22 Mar 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 12.0°C: Mostly cloudy with a few spells when it looked to be clearing, but didn't. Light / moderate easterly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:07 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 06:40 // 07:40 – 09:35

(69th visit of the year)

Bird notes
Two additions to the bird year list here today:
-* two Blackcaps were heard and seen singing. Strangely the first was more or less where my Merlin app told me there was one yesterday and that I could not hear. Even stranger was that Merlin did not identify this bird today!
- *possibly "bird species of the year" was a pair of Garganey duck present for a short while. My only previous record of this species here was a post-breeding bird almost 33 years ago on 08 September 1992.
My bird species for here in 2025 moves on to #78.

Other bird notes:
- *a pair of Shoveler were new arrivals.
- I only noted five Great Crested Grebes though I have to say by attention was rather diverted at times.
- of the 19 over-flying Wood Pigeons seven were noted flying high North
- 12 singing Chiffchaffs again.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 14 Canada Geese: one pair and two sextets outbound
- 26 Wood Pigeons: see notes
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese
- *4 Mute Swans: plus one long dead
- *2 (1♂) Garganey: arrived and departed
- *2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 12 Moorhens
- 51 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed West 06:30

Warblers recorded (figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- *12 (12) Chiffchaffs
- *2 (2) Blackcaps

On the West end street lamp poles

Pre-dawn:

Flies:
6 male plumed midges Chironomus plumosus

Noted later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
*1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
*1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
*1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Other flies:
*many flies of several unidentified species warming up on the street lamp poles etc.

No colourful sunrise this morning.

The first year Mute Swan now appears to have been accepted by the three adults.

My first sighting of the pair of Garganey. Ignore the Coot at the top. The duck Garganey is extreme left and her partner extreme right.

A slightly better view of the pair with a buoy for scale – this Summer migrant species is very slightly larger than a Common Teal. The drake is on the left. They were reasonably near to the North side and I set off to try and get closer only for a "boy racer's" car to backfire and put them to flight.

They pitched back in on the South side where I took this photo of the pair...

...and this of the drake. Then the bird-scarer in the field to the East of Castle Farm Way went off and the birds departed. I hope I don't have to wait another 33 years for the next birds to appear – I doubt I will still be around!

The pair of Shoveler with the duck harder to spot – but that is by design as she has to be inconspicuous when sitting on the nest on the ground.

A Chiffchaff gallery this morning taking advantage of the lack of leaves on the trees at the moment. #1.

Chiffchaff #2.

and #3.

Blackcap #1. This won't win prizes but you can just about make out the black cap. There was discussion in a recent edition of "British Wildlife" magazine noting that when this species first arrives and there are relatively few insects around the birds feed on nectar in Blackthorn bushes – as here.

Blackcap #2. This one not in Blackthorn.

The camera refused to focus on anything other than the twigs but this gives a better impression of the shape of the 'black cap'. I hope to get opportunities to improve on these photos.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris for some reason inspecting the fishing club's "private" sign.

I guess the sign was reflecting warmth. Top left is a female Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax with an otherwise unidentified bronzy-looking fly.

A Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax showing just how hairy they are. Also visible here is the reduced-size hindwing that all true flies posses and which are called halteres.

Same insect from a different angle.

A fly from the Muscid (House Flies) group basking in the sun on a street lamp pole.

There were also many of these smaller narrow-bodied flies.

Probably one of the Pollenia species of cluster flies.

And what could loosely be termed a "green bottle" fly. There are numerous species in several different families.

Quickly pass on if you are allergic to willow-tree pollen. I am not sure to which of the many species of willow these catkins / "pussy willow" belong.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 – 07:35

(67th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- one of the Mute Swans was on the island for much of the time.
- the white feral Mallard-type ’Aylesbury Duck’ was seen again seen climbing a path in to the hilly wooded area in the south-east corner.
- eight singing Chiffchaffs with one on the island and five at the top end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 16 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 18 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) white feral Mallard-type ’Aylesbury Duck’
- 22 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- no gulls.

Of note:

Nothing else

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Balancing Lake and The Flash:

Of interest 
- no Mallard.
- 4 Moorhen: one pair on each pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
24 Tufted Duck
9 Meadow Pipits
4 Redwings
4 Chiffchaffs singing
2 Brimstone butterflies
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash
43 Tufted Ducks
1 Skylark
2 Chiffchaffs singing
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
8 Lapwings
3 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff singing
(Ed Wilson)

Trench
2 Little Grebes
30 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
2 Gadwall
23 Tufted Duck
4 Sand Martins
1 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaffs singing
8 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
7 Wheatear
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Skylark
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebe
43 Tufted Duck
2 Sparrowhawks
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Cormorant
33 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kittiwake
31 Wren
24 Robin
23 Blackbird
1 Redwing
4 Chiffchaff singing
34 Magpie
176 Jackdaw
7 Greenfinch
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
10 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
1 Chiffchaff singing
1 Willow Tit
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
49 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Water Rail
2 Lapwings
c.950 Black-headed Gulls
509 Wood Pigeon
6 Stock Doves
613 Wood Pigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
13 Pied Wagtails
24 Wrens
19 Robins
22 Blackbirds
5 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Tits
17 Magpies
17 Greenfinches
4 Siskins
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)