27 Mar 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 13.0°C: Early medium overcast soon dispersed to leave mainly clear skies with just a few puffy clouds. Light south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:56 GMT

* = a species photographed today.

A slight reduction in warbler numbers. In clear weather birds heading further North will tend to fly over rather than stop-off.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:40

(74th visit of the year)

The felling on trees alongside the first part of Teece Drive continues. One of the residents suggested that some trees in that area had tree protection orders on them. I don't suppose the resident Tawny Owls are too happy – they have nested in the area previously and should be sitting on eggs by now. The Buzzards and Great Spotted Woodpeckers will have to find a new home.

Bird notes:
- six Mute Swans here today. The two new residents, three other adults, all apparently lone birds, and the first year.
- the duck Pochard still here but no Tufted Duck found
- eight Great Crested Grebes was all I could find. Partner swapping still going on.
- the only gulls on the water were two Black-headed Gulls before 05:45.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: three pairs outbound
- 16 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 14 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 4 Redwings: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: one of these arrived
- *6 Mute Swans: plus one long dead: see notes
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- no Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- *8 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron: seen arriving 05:40 but not noted thereafter

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

On the West end street lamp poles

Pre-dawn:

Moths:
none

Flies:
1 female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus

Noted later:

Butterflies:
*Comma Polygonia c-album

Bees, wasps etc.:
*Andrena mining bee species: unidentified
*Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
*Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Flies:
*Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major

Flowers (new only):
*Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna [used to Ranunculus ficaria]

Soon after sunrise – though you can't tell. The cloud later dispersed.

The first year Mute Swan in the foreground with one of three 'spare' adults here. The resident cob was busy chasing another adult...

But not this one.

One of the many (eight?) Great Crested Grebes.

And a pair looking coy.

A local Buzzard going for a flight, perhaps inspecting all the tree felling in the area where this species has traditionally nested.

A Chiffchaff keeping an eye on me.

That's better.

That isn't. At least the branch is in focus.

A change from Chiffchaffs up trees. A Blue Tit.

A less than pristine Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album. This has almost certainly over-wintered as an adult and recently emerged from hibernation.

This one of the Andrena mining bees that are difficult to identify. There are many species with the males and females differing in size and appearance. Obsidentify is 100% sure this is an Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa, elsewhere called an Early Mining Bee. I do not agree! The 'pile' on the thorax of this species should be "foxy red" which this isn't. And the legs are not hairy-enough.

This is the same bee that Obsidentify now suggests is a Buffish Mining Bee A. nigroaenea. But that is not correct either as that species has a thick ginger pollen brush on the hind leg (among other discrepancies).

This is a different individual with the face more prominent. Google Lens does not help beyond agreeing it is an Andrena mining bee.

A Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius finds a dandelion to its liking.

A female Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax. A female because the eyes do not meet. And this species because the front legs are mainly pale.

And this is the male. The eyes meet and the abdomen is clearly tapered (it isn't on the female).

Always a sign Spring is underway. Not a bee as you might think but a fly: and specifically a Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major. The proboscis is for gathering nectar from deep inside flowers and cannot penetrate skin even if the insect were to be so-inclined.

A sunlit clump of Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara. I photographed some deep in shade a few weeks ago. These are better. As noted then an unusual plant in that the flowers precede the appearance of the leaves. The leaves you see here are, I think, of buttercups at an early stage (Obsidentify thought they were a Great Spotted Woodpecker!).

My first Lesser Celandine flowers Ficaria verna of the year.

Plane of the day. This is a Boeing 747-800 series, the final version of the "Jumbo". Only 48 passenger versions were built and this is one of Lufthansa's 18. Passenger flights by four-engined aircraft are becoming uncommon. More powerful and fuel-efficient engines allow larger, more economical twin-engined aircraft to be used instead.

Here is the flight data from FlightRadar24.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10

(72nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- yesterday's additional adult Mute Swan gone.
- another low count of Mallard.
- *a Great Crested Grebe again, touring the water and calling.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 38 Canada Geese: at least six of these departed
- 2 Greylag Geese: departed together
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (10♂) Mallard
- 14 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- *1 Great Crested Grebe

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps

Of note:

Nothing else

An "art" shot of the Great Crested Grebe against the reflection of the houses etc. in Derwent Drive.

And another.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Balancing Lake and The Flash:

Of interest
- 1 (1♂) Mallard on the grass beside the upper pool
- 4 Moorhen: one pair on each pool
- 1 Song Thrush singing
The number of singing Song Thrushes is much reduced in the area. During January as many as 13 were noted around the lake. At the moment just five is usual. This was my first here since adopting my "summer schedule" about 10 days ago, walking between the lake and The Flash.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
5+ Cormorants
31 Tufted Duck
1 Kittiwake
7 Fieldfare
6 Chiffchaffs
c.230 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Cackling Goose
2 Teal
49 Tufted Ducks
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
7 Great Crested Grebes
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
1 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
5 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Pochard
62 Tufted Duck
Steppe Gull?
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
26 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
3 Cormorants
2 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Dunlin
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
2 Shoveler
1 Willow Warbler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
4 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Fieldfares
1 Willow Warbler
4 Great Crested Grebe
4 Herons
4 Gadwall
29 Tufted Duck
c.215 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
16 Meadow Pipits
36 Robins
28 Blackbirds
5 Chiffchaffs
1 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
127 Wood Pigeon
21 Wrens
3 Fieldfare
3 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warblers
8 Sand Martins
22 Siskin
6 Linnets
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam, Martin Grant)