Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash
6.0°C > 8.0°C: Mostly clear with sunny spells. Moderate south-easterly wind. Very good visibility.Sunrise: 08:19 GMT
Photos will be added later
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:35
(307th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- two Canada Geese flew from the East again c.08:20, but circled and left to the East.
- yesterday's adult Mute Swans gone.
- yesterday's pair of Pochard also gone. Perhaps the additional pair noted later at The Flash?
- another morning with a low number of gulls. The first Lesser Black-backs appeared overhead at 07:33. They were very unsettled with birds taking off and landing back. Many later arrivals circled and then carried on rather than join the slowly increasing throng. At most 75 were on the water.
- the first three Black-heads arrived at 07:43 with at most 55 being counted.
- a party of seven Cormorants flew over, two of which peeled off and visited the lake. Another single flew over and two others arrived on the lake separately.
- a Great (White) Egret again. One of the Grey Herons seemed happy to co-exist. A second Grey Heron chased it flushed away. Again it was probably the bird seen at The Flash later.
- a higher number of Jackdaws noted including something I noted on a few occasions during the Summer: after the usual southbound dispersal a large noisy group of birds flew North (at least 105 dots in the photo I took).
- after several quiet days the Cetti's Warbler(s) were calling and singing.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 Stock Dove
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Herring Gull
- 142 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: see notes
- c.345 Jackdaws: see notes
- 115 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
Counts from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Mallard
- no Pochard
- 45 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- c.55 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gulls
- c.75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret: see notes
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Another good haul in the mild conditions.
Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
- 1 unidentified female "Winter moth"
mea culpa: I entered the wrong types in yesterday's log. It should have read
- 3 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata
Beetles:
- 1 flea beetle, possibly Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
- 1 harvestman Platybunus triangularis (also known as Rilaena triangularis)
On the Teece Drive fence:
A male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata. A similar captioned picture yesterday was correctly named though the tabulation incorrectly noted that all the moths seen yesterday were Mottled Umbers Erranis defoliaria.
A puzzle: I was photographing a springtail and when I looked at the photo on the PC I found this as well. It is one of the virtually wingless females of a species of "Winter moth". I cannot identify which. I hope the Shropshire macro moth recorder can help.
I have to leave this as an unidentified fly. My apps suggested both cranefly and ichneumon. I don't think cranefly as the legs have obvious spurs...
The Flash: 09:40 – 10:50
(300th visit of the year)
New Bird Species:
Hoverflies:
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Other flies
- >30 flies of at least two species
Obvious large bill and well-fingered wing-tips. This species also has a diamond-shaped tail, not visible at this angle. My first record of this species at The Flash this year (and I can only recall two records at the lake). Nationally this species is increasing.
The same individual. Probably my last hoverfly sighting of the year and the only one seen today. My first hoverfly for this year was this same species at the very end of January.
Photos will be added later
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:35
(307th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- two Canada Geese flew from the East again c.08:20, but circled and left to the East.
- yesterday's adult Mute Swans gone.
- yesterday's pair of Pochard also gone. Perhaps the additional pair noted later at The Flash?
- another morning with a low number of gulls. The first Lesser Black-backs appeared overhead at 07:33. They were very unsettled with birds taking off and landing back. Many later arrivals circled and then carried on rather than join the slowly increasing throng. At most 75 were on the water.
- the first three Black-heads arrived at 07:43 with at most 55 being counted.
- a party of seven Cormorants flew over, two of which peeled off and visited the lake. Another single flew over and two others arrived on the lake separately.
- a Great (White) Egret again. One of the Grey Herons seemed happy to co-exist. A second Grey Heron chased it flushed away. Again it was probably the bird seen at The Flash later.
- a higher number of Jackdaws noted including something I noted on a few occasions during the Summer: after the usual southbound dispersal a large noisy group of birds flew North (at least 105 dots in the photo I took).
