2.0°C > 5.0°C: Wall-to-wall clear. Keen northerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:36 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: 06:05 – 09:20
(279th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- two Canada Geese flew in.
- not at all sure about the Mute Swans. The resident cob was seen chasing a bird at 07:30. I was not is a position to see the resident pen and I assumed he was chasing a visitor. Two birds were seen leaving to the North at 07:45 after which there was none on the water. So was he chasing a visitor? or was he trying to persuade his partner to leave? The pen was identified when her Darvic ring Blue 7JUE was read from a photo at The Flash later.
- no sign of any Pochard
- it was a brownhead Goosander that visited briefly today: c.07:40.
- the first Water Rail of the second-winter period with one calling from the north-east area.
- another strange passage of Wood Pigeons. Several (very) small flocks flying north-west after 07:30. One group of c.100 birds flew North.
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls were circling low over the water by 06:40 with eventually c.350 noted.
- rather more Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived before 07:30: c.100. But fewer – just eight – arrived later.
- as yesterday four Cormorants arrived as separate singles and a duo. I did not note any of these leaving: only one was present later. A trio flew over.
- a low count of both Jackdaws and Rooks overhead. I did see a very large party of birds (>250?) a long, long way to the East which might have been Jackdaws (or almost anything else!).
- in colder conditions only five Song Thrushes were heard singing. The same Blackbird was singing again.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 176 Wood Pigeons: of these 132 were noted in five migrant groups: see notes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 81 Jackdaws: see notes
- 34 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Skylark
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Siskins
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 7 Starlings!
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: but see notes; departed
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 40 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: briefly
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 52 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- c.108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Sunrise: 07:36 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: 06:05 – 09:20
(279th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- two Canada Geese flew in.
- not at all sure about the Mute Swans. The resident cob was seen chasing a bird at 07:30. I was not is a position to see the resident pen and I assumed he was chasing a visitor. Two birds were seen leaving to the North at 07:45 after which there was none on the water. So was he chasing a visitor? or was he trying to persuade his partner to leave? The pen was identified when her Darvic ring Blue 7JUE was read from a photo at The Flash later.
- no sign of any Pochard
- it was a brownhead Goosander that visited briefly today: c.07:40.
- the first Water Rail of the second-winter period with one calling from the north-east area.
- another strange passage of Wood Pigeons. Several (very) small flocks flying north-west after 07:30. One group of c.100 birds flew North.
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls were circling low over the water by 06:40 with eventually c.350 noted.
- rather more Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived before 07:30: c.100. But fewer – just eight – arrived later.
- as yesterday four Cormorants arrived as separate singles and a duo. I did not note any of these leaving: only one was present later. A trio flew over.
- a low count of both Jackdaws and Rooks overhead. I did see a very large party of birds (>250?) a long, long way to the East which might have been Jackdaws (or almost anything else!).
- in colder conditions only five Song Thrushes were heard singing. The same Blackbird was singing again.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 176 Wood Pigeons: of these 132 were noted in five migrant groups: see notes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 81 Jackdaws: see notes
- 34 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Skylark
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Siskins
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 7 Starlings!
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: but see notes; departed
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 40 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: briefly
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 52 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- c.108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *2 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata [on a different pole to yesterday]
- *2 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata [on a different pole to yesterday]
Flies
- 1 small female plumed midge
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 1 small female plumed midge
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- *5 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- *5 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
Nothing noted
Two Song Thrushes hiding from me as they tuck in to hawthorn berries. They would not allow me closer...
Drat: missed! Not a moon shot but an Air France Airbus A350 en route from Dallas, Texas to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Note the whole disc of the moon is visible by what is known as earthshine. That is defined (by AI so it must be correct) as the faint glow on the unlit portion of the Moon, caused by sunlight reflecting off the Earth onto the lunar surface.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
A quick edit reveals the ring to read "7JUE" identifying this as the pen that has been paired at the Balancing Lake since the previous cob died in unknown circumstances in March and she arrived to pair up with a newly arrived cob. She had been born and raised at the Balancing Lake in 2021.
Not the best light conditions for these two drake (Common) Teal lurking under overhanging vegetation at the top end.
Some food was proffered to the ducks and Black-headed Gulls and this first-winter Herring Gull suddenly appeared and equally suddenly disappeared.
One of the eight Cormorants seen here preparing to try and find any fish the Goosanders have overlooked. An immature with white areas.
A none too-exciting sunrise with no cloud (don't knock it!) to give more colour in the sky.
...and neither would this Redwing which was only slightly more cooperative.
A male Great Tit attending to its feathers.
With an itch on its back!
"Have you just taken my photo?"
A female Greenfinch...
...and another showing how to eat a seed when you have no hands.
I was the wrong side of this male Siskin to get a great photo. Meanwhile...
Yesterday I showed a photo of a male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel with the remark that it was unusual to see one with wings closed. Perhaps not so unusual: here is one from the lake this morning.
A well-disguised Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. on a street lamp pole.
A fully-legged harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Too cold!
Flies:
- 6 midges again
- 6 midges again
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 spiders only: usual species
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35
- 2 spiders only: usual species
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35
(273rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- now four Mute Swans not entirely content with each other's presence. One ring was read from a photo as Blue 7JUE confirming this is the pen from the Balancing Lake.
- two drake (Common) Teal were noted at the top end.
- very few Goosander now. If they have eaten all the fish no-one has told the Cormorants.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
Bird notes:
- now four Mute Swans not entirely content with each other's presence. One ring was read from a photo as Blue 7JUE confirming this is the pen from the Balancing Lake.
- two drake (Common) Teal were noted at the top end.
- very few Goosander now. If they have eaten all the fish no-one has told the Cormorants.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 32 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- 3 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- *4 Mute Swans
- 25 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 25 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 70 Coots again
- no Little Grebe
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- *27 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: immature, very briefly
- *8 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret
Noted around the area:
Noted on / around the water:
- 32 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- 3 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- *4 Mute Swans
- 25 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (2♂) (Common) Teal
- 25 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 70 Coots again
- no Little Grebe
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- *27 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull: immature, very briefly
- *8 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria : same place as yesterday
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria : same place as yesterday
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >15 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris
- >15 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris
Flies:
- mainly *Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
- mainly *Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Other info:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Other info:
I was told that a garden in "the village" has very recently been host to both male and female Blackcaps.
Serious chasing going on here. Look carefully at the front bird: it is wearing a blue Darvic ring.
I did say it was serious chasing!
A fine adult-winter Black-headed Gull.
And here the upper-wing pattern of a first-winter Black-headed Gull.
Another immature Cormorant flies around.
Apart from a surprising number of Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris (the temperature was only c.5°C) the only insects I noted on the Ivy were. This Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina. This is one. They do seem to like sitting on shiny leaves.
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
2 Teal
62 Tufted Duck
214 Coots
9 Lapwings over
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
7 Fieldfare
10 Redwings
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
(Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
37 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
>625 Black-headed Gulls
2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
424 Wood Pigeons
23 Blackbirds
374 Fieldfares
58 Redwings
379 Jackdaws
151 Rooks
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
2 Teal
62 Tufted Duck
214 Coots
9 Lapwings over
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
7 Fieldfare
10 Redwings
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
(Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
37 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
>625 Black-headed Gulls
2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
424 Wood Pigeons
23 Blackbirds
374 Fieldfares
58 Redwings
379 Jackdaws
151 Rooks
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)