to eat a seed when you have no hands.

I was the wrong side of this male Siskin to get a great photo. Meanwhile...

Yesterday I showed a photo of a male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel with the remark that it was unusual to see one with wings closed. Perhaps not so unusual: here is one from the lake this morning.

A well-disguised Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. on a street lamp pole.

A fully-legged harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis.

Drat: missed! Not a moon shot but an Air France Airbus A350 en route from Dallas, Texas to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Note the whole disc of the moon is visible by what is known as earthshine. That is defined (by AI so it must be correct) as the faint glow on the unlit portion of the Moon, caused by sunlight reflecting off the Earth onto the lunar surface.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Too cold!

Flies:
- 6 midges again

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 spiders only: usual species

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35

(273rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- now four Mute Swans not entirely content with each other's presence. One ring was read from a photo as Blue 7JUE confirming this is the pen from the Balancing Lake.
- two drake (Common) Teal were noted at the top end.
- very few Goosander now. If they have eaten all the fish no-one has told the Cormorants.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 32 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- 3 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- *4 Mute Swans
- 25 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 25 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 70 Coots again
- no Little Grebe
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- *27 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: immature, very briefly
- *8 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria : same place as yesterday

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >15 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris

Flies:
- mainly *Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Other info:
I was told that a garden in "the village" has very recently been host to both male and female Blackcaps.

Serious chasing going on here. Look carefully at the front bird: it is wearing a blue Darvic ring.

A quick edit reveals the ring to read "7JUE" identifying this as the pen that has been paired at the Balancing Lake since the previous cob died in unknown circumstances in March and she arrived to pair up with a newly arrived cob. She had been born and raised at the Balancing Lake in 2021.

I did say it was serious chasing!

Not the best light conditions for these two drake (Common) Teal lurking under overhanging vegetation at the top end.

A fine adult-winter Black-headed Gull.

And here the upper-wing pattern of a first-winter Black-headed Gull.

Some food was proffered to the ducks and Black-headed Gulls and this first-winter Herring Gull suddenly appeared and equally suddenly disappeared.

One of the eight Cormorants seen here preparing to try and find any fish the Goosanders have overlooked. An immature with white areas.

Another immature Cormorant flies around.

Apart from a surprising number of Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris (the temperature was only c.5°C) the only insects I noted on the Ivy were. This Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina. This is one. They do seem to like sitting on shiny leaves.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
2 Teal
62 Tufted Duck
214 Coots
9 Lapwings over
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
7 Fieldfare
10 Redwings
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
(Andy Latham)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
37 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
>625 Black-headed Gulls
2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
424 Wood Pigeons
23 Blackbirds
374 Fieldfares
58 Redwings
379 Jackdaws
151 Rooks
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

16 Nov 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 8.0°C: Overcast though strangely a decent sunrise due to breaks in the cloud to the far East.. Moderate northerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:35 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:10 – 09:15

(278th visit of the year)

More Wood Pigeons and fewer gulls.

Bird notes:
- a Pheasant was heard calling from across Castle Farm Way.
- two noisy Canada Geese flew East.
- a lone Greylag Goose flew West at 07:20.
- the Tufted Duck were again scattered all around the water and very mobile.
- yesterday's two Pochard still present.
- a drake Goosander visited briefly c.08:15.
- a brownhead Goosander flew around c.08:30 before leaving to the West.
- a strange passage of Wood Pigeons with several small flocks flying north-west after 07:30. Then several larger groups (c.50) were seen flying South. Two groups of >100 were then seen flying East before more small groups again flew north-west. No groups of any consequence was noted after 08:00
- c.30 Black-headed Gulls were just settling on the water at 06:55. No more than 125 arrived in total. As usual these (almost) all departed. Later I counted 84 – returning birds?
- only 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived before 07:30. 68 were noted later. A single Herring Gull was with the first arrivals and none more later.
- four Cormorants arrived as separate singles and a duo. A duo (the same?) was seen leaving followed by another single. Also a single overhead.
- with a northerly, and hence tail-, wind the Jackdaws and Rooks passed over very high and were hard to see.
- eight Song Thrushes were heard singing with four alongside Teece Drive (and a singing Blackbird) before dawn; three from the South side hedge after dawn; and one in the Ricoh grounds much later.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 1 brownhead Goosander
- 2 Stock Doves: together again
- 626 Wood Pigeons: of these 589 were counted in 18 groups of very different sizes: see notes
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 78 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 122 Jackdaws: see notes
- 64 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Redwing
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 15 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 27 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1) Goosander: briefly
- 8 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- *80 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 2 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 "black ant" Lasius sp.