- after several quiet days the Cetti's Warbler(s) were calling and singing.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 Stock Dove
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Herring Gull
- 142 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: see notes
- c.345 Jackdaws: see notes
- 115 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
Counts from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Mallard
- no Pochard
- 45 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- c.55 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gulls
- c.75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret: see notes
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Another good haul in the mild conditions.
Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
- 1 unidentified female "Winter moth"
mea culpa: I entered the wrong types in yesterday's log. It should have read
- 3 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata
Springtails:
- 2 springtail sp., probably all Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 2 springtail sp., probably all Dicyrtomina saundersi
Flies:
- 2 winter cranefly Trichocera sp., probably of two species
- 1 fungus gnat sp.
- 1 unidentified fly?
- 2 winter cranefly Trichocera sp., probably of two species
- 1 fungus gnat sp.
- 1 unidentified fly?
Beetles:
- 1 flea beetle, possibly Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
- 1 harvestman Platybunus triangularis (also known as Rilaena triangularis)
On the Teece Drive fence:
Nothing noted
The Great (White) Egret decides to leave after being chased by one of the Grey Heron.
Complaining as it goes.
It must have strong muscles to beat those large wings.
A local Common Buzzard takes the morning sun.
Today's real male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria.
...and I can't see any sign of a wasp waist.
A harvestman Platybunus triangularis, not a species I see very often. Superficially similar to Paroligolophus agrestis but it lacks the pale stripe down the abdomen; the legs so not so obviously change width part-way; and the eyes have a row of tubercles on the inner edge.
I wondered what this was. Apparently Red Campion Silene dioica looking rather strange as it attempts to come in to flower in mid-December.
(Ed Wilson)
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(300th visit of the year)
New Bird Species:
A bit late but a new bird species for the year here: #78. A Raven flew over.
Bird notes:
- another extra pair of Pochard today. I cannot believe that there are as many ducks and drakes. Usually drakes far outnumber ducks if indeed there are any ducks present. I suspect that what I am seeing are five adult drakes, some immature drakes and one or two ducks. Time my tell if they don't all fly away.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Raven
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Pochard
- 21 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 (3♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near?) adult, briefly
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret
Noted around the area:
Still some activity around the bank of Ivy. No wasps noted but:
Bird notes:
- another extra pair of Pochard today. I cannot believe that there are as many ducks and drakes. Usually drakes far outnumber ducks if indeed there are any ducks present. I suspect that what I am seeing are five adult drakes, some immature drakes and one or two ducks. Time my tell if they don't all fly away.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Raven
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Pochard
- 21 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 (3♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 45 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near?) adult, briefly
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret
Noted around the area:
Still some activity around the bank of Ivy. No wasps noted but:
Hoverflies:
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Other flies
- >30 flies of at least two species
This tree struck me as an attractive feature silhouetted against the low Winter sun..
The Raven calling attention to itself.
Its nearly Christmas. We need a Robin. I am happy to go without the snow.
This female Bullfinch was with two males munching on berries...
...which were not easy to reach!
Their digestive system must work differently to mine.
One of the male Bullfinches typically impossible to photo clearly between a mass of twigs.
A Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax.
It seems flies have the same digestive systems as Bullfinches. Probably a Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina.
Another.
Is it Spring? The Hazel seems to think so, laden with catkins – the male part of the tree.
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
80 Tufted Ducks
231 Coots
268 Black-headed Gulls
8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gulls
27 Fieldfare
103 Redwings
356 Jackdaws
251 Rooks
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
11 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
180 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Redwings
17 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
5 Great Black-backed Gull
10 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
Holmer Lake
14 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black necked Grebe
7 Great Crested Grebes
45 Pochard
130 Tufted Duck
302 Coot
>3500 gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
20 Swans
1 Water Rail
15 Lapwing
15 Herring Gulls
5 Redwings
c.20 Goldfinches
7 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/ John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.2800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
18 Pied Wagtails
2 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee Lake
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
150 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
9 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
200 Coot
1 Water Rail
15 Pied Wagtails
243 Rooks
532 Jackdaw 532
Redwing with a full-blown song
31 Siskins
2 Redpoll
16 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)