31 Jan 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Clear to the East with some early sun. Medium-level cloud spreading from the West. Light / moderate south-easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:55 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:50 – 09:20

(27th visit of the year)

New bird species
A new bird species for the year here (#58) when a Coal Tit was heard singing in the south-east area.

Bird notes:
- eleven Goosanders (six drakes one of which was the presumed late-moulting first-year bird).
- no Great Crested Grebes located today.
- no Cormorants were seen on the water: just one bird flying over.
- large counts of Jackdaws and Rooks, the former almost certainly under recorded. Two large and tight groups of bird were seen passing well to the East, the first of at least 250 birds and another of c.130.
- no Starlings noted flying over today.
- several parties of Siskins were heard flying West over the dam. I could find none in the West end Alder trees later so they (how many?) must have flown on.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: flew East together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 24 Herring Gulls
- 73 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- c.600 Jackdaws
- 247 Rooks
- 2 Redwings
- Siskins: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 (3♂) Mallard
- 15 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 (6?♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 19 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes
- c.70 Black-headed Gulls
- 24 Herring Gulls
- 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Dew-covered and cold

Beetles:
- 1 possible Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Springtails:
- 4 globular springtail Dicyrtomina saundersi- type
- 1 other smaller globular springtail
- 2 other types of springtail

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Seen later:

Nothing of note

Clear to the East with the cloud spreading from the West – despite the wind coming from the south-east as it seems to have done almost continually this year so far.

A higher number of Herring Gulls were early visitors today. Here are five, all immatures. The bird on the left looks to be a second-winter. The others all first-winter birds.

Three more, all first winter birds.

One of two Mistle Thrushes seen on the south-west grass, presumably one of a pair...

...with this one. I was just too late with the camera to see what seemed to be one bird feeding the other. An hour prior to these photos a possibly different Mistle Thrush flew, calling, out of the south-east area and away across the M54.

Not a good photo of one flying away – plenty of branches and trees to confuse the camera's focus mechanism. What is notable here are the warm flanks towards the rear and the pale tips to the outer tail-feathers, this latter feature being hard to see with the naked eye.

Perhaps my best-yet photo of a possible Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala. Not that this is saying very much as these flea-beetles are too small even for the camera's macro capability.

The springtail challenge. I was trying, unsuccessfully, to photograph the Dicyrtomina saundersi-type springtail centre right. When I looked at the photo I could see a much smaller globular springtail just left of centre-top. There are also three small springtails of a different shape bottom-centre, centre-left and top left-of-centre. None of these I noted at the time. So how many others did I fail to see that were not silhouetted against one of the street lamp pole identity stickers?

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30

(23rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Mute Swan seen today.
- yesterday eight of the ten Pochard recorded were clearly drakes: today nine of the ten seemed to be clearly drakes. Most odd.
- just the two Great Crested Grebes with obvious head plumes seen?
- again no Grey Heron or Great (White) Egret noted but an immature Cormorant again.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- no Mute Swan
- 30 (19♂) Mallard
- 10 (9♂) Pochard
- 43 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (2♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 37 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: one first- and one second-winter
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed
- 1 Cormorant: immature
- no Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Around the area:

Nothing else of note 

A collection of diving ducks. I reckon 12 drake and 11 duck Tufted Duck and toward the back five drake and one duck Pochard.

Mrs. Goosander looking worried.

A Coal Tit. Not an easy subject. Fast moving inside the canopy. When they do stay still and sing it usually from a very high perch.

Coming in to view and...

...going! Surprisingly large feet and claws!

What a sweetie. A well-framed Blue Tit.

All I can say is that I am glad they invented digital cameras. I would be a poor man from all the wasted shots attempting to photograph flying Long-tailed Tits. This was one for which I did not press "delete".