Flies
- 1 small plumed midge
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Beetles:
- 1 flea-beetle, possibly Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Arthropods:
- *1 $ Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Nothing noted later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
apart from....

Fungus:
- *single Trooping Funnel Infundibulicybe geotropa

Not a promising-looking start to the day. Grey again.

So where did this come from? A few gaps in the clouds to the far East produced an unexpected colourful sunrise. This taken with my smart phone...

...and this is what my "big camera" captured of the same scene at the same time (give or take a few seconds).

Some colour across at least half of the sky.

A very dark-backed Lesser Black-backed Gull. There is very little contrast between the back and the black on the folded wing-tips. This may indicate it is from the north-west Europe population and not a UK resident. The dark on the bill suggests it is a third-winter bird (born 2023).

A "black ant" Lasius sp.

Also not something I expected to see 15 feet up a street lamp pole: a Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus.

One of two Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius on the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

This is the harvestman Opilio canestrinii: another species that sheds legs as necessary. Just one for this individual.

This fungus appears to be a lone specimen of Trooping Funnel Infundibulicybe geotropa. It is hundreds of yards from those I photographed earlier. "Arrest that man for desertion!". Some authorities use the now superseded scientific genus with the name Clitocybe geotropa for this species.

Plane of the day: I have a sneaking suspicion this has featured before. It is a Bell 429 Global Ranger helicopter with an appropriate registration. It is owned by a York-based company called Harpin Ltd. Information on flight trackers is not very helpful as it uses "private sites". Here is was flying from near Newtown in Powys to a site near Melton Mowbray.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Flies:
- 8 midges again

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders: usual species

An unusual view of a male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata, a species that normally rests with the wings open.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:45

(272nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the two Mute Swans were again mostly well-separated and when they were not one was raining its wings, apparently in threat.
- many fewer Goosanders counted. I did note birds in flight on several occasions and these may have been uncounted birds departing.
- with fewer Goosanders it should have been easier to get more accurate counts of Moorhens and Coots. So why did I find fewer of each species?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water:
- 70 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- 9 Greylag Geese: of these six departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 26 (17♂) Mallard
- 23 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 (2♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 70 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 52 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Little Egret

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >5 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris

Flies:
- *2 different fly sps.

A better-exposed photo of the Little Egret. Shame the yellow feet are hidden.

A belligerent-look Wood Pigeon.

"He's behind you!"

No he isn't". A Robin prepares for panto season.

A not-very-mottled male Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria.

This is a root-maggot fly Anthomyia procellaris or similar. As usual not identifiable to species-level from photos.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
69 Tufted Duck
215 Coots
19 Lapwings
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.220 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
21 Herring Gulls
74 Starlings
8 Fieldfare
38 Redwings
93 Jackdaws
19 Rooks
3 Ravens
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
12 Greylag Geese
3 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
3 Pochard
11 Tufted Ducks
Snipe
c.35 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Caspian Gulls
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
1,600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30+ Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
Hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2007
Priorslee Lake
140 Golden Plover
1 Gadwall
2 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Cormorants
29 Pochard
54 Tufted Ducks
>675 Black-headed Gulls
2571 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
272 Wood Pigeons
32 Robins
26 Blackbirds
212 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
50 Redwings
7 Mistle Thrushes
5 Goldcrests
563 Jackdaws
144 Rooks
33 Starlings
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
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