13 Apr 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 10.0°C: A change! Mostly cloudy with a spell of light rain c.07:45. Still a calm start with a light westerly breeze later. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:16 BST

* = a species photographed today.

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

(91st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- four visiting Mute Swans had not been seen off when I departed. The previous resident pen 7JSS was with presumably the same first year bird. The other two were keeping together as if they were a pair. I never got to see the legs to determine whether either was ringed.
- the pair of Gadwall re-appeared from wherever they were hiding as I was about to leave.
- the duck Pochard still present.
- a pair of Coots seen with two juveniles: my first of the year. The juveniles looked to be several days old having lost much of their spiky red hair.
- nine confirmed Great Crested Grebes.
- just two Common Sandpipers.
- as happened Friday a number of large gulls arrived from the West c.05:50. They were better behaved today and I managed to count 27. These circled low over the water, low-enough to count as visiting and also low-enough that I could see against the background they were all Herring Gulls and mostly adults. Very strange.
- two Reed Buntings flew together from the west-end reedy area and away high to the West.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Goose: single outbound
- *19 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook
- 2 Ravens

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: of these four arrived
- *6 Mute Swans: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 32 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 9 Great Crested Grebes
- *2 Common Sandpipers
- 27 Herring Gulls: see notes
- 1 Cormorant

Hirundines etc. noted:
c.50 in a large mixed flock: confirmed identities:
- *20 Sand Martins
- 6 Barn Swallows
- *4 House Martins

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

On the West end street lamp poles
Pre-dawn:

Moths:
*Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata

Flies:
*species of non-biting midge
*a "winter cranefly"

Spiders:
- *one to be identified – perhaps!

Noted later:

Insects
None too dull and cool

New flowers for the year:
*Ramsons Allium ursinum

Just to prove the sun did rise, but not so as you would notice.

Here she is again – the previous resident cob Mute Swan with the blue Darvic ring 7JSS.

A slightly better photo of one of the two Common Sandpipers present this morning. Still too dull for a good photo.

When this species is flying around locally it keeps the wings below horizontal at all times with flickering wing-beats. This is how I usually see them and they look very different when they decide to fly out with 'normal' wing-flapping.

Not much to photograph today. Have a Wood Pigeon.

I did manage a few acceptable shots of the many martins and swallows flying around. Here is a Sand Martin with the dark breast band.

And here a House Martin with a clean breast and darker cap. The white rump is probably the easiest field mark but you have to be able to see the upper side and today they were hunting insects high overhead.

A Brindled Pug moth Eupithecia abbreviata.

I think this is a species of non-biting midge and likely a female as the antennae are 'simple'. Beyond this...

One of the winter craneflies I suspect. Obsidentify thinks it is a species of hoverfly which it most certainly is not. It is sitting on one of the new street lamp identification stickers.

An unidentified species of spider found on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn. Obsidentify is 99% certain it is a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica. It seems much too small to me but then I guess all spiders start very small when they emerge from the egg so perhaps it is.

Since yesterday a very few flowers of Ramsons Allium ursinum have opened. Here is one.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
*plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
*Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]

A male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus. Now that the childish scribbling on the wall of the tunnel has been painted out I can actually see what creatures are lurking there.

One of the 100 or so Psychodidae species, variously known as Drain Flies, Moth Flies or Owl Flies. None is identifiable from photos.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 – 07:40

(88th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Great Crested Grebes seen. They do keep me on my toes.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adults, together

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese: of these seven departed in fought groups
- 5 Greylag Geese: of these one departed and a pair arrived
- 1 Mute Swan: only one seen; the other almost certainly on nest now hidden by leaves
- 24 (19♂) Mallard
- *23 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 3 (3) Willow Warblers
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps still

Of note.
Nothing else

Yummy water! A pair of Mallard in the almost dry Wesley Brook where it runs between the Priorslee Academy and the back of the houses in Everglades Road.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Herons
2 Greylag Geese
1 Common Sandpiper
c.10 Sand Martins
>6 Barn Swallows
1 House Martin
2 Tawny Owls
2 Meadow Pipits
8 Blackcaps
8 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warbler
276 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Greylag Goose
1 Cackling-type Goose
17 Tufted Ducks
1 Swallow
5 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Ringed Plover
>20 Willow Warbler
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
2 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Common Redstart
8 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington
47 Black-tailed Godwit
6 Ringed Plover
3 Redshank
1 Dunlin
3 Swallows
(Andy Latham)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 House Martin
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
7 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
4 Gadwall
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Swallow
23 Sand Martin
1 House Martin
5 Great Crested Grebes
3 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Fieldfares
3 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
6 Willow Warblers
2 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
1 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)