Sometimes you get lucky! More light next time please.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
22 Greylag Geese
19 Pochard
42 Tufted Duck
c.390 Black-headed Gulls
c.350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
32 Herring Gulls
1 Common Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
69 Redwings
25 Greenfinches
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
Tundra Bean Goose
8 Greylag Geese
37 Tufted Ducks
c.1000 Black-headed Gulls
246 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Herring Gulls.
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Trench Pool
8 Pochard
50 Tufted Ducks
79 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake
50 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

30 Jan 26

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

4.0°C > 6.0°C: Dull and overcast yet again with mist over the hills. Light /moderate south-easterly wind. Moderate visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:56 GMT]

* = a species photographed today

Yet another day when it seemed prudent to wait until it was (sort of) light and the rain had ceased before venturing out.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 09:20 – 10:15

(26th visit of the year)

Viewing only from the dam-top.

Bird notes:
- I have included the Goosander puzzle from yesterday as a drake in today's count. It is a good job that this species remains to boost the otherwise dismal number of birds.

Just three birds noted flying over:
- 2 Herring Gulls: immatures
- 1 Wood Pigeon

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 9 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 (5♂) Goosander: see notes
- 4 Moorhens
- 20 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull only
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Great (White) Egret
That's all folks.

One of the five drake Goosander here today, four of them like this one in full breeding plumage.

One of now two adult Great Crested Grebes with well-developed head plumes. The two were seen displaying together yesterday. Not today.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 10:25 – 11:15

(22nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- still only one Mute Swan. It spent some while on the East side grass.
- I managed to answer my own question from yesterday regarding the Great Crested Grebes. There were three birds today, two with well-developed head plumes and one, probably a first-year bird, without obvious plumes.
- once again no Cormorant, Grey Heron or egret noted.
- as yesterday there was a party of Siskins in trees along the East side. I could not see or hear any Lesser Redpolls among them.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 10 (8♂) Pochard
- 31 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one first- and one third-winter
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near?) adult, departed

Around the area:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorants
1 Teal
7 Pochard
66 Tufted Duck
3 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
91 Coots
1 Woodcock
50 Herring Gulls
33 Redwings
c.495 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
106 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
7 Pochard
25 Tufted Duck
4 Goosander
44 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

Park Pool, Chetwynd near Newport
31 Shoveler
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
29 Wigeon
10 Gadwall
8 Pochard
59 Tufted Ducks
1 Scaup
169 Coots
>300 Starlings
13 Redwings
46 Fieldfare
211 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

The Flash
9 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
2 Goosander
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
1 Gadwall
9 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
Goldcrest
Nuthatch
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
21 Pochard
42 Tufted Duck
c.190 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull
75 Redwing
16 Bullfinch
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

Priorslee Flash
1 Pochard
43 Tufted Ducks
282 Black-headed Gulls
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Water Rail
4 Gadwall
2 Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
A female Ruddy Duck
500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring & Black-headed Gulls.
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

29 Jan 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 4.0°C: Back to gloom: very low cloud early covering the hills. As the light south-easterly wind began to increase moderate the cloud lifted somewhat. Moderate visibility, becoming good.

Sunrise: 07:58 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:50 – 09:25

(25th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- only six Goosanders (three drakes. I think!).
- now two Great Crested Grebes. These occasionally did some desultory displaying.
- more gulls today, the large gulls arriving after 07:30 and the Black-headed Gulls after 07:45.
- it seem strange that when the Great (White) Egret flies across the water the gulls take no notice whereas when the Grey Heron does so they all take to the air. Perhaps because the egret tends to fly at a higher level?
- an unusual sighting was just two Long-tailed Tits performing a prolonged chase in and around the West end hedge row. There was no obvious sign of any other members of a Long-tailed Tit party.
- all the c.250(?) Starlings flew low East in one large group. I don't think they could have come from a roost around the water. When birds do roost around the lake then while most leave together there are always small groups of "late risers" chasing to catch-up and I did not note any stragglers this morning.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: flew East together
- 2 Greylag Geese: flew East together
- 3 Stock Doves: flew East together
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 56 Jackdaws
- 23 Rooks
- >250 Starlings: flew East together
- 3 Fieldfare: flew East together

Counts from the lake area:
- 17 (10♂) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 (3?♂) Goosander
- 3 Moorhens
- 19 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gulls
- 78 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron: perhaps early only
- *1 Great (White) Egret again

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Dew-covered and cold

Springtails:
- *2 unidentified small springtails

Seen later:

Nothing of note

Four of the Goosanders were staying as two pairs for much of the time. Here is one such pair.

