30 Oct 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 9.0°C: Patchy high cloud giving colourful sunrise. High cloud continued to increase and lower. A calm start with a light, and then moderate south-easterly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:03 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:55 – 09:20

(265th visit of the year)

Busy overhead for a while with several large (and some small) parties of Wood Pigeons flying South. Soon faded away.

Bird notes:
- the usual westbound Greylag Geese were in smaller numbers and passed over after 09:00. Yesterday it was c.08:00 and on Tuesday before 07:00.
- Four Canada Geese visited briefly c.06:20. Eight arrived c.08:20 with three more a few minutes later. Only nine remained by 09:00
- a visiting Mute Swan was dispatched after just one chasing session. The resident pair continue to go for flights around their territory, something I do recall any previous residents doing. Also at least six and possibly eight Mute Swans were seen in flight to the far West. Birds from The Flash?
- the Little Grebe not noted.
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls noted c.06:50. All gone by 07:15.
- Lesser Black-backed Gulls behaved differently. c.50 before 06:20 all departed by 06:30. Then c.75 arrived by 07:15 before these also quickly departed. Thereafter a stream of gulls visited for short periods, with a small but obvious movement overhead. Small numbers of Herring Gulls were noted at all stages.
- the Tawny Owl was calling alongside Teece Drive at 06:00
- Redwing(s) were heard calling either from trees alongside Teece Drive or passing over c.06:10. Later a party of 17 was seen flying West.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 63 Greylag Geese: 62 counted flying westbound together: a lone bird some two hours earlier
- 2 mostly white geese with Greylags
- 5 unidentified geese flew West to the North.
- 6 (8?) Mute Swans seen in flight to the West
- 1 Stock Dove
- c.1035 Wood Pigeons: of these c.1000 seen in 11 groups overhead
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 84 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Skylarks: three sightings
- 483 Jackdaws
- 187 Rooks
- 17 Redwings: together
- 1 Siskin

Counts from the lake area:
- 15 Canada Geese visited at various times: see notes
- 3 Mute Swans: of these a visiting bird briefly
- 19 (13♂) Mallard
- 29 (>14♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls
- *35 Herring Gulls
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Not much: dew covered poles and chilly

Moths:
- 6 November Moth types Epirrita sp.

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Flies:
- *1 unidentified fly

Noted later all on the Teece Drive fence:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli

An excellent sunrise this morning. Here it is beginning to colour up.

Here the colour spreading.

Just about the maximum extent.

And detail of the most colourful part.

A 'classic' first-winter Herring Gull: pale inner primaries and the combination of a smudgy tail-band and mottled upper-tail.

The chilly start and dew on the street lamp poles meant very few insects were out and about. Apart from the ever-resilient November Moths there was just this fly. Which of course I can't identify!

An unusually pale female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli. The white around the oculum confirms the identity

Plane of the day. This is a 2022-build Cirrus Design Cirrus SR22T. Its owner lives near Carlisle and it was flying from his local airport to Gloucester Airport, possibly for some spannering. There is a licenced service centre for all models of Cirrus aircraft at Gloucester. Cirrus aircraft are built at Duluth in Minnesota.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: day fifteen

Flies:
- 17 midges of various species

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 spiders

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:50

(260th visit of the year)

After yesterday's Great (White) Egret there was a *Little Egret present today. New for the year here for me, becoming my bird species #77 for 2025. I did not record this species here last year.

Bird notes:
- now only seven Mute Swans recorded.
- *the pair of (Common) Teal was at the top-end when I arrived, later flying back to the edge of the island.
- another high count of Goosander. As in other recent days they were scattered around fishing along the edges and difficult to get an accurate total.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- >35 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- >34 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- 2 mainly white feral geese
- 7 Mute Swans
- 31 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) (Common) Teal
- *14 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- *57 (5♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 87 Coots
- *1 Little Grebe
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- *42 Black-headed Gulls
- *21 Herring Gulls: all ages
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near?) adult; first winter
- 6 Cormorants
- *2 Grey Herons
- *1 Little Egret

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 November Moth types Epirrita sp. only
as yesterday: in squirrel alley

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- >25 wasps: only Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris specifically identified

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris

Four-winged flies:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea: same as yesterday

Beetles:
- *1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis pupae

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Fungus:
- *Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus

Gentle Autumn colours in what I call squirrel alley.

A clearer photo of the pair of (Common) Teal, here at the top end. They flew back to the side of the island later.

What I believe to be a duck Tufted Duck seems to be frowning.

This is certainly an immature Tufted Duck with white under the tail. The head is much darker than the previous bird which leads me to suspect this an immature drake with the adult drake's white flanks still to emerge.

A brownhead Goosander. I have never noted the paler "cheeks" in real life. I must look harder.

Just visible through the branches is the Little Grebe battling with a fish. Once caught the fish has to be manoeuvred so it can be swallowed head first so none of the spines on the gills stick in the bird's throat.

Sideways on here.

And now tail-first. Must be difficult without hands!

Made it.

Apart from the bill this looks to be an adult-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Probably a third-winter though even at that age there is usually at least a red smudge on the bill.

Here it is in the company of a first-winter Herring Gull. This latter species averages larger than a Lesser Black-back. However males are larger than females of both species and birds from Scandinavia that winter here are larger. Size is not a reliable guide to species.

As a the Balancing Lake: a 'classic' first-winter Herring Gull.

A stately Grey Heron.

My first sighting of this morning's Little Egret. Black bill and yellow feet. One drake and four brownhead Goosanders with an adult-winter Black-headed Gull share the pixels.

Size comparison: at the top a Grey Heron; just above the water line the Little Egret, still with its Goosander friends. A Great (White) Egret would appear heron-sized.

Later the Little Egret flew to a better location for a portrait photo. It would not be impossible for the New World equivalent species, the Snowy Egret, to turn up in Autumn and it is always worth checking. The easiest separation is that on Snowy Egret the yellow on the feet extends up the back of the legs almost to the "knee". So not here.

I always thought those long loose feathers hanging at the breast and down the back indicated a bird in breeding condition. Seems early in the season, albeit Grey Herons nest in from mid-February.

I expected it to be too cold (still below 9C) for anything other that the wasps to be flying so I was surprised to see this very smart Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris. It has a bright collar and a white-looking tail.

This view shows the diagnostic very thin area of buff between that white tail and the black of the abdomen.

Possibly the same springtail Tomocerus vulgaris that I photographed yesterday. It was on a much less lichen-infested part of the same street lamp pole today and is thus easier to see.

This is a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis pupae. Whether there is anybody living inside it at this date I doubt.

A Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig fungus Coprinus comatus. This species, like many fungus, has a collar on the stem. It looks to have come off here and be lying in front of the stem.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Swans
c.60 Golden Plover
c.200 Starlings left a roost in the reeds at the W end
763 Wood Pigeons
3 Skylarks
7 Meadow Pipits
165 Fieldfare
9 Redwings
4 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
8 Wigeon
20 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Goosander
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
100 Jackdaw
130 Rooks
1 Buzzard
Kestrel
c.60 Golden Plover
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
450 to 500 Starlings left the roost
11 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
Pair of Ruddy Duck
200+ Coot
1 Dunlin
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
100 Black-headed Gulls
Kingfisher
A Buzzard was seen feeding on earthworms and possibly beetles
2000+ Wood Pigeon
62 Redwing
54 Fieldfare
3 Song Thrushes
(Martin Adlam)