1 Jan 25

Happy New Year to you all.

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

6.0°C: Mostly cloudy. Moderate westerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:22 GMT still]

The early very heavy rain kept me away until later when, as usual, I started at The Flash.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:50 – 12:10

(1st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was pleased to see the Great (White) Egret had stayed in to the New Year.
- a Cetti's Warbler gave but one brief call
- two Lesser Redpolls were seen flying over. I am calling them that: recent DNA analysis has indicated that several forms of this species are not, as previously thought, valid species. I am not clear what the merged species is to be called.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 2 Lesser Redpolls

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: throughout
- 3 Mute Swans: with the turn of the year I cease to separate last year's birds
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Pochard
- 36 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 258 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 36 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Great White Egret

Noted later.
Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybirds Halyzia sedecimguttata: still (moribund?) at the top of the same street lamp pole.

Bird Species List
As always I maintain an ordered list of the bird species I see or hear from the area in and around the lake. Here is today's start to 2025:
1 Coot
2 Black-headed Gull
3 Cormorant
4 Greylag Goose
5 Tufted Duck
6 Mute Swan
7 Great Crested Grebe
8 Gadwall
9 Grey Heron
10 Mallard
11 Moorhen
12 Pochard
13 Carrion Crow
14 Common Buzzard
15 Great (White) Egret
16 Lesser Black-backed Gull
17 Herring Gull
18 Robin
19 Blue Tit
20 Blackbird
21 Great Tit
22 Cetti's Warbler
23 Magpie
24 Wren
25 Yellow-legged Gull
26 Wood Pigeon
27 Jay
28 Coal Tit
29 Goldfinch
30 Lesser Redpoll
Because I was not at the lake early there are some 'missing' species from today's list – Song Thrush, Jackdaw and Rook. Less easy to explain is the absence of Dunnock.

Ignore the three Coots at the back and concentrate on the gulls. On the right an adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. In the middle an adult winter Herring Gull. On the left with the darker mantle (the folded wings over its back) than the Herring Gull is what I believe to be a Yellow-legged Gull. On this view I cannot completely eliminate Caspian Gull though I would judge the mantle is slightly too dark. It is often very difficult to gauge the true tone of the mantle on gulls as it is dependent on the angle of the light. Here they seem to be sitting at more or less the same angle and comparison is likely to be reliable.

A few photos of a reasonably cooperative Jay.

"Give us a song" – not that loud and harsh calls of Jays sound much like a song! It is not often noted that, especially during the breeding season, Jays also make noises that can be mistaken for both Tawny Owls and Common Buzzards.

And one of it looking surprised.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:50 – 10:45

(1st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the recent Great Crested Grebe declined to stay to get into the start of my 2025 bird list.
- a Kingfisher was sitting alongside Derwent Drive and then flew at speed straight through the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 2 Siskins

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- >64 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans: with the turn of the year I cease to separate last year's birds
- 33 (21♂) Mallard
- 45 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 69 Coots
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second winter, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted elsewhere:

Nothing

Bird Species List
I also maintain an ordered list of the bird species I see while in and around The Flash. Here is today's start to 2025:
1 Greylag Goose
2 Black-headed Gull
3 Mute Swan
4 Coot
5 Tufted Duck
6 Wood Pigeon
7 Canada Goose
8 Mallard
9 Magpie
10 Feral Pigeon
11 Robin
12 Kingfisher
13 Moorhen
14 Blue Tit
15 Herring Gull
16 Blackbird
17 House Sparrow
18 Dunnock
19 Carrion Crow
20 Great Tit
21 Lesser Black-backed Gull
22 Wren
23 Goldfinch
24 Jackdaw
25 Siskin
26 Coal Tit

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup still showing well off dam
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
21 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood and Rob Stokes)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl heard - 2nd ever record
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
About 30% ice.
Best bird remains the Black-necked Grebe.
Big gull roost:
c.3000 Black-headed Gulls
c.1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson and John Isherwood)