A puzzling Goosander. The white feathering in the folded wings suggests a drake. The buff flanks and brownhead suggest a duck. It seems very late in the season for it to be a late-moulting first-winter drake. I cannot come up with any other explanation.

A Great (White) Egret of course.

The low light-level retains some of the feather detail but makes it a challenge to completely "freeze" the action.

I noted three Fieldfare flying over this morning. This is almost certainly not one of them. I took this photograph yesterday in fields alongside Sleap Airfield near Wem.

Another view. A species typically seen in Winter in the UK in open country. When I first visited Russia it was a surprise to encounter them inside dense woodland – where they nest.

Springtails are a challenge to identify at the best of times. When any markings are obscured by droplets of dew the answer is? Give up!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:45

(21st visit of the year)

New bird species:
A new bird species for the year here (#50) when several *Lesser Redpolls were heard and then seen feeding along with a large group of *Siskins feeding in Alders and Silver Birch trees.

Bird notes:
- the single Mute Swans present again.
- so where were many of the Mallard today?
- two Great Crested Grebes both with obvious head plumes. Has the bird seen last week with almost no plumes grown some quickly or has it been replaced by a different bird?
- again no Grey Heron or Great (White) Egret noted but there was an immature Cormorant.
- there was a tussle going on between a Carrion Crow and a Magpie with one trying to steal sticks from the nest of the other. I am not sure whose nest it was.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 20 (14♂) Mallard
- 10 (8♂) Pochard
- 36 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- *2 Great Crested Grebes
- *43 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: one first-, one second- and one third-winter
- 1 Cormorant: immature
- no Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Around the area:

Nothing else of note

Here is one of the two Great Crested Grebes that both showed extensive head-plumes. Typically the other bird disappeared somewhere while I was photographing this bird.

A few of the Black-headed Gulls are now beginning to acquire their breeding plumage. The name is a misnomer: it is only a hood which changes not to black but to a dark chocolate colour.

The change happens surprisingly quickly on any one bird. Almost all the adults will be fully hooded by the end of February.

Not easy. Small birds in the tops of trees against the leaden sky. Seven Siskins here.

Wind up the exposure and use maximum zoom! A male Siskin with a smart dark crown.

A different male.

A messy eater!

It took a while. I eventually found one of the Lesser Redpolls. "Poll" = head or crown.

Another. The breast and flanks of this species is a warmer buff in tone than the accompanying Siskins.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
14 Pochard
71 Tufted Duck
3 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
103 Coots
1 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
141 Redwings
502 Jackdaws
383 Rooks
2 Ravens
(Ed Wilson, Gary Crowder)

The Flash
89 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
26 Wigeon
12 Gadwall
12 Pochard
60 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
246 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
34 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
21 Redwings
147 Jackdaws
c.30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Unknown Observer)

Trench Lock Pool
18 Swans
8 Pochard
45 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
99 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
21 Pochard
51 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
109 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
c.250 Black-headed Gulls.
1 Buzzard
1 Merlin
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Goldeneye
(Ed Wilson)

28 Jan 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 2.0°C > 4.0°C: Mostly clear. Very light south-easterly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:02 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:50 – 09:10

(24th visit of the year)

Of Interest:
Scientists from Severn-Trent were sampling the water for any traces DNA of the European Eel Anguilla anguilla. Water management schemes are known to prevent eel migration and have been linked to a 95% decline the eel population. All eels eventually make their way to mate in the Sargasso Sea, part of the North Atlantic.

