28 Mar 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 9.0°C: Clearing after overnight rain. Then a light shower. Moderate north-westerly wind gusting fresh at tomes. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:53 GMT

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:25 – 06:20 // 07:20 – 09:35

(75th visit of the year)

The felling on trees alongside the first part of Teece Drive continues. I might suggest that the men would be better employed filling the pot-holes there.

Bird notes
*Definite highlight today was a singing Marsh Tit near the Wesley Brook bridge. Other than a one-day bird heard calling only on 16 June 2022 I have no other dates for this species here though I do recall seeing it many, many years ago. The almost identical-looking species, Willow Tit, bred here prior to 2017. The two species were only recognised as separate species in the early 1900s. Like Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler they may look almost identical but the songs and calls of these species are very different. My 81st bird species here this year.

Other bird notes:
- six Mute Swans initially. Only four, three adults and the first year bird later.
- as they do at this time of year Mallard are turning up in strange places. Four drakes and a duck were marching around the football field at 06:15 with two more drakes and a duck on roofs in Teece Drive.
- *a pair of Common Teal were new arrivals
- the duck Pochard still here. I suspect she has a damaged wing or similar preventing her from flying.
- nine Great Crested Grebes!
- *I noted 20 Redwings flying out of West end trees c.05:50. At c.09:20 birds were seen flying between the West end and the south-west copse from where I counted 42 flying out in two groups. It is possible that there were more as when I was counting the second group I could see at least 15 birds further away. These could easily have been birds from the first group circling around. This number is about the highest day-count I have had of this species all Winter.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Canada Geese: a pair and a quintet outbound; a pair flew North.
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair outbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 15 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: five of these arrived
- 6 Mute Swans: plus one long dead: two of these departed: see notes
- 4 (3♂) Mallard: see also notes
- *2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 10 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- 9 Great Crested Grebes
- *5 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: arrived while I was at The Flash
- 2 Grey Herons: one departed East 05:50 and presumably another flew off West at 06:00

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

On the West end street lamp poles
Pre-dawn:

Moths:
none

Flies:
*many, mainly female midges.

Springtails:
*1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
*>5 globular springtails.

Noted later:

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

Flies:
female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus

A post-script to yesterday's Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombylius major. By coincidence there was information about this species on the Guardian's web site where it is one of the nominations for "Invertebrate of the Year". The web site noted: "this sleek insect hums like a bee, pollinates flowers like a bee and is cute and fluffy like a bee. But it’s a fly, and it scatters its eggs near a solitary bee’s nest so the larvae can feed off the bee's offspring".

For a change it wasn't clear skies to the East but the overnight rain moving away.

A record shot! A pair of Common Teal.

Small ducks in the middle of the water do not make good photos.

Another one of those gull puzzles. After much searching through various identification guides I have concluded it is 'just' a first year Herring Gull, mainly because of the extent of the mottling on the upper tail. It seems unusually 'scaly' with a more extensive tail band and less contrast on the inner primaries than I would expect. Neither does it show any of the pale grey feathers on the back as yet even though the base of the bill is pale.

Here is the underside. It looks somewhat pot-bellied.

From this angle this bird looks like a cross between and Blackcap and a Nuthatch. It is a Marsh Tit.

A rear view. Many identification guides will tell you that pale in the wings suggests Willow Tit rather than Marsh Tit. Note however that it only the very tips of the feathers that are pale.

This view shows the 'bib'. On Willow Tit this would usually appear neater.

Not so much a branch in the way, more like half a bush obscuring a singing male Blackcap.

A fairly typical view as this species tries not to be seen.

Good luck identifying these. They are just four of the 42+ Redwings that flew out of trees.

I took several photos of female midges and each photo showed (out of focus) globular springtails, none of which I noted at the time.

Obsidentify has this as the springtail Tomocerus vulgaris. Checking with NatureSpot it seems spot on.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:15

(73rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the geese were much less noisy today with almost no sound from inside the island.
- it is possible one adult Mute Swan was always the other side of the island from me. I only noted one bird today despite searching the island from several directions.
- yesterday's Great Crested Grebe presumably had no response from touring the water and calling and had apparently gone again.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 29 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan: see notes
- *17 (14♂) Mallard
- 11 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 1 Cormorant

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 10 (10) Chiffchaffs

Otherwise of note:

Flower:
- *probable Early Dog-violet Viola reichenbachiana

A trio of Mallard that decided they owned the footbridge and were not moving for anyone.

The dark bars on the folded wings identify this as a Stock Dove.

My old friends the Long-tailed Tits. Not being very cooperative.

A Jenny Wren – well probably Jeremy Wren as he was singing.

Another Wren...

...has been watching how Treecreepers manage.

I thinks these are probably Early Dog-violets Viola reichenbachiana.

Between the lake and The Flash I came across these White Dead-Nettle flowers Lamium album. In recent years a small number of these plants has been in flower all Winter near the surgery. It occurs to me that I have not seen them there this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Balancing Lake and The Flash:

Of interest 
- 2 (2♂) Mallard on the lower pool
- 4 Moorhen: one pair on each pool

Flowers:
*White Dead-Nettle Lamium album

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
4 Great Crested Grebes
9+ Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
2 Shoveler
30 Tufted Duck
10 Chiffchaffs
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cackling Goose
51 Tufted Ducks
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Meadow Pipit
2 Fieldfare
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
7 Meadow Pipits
c.150 Fieldfare
c.30 Starlings
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
7 Wigeon
22 Tufted Duck
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Mediterranean Gull
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
63 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
4 Herring Gulls.
(Tom Lowe, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
2 Lapwing
(Martin Grant)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Glaucous Gull
Iceland Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull.
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
10 Chiffchaffs singing
4 Blackcaps singing
1 Skylark
1 Willow Tit
1 Raven flew over
3 Great Crested Grebes
11 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
38 Tufted Duck
5 Chiffchaffs singing
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
6 Gadwall
c.15 Tufted Duck
1 Fieldfare
11 Linnets
5 Chiffchaffs
c.40 Sand Martins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
30 Tufted Ducks
Siskins
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
10 Meadow Pipits
Linnets
Skylarks
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
2 Cormorants
14 Tufted Ducks
3 Ruddy Ducks
1 Kittiwake
242 Wood Pigeons
4 Stock Doves
2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
3 Meadow Pipits
3 Grey Wagtails
9 Pied Wagtails
26 Wrens
3 Fieldfare
94 Redwings
2 Swallow
13 Sand Martins
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
7 Chiffchaffs
18 Magpies
4 Jays
127 Jackdaws
13 Greenfinches
7 Siskins
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)