1.0°C > 2.0°C: Clear but hazy start again with mist once more making its presence felt. Almost calm. Moderate visibility, becoming poor.
[Sunrise: 08:17 GMT]
Another morning only at the lake.
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 09:05 – 10:30
(10th visit of the year)
Slightly less ice with the open water extending in to some of the reeds in which some birds were able to hide.
Bird notes:
- a duck Shoveler apparently new in though in the misty conditions not easy to separate from duck Gadwall at a distance and it could have been present previously.
- a Water Rail seen today in the north-east area. Is just one bird exploiting the whole of the North side or are there two?
- yesterday's Little Grebe not re-found.
- two Great Crested Grebes today, neither with significant head plumes.
- at the time I was present there were, unusually, more Herring Gulls than Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- five Fieldfare flew out of trees alongside Castle Farm Way.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Jackdaws
- 4 Siskins
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- *1 (0♂) Shoveler
- 7 (3♂) Gadwall
- 12 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 47 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Water Rail
- 5 Moorhens
- *262 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 64 Black-headed Gulls
-* 2 Great Black-backed Gulls
- *43 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted elsewhere:
Moths:
- *1 Early Moth Theria primaria
- *1 Early Moth Theria primaria
Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata: still here from 2024
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata: still here from 2024
Spiders:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
All these on street lamp poles.
New Bird Species
Additions to the bird species on my site list for here in 2025:
54 Shoveler
55 Fieldfare
It is depressing to realise that I have almost certainly recorded over half the number of bird species I am likely to log here this year. So the next 250 or so visits will be a bit of a slog!
I was pleased to get any photo of this: a flying Water Rail. Note the long slightly-de-curved bill on this species, otherwise like a small, slim-bodied Moorhen (without the red shield) that usually stays well-hidden.
A Coot skipping with joy across the ice. The outer part of the wing is surprisingly pale / translucent when seen from below.
And here is another adult Great Black-backed Gull (on the right) to compare with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. During this cold snap I have seen many more Greaters than I would expect to see these days. Like all gulls numbers are in decline and now the Granville Tip is long-closed there are many fewer gulls visiting.
A Greater departing. No hint of pale in the inner primaries with the black almost concolorous across all but the very wing tip. The outer two primaries are white-tipped from above and below and show no 'mirrors' (white surrounded by black) as shown by all other large gull species. The flight is usually obviously ponderous.
Yes well: three of the five Fieldfare that flew out of trees alongside Castle Farm Way. The identification feature here is their grey rump.
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
All these on street lamp poles.
New Bird Species
Additions to the bird species on my site list for here in 2025:
54 Shoveler
55 Fieldfare
It is depressing to realise that I have almost certainly recorded over half the number of bird species I am likely to log here this year. So the next 250 or so visits will be a bit of a slog!
A very distinctive bill. A duck Shoveler.
When (if!) seen well is browner-toned than a Moorhen.
I am not sure whether it is my eyes or the camera's rendering of colour. On the left front is an adult Herring Gull that clearly has pink legs – as it should. The adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, right front, should have yellow legs, less bright in the winter. I can make out that they are are not pink but... That leaves the middle front bird and I have no idea what colour its legs are - grey? It is an adult Herring Gull with pink feet but those legs...? Just right of centre at the back is an adult Great Black-backed Gull.
The Great Black-back is more in the open here among just one Lesser with the rest all Herring Gulls.
(Ed Wilson)
2014
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
2 female Scaup
(Mike Stokes)
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2014
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
2 female Scaup
(Mike Stokes)