Bird notes:
- now eight Goosanders with four drakes. As previously one of the ducks/brownheads was consistently apart from all the others. For some of the time she was joined by one of the other duck/brownhead.
- the / a Great Crested Grebe was seen again.
- the numbers of gulls on the water declined yet again: depressing.
- the first four Black-headed Gulls all flew straight over at 07:45 with the first of 21 (again) arriving after 07:50 with a few others passing straight over. None was seen on or around the football field later.
- Lesser Black-backed Gulls were first noted flying over at 07:28. Just two appeared on the water at 08:00 among the Black-headed Gulls. Later a single adult Herring Gull was on the water.
- another bumper total of 14 singing Song Thrushes. I assume it was the colder conditions as only six of these were noted pre-dawn, the others starting up later.
- another day with a dearth of finches: I neither heard nor saw any Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches or Siskins. I did however see a female Bullfinch.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 72 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 194 Jackdaws
- 151 Rooks
- c.100 Starlings: two concurrent groups, each of c.50 birds

Counts from the lake area:
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- *15 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 (4♂) Goosander
- 4 Moorhens
- 18 Coots only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 21 Black-headed Gulls again: see notes
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- no Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret again

On the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Nothing noted. Dew-covered and later just frosted: too cold

Seen later:

Nothing of note

Makes a welcome change. Just a few fair-weather clouds.

These four Goosanders were keeping together as two pairs most of the time.

"I see no fish!". The drake Goosander on the left is displaying. She does not look impressed.

Just appearing are the flower buds of Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus. This is a non-native species that spreads easily and is to be discouraged. However... the flowers do provide an early source of nectar for insects.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:30

(20th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- only a single Mute Swans present: probably a cob. I peered inside the island from all angles and there did not seem to be another there.
- four Greylag Geese flew in.
- again no Cormorant, Grey Heron or Great (White) Egret noted

I think that the bird calls I noted two and three days ago that sounded somewhat like a Green Woodpecker were in fact given by a wayward Coot!

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese: four of these departed together
- 4 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 1 Mute Swan
- *30 (21♂) Mallard
- 6 (6♂) Pochard
- 45 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- *5 (1♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 19 Black-headed Gulls
- no Cormorant
- no Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Of note around the area:

Nothing else. The Ivy bank was in full sun with little wind: still too cold to tempt any insects to appear.

This duck gave (and gives) me some problem as to its identity. She seemed slightly smaller than a Mallard; the bill showed more yellow than normal; and the pattern of the flank feathers looked different.

Here alongside a drake Mallard.

And a close-up. It certainly has more pale on the bill and it seems to show a hint of the white neck-ring shown by drakes. Could this just be a reflection from the water. "Just" a duck Mallard I concluded.

It would be churlish to complain about this morning's sun. The strong contrast makes photographing drake Goosander a challenge. The head looks great: all detail in the flank feathers is lost.

A calling Long-tailed Tit.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
63 Tufted Duck
3 Greater Scaup
Velvet Scoter
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
16 Redwings over
555 Jackdaws
345 Rooks
(Ed Wilson, Gary Crowder)

The Flash
120 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
3 Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
31 Wigeon
10 Gadwall
11 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
177 Coots again
38 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
9 Redwings
52 Magpies
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Shoveler
4 Pochard
57 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
21 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
150 Wood Pigeons
57 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
36 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
7 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

27 Jan 26

No sightings in today

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2014
Priorslee Lake
Velvet Scoter
2 Scaup
(Martin and Ian Grant)

2013
Priorslee Lake
39 Wigeon
8 Gadwall
24 Pochard
74 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
173 Coots
169 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
18 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

26 Jan 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 3.0°C: Dull and more dull. Light south-easterly wind. Moderate / good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:02 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:55 – 09:15

