26 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 4.0°C: Clear skies. Frost. Light, mainly northerly, breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT

* = a species photographed today

I hope you have all given your servants their Christmas Boxes today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 07:05 – 09:30

(314th visit of the year)

Many gulls and a good Jackdaw passage today. Otherwise it was as quiet today as it was busy yesterday. Always a few bits and pieces though.

Bird notes:
- a Water Rail was calling (not the pig-like squealing) in the north-west area. There may have been two: I could not decide whether it was two or a single bird moving its head from side to side.
- a few Black-headed Gulls arrived c.07:40 with many later arrivals: about 300 eventually I would judge.
- at least 350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were already on the water by 07:35 with more streaming in and eventually at least were 650 present. Only a scatter of Herring Gulls was noted among them. Very few overflying gulls today.
- several large, tight groups of Jackdaws were noted concurrently passing low to the East. The number given is a rough estimate.
- no Song Thrushes braved the cold to sing.
- *a Treecreeper was seen in the north-west area. It is always a challenge to find this species in Winter when birds rarely call.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: flew West together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.450 Jackdaws
- 79 Rooks
- 31 Fieldfare
- 14 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 18 (13♂) Mallard
- 26 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen only
- 16 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >300 Black-headed Gulls
- >15 Herring Gulls
- >650 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

On the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Nothing at all found.
Too cold.

Seen later:
Nothing

The pre-sunrise glow across the lake.

A layer of haze in the distance. Above the haze layer the visibility was excellent. Not visible here but I noted an aircraft contrail of a KLM flight from the Antilles to Amsterdam when it was over Guildford in Surrey. Apparently c.125 miles (200 Km) away as the crow flies.

Sunrise..!

The complete sun now above the horizon. This photo was, according to my smartphone, taken at 08:26. Official sunrise was 08:22. Does that mean that "official sunrise" is when the first part of the sun is visible?

The Treecreeper was, of course, on the shaded side of the tree. The camera (and the photo editor) have done a passable job of producing an image.

The species' thin, curved bill is evident here. Ideal to get in all those nooks and crannies.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse area:

Another quick visit for more sunrise photos. Quiet here.

On the lower pool:
Mostly iced-over
- 1 Coot
The Mallard were all on the main lake as a result.

The upper pool:
It was completely iced over

Elsewhere
- c.50 Fieldfare
- c.10 Redwings
- 1 Grey Wagtail
- 1 Linnet

None of the Fieldfare and Redwings were visiting the still-laden Hawthorn bushes, staying in tree-tops.
The Grey Wagtail was likely the bird seen on the dam at the lake earlier.
The Linnet was frustrating: I have yet to record one this year at or from my lake recording area. So close....

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:35 – 10:45

(307th visit of the year)

About 10% ice, mostly very thin.

Families were again out "feeding the ducks" moving all the birds around.

Bird notes:
- just one Mute Swan seen.
- an extra Pochard noted: another of indeterminate age / sex.
- no Goosander noted.
- were there really only 24 Coots?
- there have been no singing Song Thrushes at the Balancing Lake. There was one here. Perhaps it had warmed up enough?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 35 (25♂) Mallard
- *11 (6?♂) Pochard
- 41 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 24? Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- *102 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gull: first-winter and (near) adult again
- no Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted around the area:
The air-temperature again just 4.0°C. On the Ivy I noted just:

- *>2 Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina

Perhaps my best photo (to date) of a drake Pochard?

The Black-headed Gull ice-skating team get ready for action. Their blood-supply must be different to mine. My feet were freezing in two layers of socks and boots even staying off the ice.

One of just two Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina braving the cold to see whether there was any food for them on the Ivy.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st-winter female Scaup
(Unknown)

2012
Priorslee Lake
A drake Scaup
4 Gadwall
10 Great Black-backed Gull
(Kriss Webb)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Gadwall
26 Pochard
97 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosander
327 Coots
5 Redwings
4 Fieldfare
10 Goldfinches
14 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)