7 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: Very low overcast / mist with periods of mostly light drizzle. Light south-easterly breeze. Moderate visibility at best, often poor.

Sunrise: 08:07 GMT

Photos to come later

All counts are best-effort in the poor visibility. It was rarely possible to see the whole water at any one time at either location.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:20

(296th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two Canada Geese throughout.
- no sign of Friday's Gadwall.
- I heard Black-headed Gulls at 06:50. It was much later before I saw any with c.55 on the water and another(?) 19 on the football field later.
- the Lesser Black-backed Gulls were also late arriving with c.100 circling over 07:10. Only c.50 more were noted as part of the first arrival.
- the usual post 08:30 arrival was very small with most gulls flying over in the mist.
- at least five Cormorants with birds seen in the water, flying around and departing.
- the Great (White) Egret present again.
- a Kingfisher was seen flying across the water.
- only Jackdaws and Rooks passing directly could be seen.
- unusual was a Fieldfare calling from a tree between the lake and the M54 before flying off East. At least seven Redwings were in the West end bushes and trees.
- 12 Song Thrushes were heard singing. Two non-singing birds were seen.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons only
- 19 Herring Gulls
- 129 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 58 Jackdaws
- 20 Rooks
- 16 Starlings: together
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 37 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens again
- 42 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes only
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 || 20 Herring Gulls
- >150 || 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5? Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Kingfisher

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

Moths:
- *2 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata
- *1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Bugs:
- *1 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Spiders:
- *1 possible Mothercare Spider Phylloneta sisyphia, a Comb-footed spider
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
Nothing noted

Quite what the Great White Egret was doing standing on the dam face is unclear. It won't find any fish there.

Luckily identification of Winter Moths Operophtera brumata can be done on wing-shape. Had I needed to see wing-markings I would have been out of luck on this dew-spattered example.

A male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria that is not particularly "mottled" or "umber".

A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. As previously noted I seem to find more of these on street lamp poles in winter than I do on the vegetation in Spring and Summer.

I am not sure about this spider. It seems a good match for the Mothercare Spider Phylloneta sisyphia, a Comb-footed spider. The suggestion on NatureSpot is that this species is not seem after "Autumn". The name is given to this species as the female regurgitates food for the young spiderlings. Not that it does her any favours as she dies before the young leave the natal nest and they then eat her!

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. with the markings obscured by dew.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Flies:
- 1 midge only

Arthropods:
- 1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 8 spiders: usual suspects

The spiders did not have much to try and catch!

A Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella. A very smart-looking shell. It seems improbable that all the snail's body would fit inside the shell if danger threatened.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35

(290th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Shoveler or (Common) Teal seen.
- of the five Pochard one was clearly an adult drake; one a duck; I was undecided about the others!

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 5 (1♂) Pochard: see notes
- 49 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (3♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls: all ages
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults: of these two departed and two arrived
- 1 Cormorant only
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

The bank of Ivy was devoid of insects.

Another variation of a male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata, this example showing a single darker cross-band.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard.
55 Tufted Ducks.
153 Coots.
615 Black-headed Gulls
354 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
21 Herring Gulls.
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
9 Cormorants
33 Swans
25 Pochard
61 Tufted Ducks
297 Coots
2 Buzzards
19 Goldfinches
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
17 Greylag Goose
9 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
>1400 Black-headed Gulls
>230 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
23 Robins
16 Blackbirds
2 Fieldfares
3 Redwings
259 Jackdaws
257 Rooks
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
9 Pochard
31 Tufted Duck
234 Coot
205 Jackdaws
473 Rooks
154 Fieldfare
4 Redwings
8 Redpolls
46 Siskins
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)