(23rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- four Canada Geese flew in from the West, spending the rest of the time as a single and a trio.
- otherwise one Canada Goose flew East and two separate Greylag Geese flew West.
- six Goosanders with three drakes again. As yesterday one of the ducks/brownheads was consistently apart from all the others.
- the / a Great Crested Grebe was seen again.
- the numbers of gulls on the water declined yet again: depressing.
- a single Black-headed Gull arrived at 07:40 increasing to only three by 07:45 and a maximum of 21 by 08:00. After 09:00 26 were on and around the football field, the academy's own playing field and the roofs of the academy.
- five Herring Gulls and as yesterday no Lesser Black-backed Gulls joined the Black-heads on the water.
- a tight group of at least 60 Starlings flew low East over the dam c.08:00. It is just possible these were leaving a roost site around the lake. Previous groups seen this year have been flying much higher and heading South. This whole Winter period I can only recall three days with a Starling roost here.
- after yesterday's bumper total of 14 singing Song Thrushes I heard only nine in today's colder conditions (and no Blackbird song).

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 131 Jackdaws
- 109 Rooks
- >60 Starlings: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander again
- 4 Moorhens again
- 17 Coots only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 21 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 5 Herring Gulls
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Great (White) Egret again

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

It was colder and also with very light rain while I was checking the poles.

Springtails:
- 3 globular springtails of the Dicyrtomina saundersi-type
- 1 other springtail

Seen later:

Nothing of note

It was so gloomy this morning that once I had checked the street lamp poles along the West end footpath pre-dawn I did not unleash the camera on anything else. I'll spare you more photos of unidentified globular springtails and show this photo of a different but still unidentified springtail. Obsidentify suggests it is most likely a Signal Crayfish. I think not!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:20

(19th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two Mute Swans present and obvious throughout.
- no Cormorant, Grey Heron or Great (White) Egret noted
- I expected more at the feeding station in the colder conditions. Not so: apart from the usual Blue and Great Tits I only noted a single male and one female Chaffinch.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 28 (20♂) Mallard
- 8 (6♂) Pochard
- 54 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (2♂) Goosander again
- 14 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- no Cormorant
- no Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Around the area:

Nothing else of note

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
Velvet Scoter
2 Scaup
(Martin and Ian Grant)

2013
Priorslee Lake
39 Wigeon
8 Gadwall
24 Pochard
74 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
173 Coots
169 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
18 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

25 Jan 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 7.0°C: More brighter spells this morning with a light showers early. Light easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:03 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:55 – 09:15

(22nd visit of the year)

New Bird Species:
One addition to my 2026 bird species list for this site:
- a Red Kite was circling overhead heading loosely West at 09:10
Species #57 this year.

Otherwise another very quiet day.

Bird notes:
- the only geese seen today were four Canada Geese flying South far to the West.
- now six Goosanders: three drakes. They did not seem to be consistently behaving as pairs with one of the ducks/brownheads consistently apart from the others.
- a Great Crested Grebe was my first here for 10 days.
- an even small number of gulls on the water:
- the first c.75 Black-headed Gulls arrived together at the later time of 07:35. These had all gone by 07:40. A suspiciously similar number arrived back(?) c.07:55. Much later 35 (of these?) were on the academy's own playing field.
- four Herring Gulls and no Lesser Black-backed Gulls joined the Black-heads on the water.
- fewer gulls than yesterday were noted passing over.
- of the 55 Wood Pigeons noted flying over 48 of these were in two parties flying North.
- no fewer than 16 Song Thrushes were noted singing. Two calling birds may or may not have been different individuals. Also heard in song was a Blackbird: I think the first this year though I heard at least one singing in December.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: flew South together
- 55 Wood Pigeons: see notes
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Red Kite
- 139 Jackdaws
- 97 Rooks
- 23 Starlings: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 8 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander
- 4 Moorhens
- 22 Coots
- >75 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Herring Gulls
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
There was light rain while I was checking the poles.

