17 Dec 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

8.0°C: Cloudy after morning rain. Fresh southerly wind, gusting strong. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:17 GMT]

A few photos will be added later.

Another rain-delayed start

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 13:50 – 14:15

(305th visit of the year)

From the dam-top area only again. Still unusually quiet.

Bird notes:
- a pair of Pochard were new in.
- yesterday the duck Tufted Duck outnumbered the drakes: today it was the other way around.
- a very low count of Coots. I used my telescope today so should have found more. Perhaps they were sheltering inside the reeds.
- more gulls today with a small movement through. The figures represent the number present at any one time rather than the total of the individuals seen.
- neither a Grey Heron nor a Great (White) Egret were seen.

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 32 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 33 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants again
- no Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 12:45 – 13:40

(299th visit of the year)

When I was part-way around the Air Ambulance came low overhead only to descend and land close-by – in the grounds of the St. George's Primary School (it returned directly to its Cosford base rather than go to any local hospital). Dozens of Wood Pigeons scattered from the nearby trees and the large gulls departed from the water. Otherwise none of the other birds seemed perturbed though it may have caused some of the Mallard to leave their hiding places.

Bird notes:
- the Mute Swan present again.
- a few Goosander today.
- today's conditions did not inspire me to make my promised concerted effort to get an accurate count of the Coots.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 39 (25♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard again
- 29 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens only
- 39 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- 17 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Noted around the area:

Fungus:
- Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum

(Ed Wilson)

16 Dec 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake:  

6.0°C > 7.0°C:  Low cloud and mist, lifting slowly. Light north-westerly wind. Poor visibility, becoming moderate.

[Sunrise:  08:16 GMT]

No photos again today.

Have I mentioned the Telford micro-climate?. I delayed my start until after the rain stopped and the school-run. I left Newport in bright sun until coming up Limekiln Bank from Donnington, and then...

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:15 – 10:45

(304th visit of the year)

From the dam-top area only again. Very very quiet. I left in disgust

Bird notes:
- where were all the gulls?
- a Great (White) Egret seemed to be getting along fine with one of the two Grey Herons. It either departed while my attention was elsewhere or stepped in to the reeds and disappeared.

Counts from the lake area:
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 30 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls only
- no Herring Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls only
- 3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egrets

(Ed Wilson)

-------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:20 – 10:05

(298th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no drake Shoveler seen.
- no Goosander noted.
- I really must make a concerted effort to get an accurate count of the Coots. Numbers seem very low (as they do at the Balancing Lake). Why so few this year? Food shortage?
- where have all the gulls gone here as well?
- the Great (White) Egret not seen: replaced by another large white bird – an adult Mute Swan!

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 27 (18♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard
- 34 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 11 Moorhens only
- 37 Coots: see notes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- 10 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gull very briefly
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret: arrived

Around the area:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

15 Dec 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

9.0°C:  Cloudy. Wet. Light southerly wind. Moderate visibility.

[Sunrise:  08:16 GMT]

No photos today.

Very dull and wet early so I waited and then the usual "Th Flash first" visit. Not quite so dull. Still wet.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 11:25 – 12:05

(303rd visit of the year)

From the dam-top area only. Very quiet.

Bird notes:
- a Great (White) Egret was again being chased by the Grey Heron. Is it the same bird that I saw earlier being chased by a Grey Heron there?

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 23 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 17 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull only
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 (or 2?) Great (White) Egrets

(Ed Wilson)

----------------------------------------

The Flash: 10:25 – 11:15

(297th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a (the?) drake Shoveler again.
- some of yesterday's Pochard gone (or hiding).
- a Great (White) Egret again sparring with one of the Grey Herons: see notes for the Balancing Lake.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler again
- 25 (18♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Pochard only
- 40 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander only
- 8 Moorhens only
- ? Coots: not counted
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- 9 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret: arrived

Around the area:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

14 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 9.0°C:  An early light shower gave way to a bright and mostly cloudy morning after an excellent sunrise. Moderate southerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise:  08:15 GMT

Photos will be added later

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:35

(302nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- yesterday's Mute Swans had not stayed.
- a drake Goosander was present again.
- I noted 15 Mallard (12 drakes) on the water after they had flown in from the East. Earlier I had counted 23 (17 drakes) on one of the storm pools adjacent to the housing to the East.
- 33 Tufted Duck were noted. However much later at least 44 flew in to The Flash. This normally occurs when the sailing club put their boats in the water. So where were the other 11 hiding?
- a Sunday lie-in for the gulls. The first to appear were c.75 Black-headed Gulls at 07:25. Numbers rapidly increased to over 300, also with c.50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls by 07:32 when all the Lessers departed to the South (they probably returned). It was 07:40 before the Black-heads began to settle on the water and by this time there were c.500.
- a Great (White) Egret was chased off the East by gulls c.07:50. It, or another, was present by 08:45 and after bring chased several times by the Grey Heron left to the West c.09:00. None was at The Flash when I got there. One flew in there from the south c.11:05. So how many birds were involved?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Herring Gull
- 69 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Herod
- 136 Jackdaws
- 117 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- no Canada Geese
- no Mute Swans
- 15 (12♂) Mallard
- 33 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 4 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 || 8 Herring Gulls
- >200 || 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 (or 2?) Great (White) Egrets

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

Moths:
- 2 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Springtails:
- 1 springtail sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 1 springtail sp., probably Tomocerus vulgaris

Flies:
- 2 male Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 2 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Earwigs:
- 1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
A better haul in mild weather despite the light rain at the time

Noted elsewhere:

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
flushed from underfoot at the East end c.07:15.

Flower:
- Shepherd's-purse Capsella bursa-pastoris
apparently my first record this year here!

Later on the Teece Drive:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

-----------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:40 – 11:10

(296th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a (the?) drake Shoveler was hiding in plain sight among the Tufted Duck.
- after yesterday's single Pochard (a drake) there were six birds back again / out of hiding.
- as noted for the Balancing Lake at least 44 Tufted Duck (28? drakes) flew in as two tight groups, presumed to have been flushed off the lake.
- probably many more Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls than I have tabulated. Birds were flying over and in and out all the while and difficult to keep track of.
- a Cormorant was seen to catch a sizeable Perch and eventually manage to swallow it.
- a Great (White) Egret belatedly arrived from the South: see notes for the Balancing Lake.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
see notes.

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 30 (21♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard only
- 33 (16♂) > 77 (44♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 3 (1♂) Goosander again
- 11 Moorhens again
- 43 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- 114 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls at least: all ages
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls at least: two immatures
- 5 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret: arrived

Noted around the area:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- 1 unidentified small bumblebee Bombus sp. with a white tail

Hoverflies:
- 1 unidentified dronefly Eristalis sp.

Other flies:
- >10 Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina
- >5 smaller all-dark flies

Neither the bumblebee nor the hoverfly stayed around long-enough for me to get the camera on them.

(Ed Wilson)

13 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

3.0°C:  Yet another clear start ruined by the Telford micro-climate. Mist and fog rolled in after 07:15 and had only begun to thin by the time I had to leave The Flash. Light and variable wind. Good visibility soon became very poor and later merely poor.

Sunrise:  08:14 GMT

A very few photos will be added later

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:20

(301st visit of the year)

For what it is worth this what I noted.

Bird notes:
- two Mute Swans had arrived by 08:30.
- a drake Goosander was present c.07:45 at least.
- the first Lesser Black-backed Gulls were heard at 07:01 with c.40 circling the water by 07:15 after which they began to settle. Soon afterwards they were all lost in the mist.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant again
- 5 Jackdaws: others heard
- no Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: one of these flew in
- 2 Mute Swans: arrived
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 15 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- >36 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 18 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Herring Gulls only
- >250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: arrived as a duo and a quartet. Some (of these?) departed
- 1 Grey Heron

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

Moths:
- 3 male and one female Winter Moths Operophtera brumata
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Nothing else

Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

‐-------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35

(295th visit of the year)

Visibility slightly better here.

Bird notes:
- I did not seen any Shoveler.
- the Great (White) Egret eventually appeared out of the murk.
- after yesterday's singing Collared Dove I noted a pair (I assume) together.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 19 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard only
- 30 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third-winter, arrived
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (near) adult arrived
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted around the area:

Flower:
- Red Dead-nettle Lamium purpureum

(Ed Wilson)

12 Dec 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

7.0°C > 8.0°C:  Once more the Telford "hat" of low cloud impacted viewing after early rain delayed my start. A few breaks beginning to appear. Light north-westerly wind. Good visibility.

[Sunrise:  08:13 GMT]

As usual with a delayed start I visited The Flash first.

photos will be added later

Priorslee Balancing Lake:  10:30 – 11:50
(300th visit of the year)

A short visit viewing from the dam-top area only.

Bird notes:
- no Mallard seen.
- a scattering of Pochard new in (from The Flash?)
- two drake Goosanders noted. Unusually for here they stayed a while though were often poking about unseen inside the reeds.
- all the large gulls were spooked by something and all departed together. The Black-headed Gulls stayed on the water.
- unusually for a mid/late morning visit a few Jackdaws and Rooks were passing over on their usual post-roost trajectory.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 23 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- no Canada Geese
- no Mallard
- 6 (3) Pochard
- 26 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (2♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 42 Coot
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 23 Herring Gulls
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Of note.

Nothing else

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 11:55 – 12:30

(294th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Shoveler was seen in flight only and assumed to be "our" drake, but...
- no (Common) Teal found.
- as often seems to be their habit when it has recently rained many of the Moorhens were out feeding on the grass.
- the Great (White) Egret present again.
- after many days without sight or sound I noted a Collared Dove singing (well: he calls it singing) from a roof-top in Derwent Drive.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler: see notes
- 21 (16♂) Mallard: others hiding somewhere?
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 40 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: a first- and a third-winter arrived separately
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults; arrived separately again
- 2 Cormorants: one departed
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Around the area:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

11 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 10.0°C:  Another clear start. The Telford "hat" of low cloud soon moved in and only sporadically cleared after c.09:30. Moderate southerly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise:  08:12 GMT

photos will be added later

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:30

(299th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 24 Mallard flew in from the East in several concurrent small groups. I did not find all of them on the water so do have the complete sex breakdown.
- the early gull arrival took place out of line of sight from my chosen vantage point. I do know that birds were later than usual arriving, with none seen or heard until 07:30.
- an only slightly larger post 08:30 gull arrival again with many birds flying overhead.
- a Great (White) Egret present again and probably the bird seen at The Flash later.
- unusually I noted more Rooks than Jackdaws on their roost-dispersal flight. Many of Jackdaws were well to the East and I assume the "missing" birds were unseen even further East.
- one (or more) Redwings were heard calling from a traditional roost site in the north-east area. This seems to be being used very intermittently these days. Ten years ago counts of >150 birds seen leaving the area were not uncommon.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 95 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 126 Jackdaws
- 146 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 24 (>14♂) Mallard
- 31 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens again
- 44 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 || 9 Herring Gulls
- >250 || 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: arrived; one of them departed
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

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

Moths:
- 1  Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- 1 globular springtail sp., possibly Dicyrtomina saundersi

Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn

Flies:
- no midges

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 4 spiders: three usual suspectsbut...

1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.

That was a waste of a visit!

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:35 – 10:50

(293rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I did not seen the drake Shoveler.
- Neither did I see yesterday's feral-type drake Mallard.
- I did see a pair of (Common) Teal by the island.
- a Great (White) Egret seen in flight between various locations.
- a Kingfisher seen at the bottom end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- still no Greylag Geese
- no Shoveler
- 29 (21♂) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Pochard yet again
- 22 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (2♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls: various ages
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults; arrived separately
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted around the area:
On street lamp poles:

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

On the bank of Ivy:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >3 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:

None

Flies
- >5 Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina
- 1 Muscid fly Phaonia subventa/rufiventris

(Ed Wilson)

10 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 8.0°C > 10.0°C:  A clear start. Then a heavy shower c.07:10 clearing after 08:00. Moderate south-westerly breeze gusting strong at times. Very good visibility except during shower.

Sunrise:  08:11 GMT

Photos to be added later.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:30

(298th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the number of Coots remains unusually low for reasons that are unclear. Those that are present seem to have plenty of food available.
- viewing the early gull arrival was thwarted by needing to shelter from the shower. I think c.250 Black-headed Gulls and >450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I could not find any Herring Gulls at this time.
- again the usual post 08:30 gull arrival was almost non-existent with birds flying overhead.
- one Great (White) Egret present for a while. Flew off West c.09:00.
- unusual for this time of year was hearing and then seeing House Sparrows away from the gardens in Teece Drive. Several had invaded the hedge around the academy.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 25 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 64 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 185 Jackdaws
- 91 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 11 (?♂) Mallard
- 38 (24♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.250 Black-headed Gulls
- ? || 5 Herring Gulls
- >450 || 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: arrived separately
- *1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret

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

Moths:
- 2 male Winter Moths Operophtera brumata

Flies:
- *1 very small unidentified fly
- *1 small fly (or perhaps an ichneumon)

Springtails:
- 1 globular springtails sp., possibly Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere:
Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

‐‐‐------‐---------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn

Flies:
- no midges

Arthropods:
- 1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

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

(Ed Wilson)

‐‐‐------‐---------------------------------

The Flash: 09:35 – 10:35

(292nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *what I presume is the same drake Shoveler was seen again.
- *a feral-type Mallard with white on the breast and more rufous flanks was a bird I cannot recall seeing previously.
- so where were all the Herring Gulls today?
- at least four Chaffinches noted. A good number these days.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- *1 (1♂) Shoveler
- *32 (22♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) hybrid Mallard
- *7 (4♂) Pochard again
- 35 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- *8 (3♂) Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull only
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around the area:

On the bank of Ivy:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >5 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- *1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Flies
- >20 Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina

(Ed Wilson)