Flies:
- 3 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 1 midge (with spurs), quite possibly one of the Cerotelion species

Springtails:
- 5 globular springtail of the Dicyrtomina saundersi-type

Noted later:

Fungus:
- Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus

A trio of drake Goosanders. The three girls had gone elsewhere to look for fish.

Same problem as yesterday: raptors as silhouettes against a leaden sky. Here is the Red Kite.

Looking at the camera?

Just a hint of red in the tail.

One of the local Common Buzzards was none too happy about the kite's presence and decided to patrol its territory.

One of three winter craneflies Trichocera sp. braving the slight rain.

This midge, complete with leg-spurs, I have previously suggested could be one of the Cerotelion species.

A small part of a very large number of Glistening Inkcaps Coprinellus micaceus.

And a few more. I also noted this species in the same area last January.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn

Flies:
- 3 midges

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 6 probably all Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

This midge was identified with 91% certainty by Obsidentify as a species of in the family Chironomidae and specifically Telmatogeton japonicus which it names Marine splash midge. This species, introduced from Japan, does look a good fit though it is known from inter-tidal areas so seems unlikely. The mark on the right side of the insect is on the wall behind it.

A Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata. I suspect all six spiders I noted hanging from webs along the wall of the tunnel were this species.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:35

(18th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
Three additions to my 2026 bird species list for this site:
- a Greylag Goose (at last) was heard and then a single bird noted on the water.
- a male Blackcap was seen at the feeders between Wordsworth Way and the water.
- a Stock Dove was heard calling from the nearby worded area
This brings my bird species total for here to #49 this year.

Note
Frustrating were two "possibles" that got away:
- for the second time in three days I heard what sounded a bit like a Green Woodpecker calling. But only a "bit like". When I heard it Friday I dismissed it as being given by one of the five very vocal Song Thrushes (one of them can do a good imitation of a Redshank). Today I was not so sure. One to listen out for.
- in a fast-moving mixed party of tits I caught a snatch of what might have been a calling Marsh Tit. Booting up the Merlin app. left me confused as what it suggested was a Marsh Tit sounded like a Great Tit to me. I saw nothing to suggest a Marsh Tit was present.

Other bird notes:
- I thought the Mute Swans were missing again. After having walked all the way around I was about to climb in the car when I noted two on the East side. Did they fly in or were they hiding inside the island, perhaps nest prospecting?
- both Pochard and Tufted Duck numbers decreased today: they come and they go.
- four Goosander behaving as two pairs today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 31 (23♂) Mallard
- 9 (6♂) Pochard
- 30 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (2♂) Goosander
- 16 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: a near adult-winter was joined briefly by a second winter
- no Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Of note around the area:

Nothing else

I have no idea why it has taken 25 days for a Greylag Goose to appear on the water for me this year. Just the one. That will do.

As with the Tufted Duck the Pochard have become much more tolerant of people. This pair, the duck in the foreground, were unusually close and unfazed by the camera even if they were watching carefully.

At first glance it looks like an adult-winter Herring Gull. Closer inspection shows too much black on the bill and, more telling, a few brown flecks in the folded wings.

Here it is joined by what looks to be a second-winter judging by the extensive pale at the base of the bill. An adult-winter Black-headed Gull is the back bird of the trio.

Looking at this Blue Tit photo prompted me to wonder whether, like Great Tits, they can be sexed by the size of the "zip" down the belly. Reference to the literature suggests not, noting that Blue Tits have a "weak dark line" down their belly in contrast to the black line of the Great Tit, wider in the male of this latter species.

Not a species I expected to see today: a male Blackcap was visiting the feeding station.

This clearly shows the black is a "cap". The plumage is somewhat similar to both Marsh and Willow Tits: on these species the black extends down the nape. Not always easy to see.

A smart bird even if the low light makes the photo "grainy".

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
11 Pochard
61 Tufted Duck
2 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
98 Coots
4 Redwings
c.735 Jackdaws
c.257 Rooks
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
92 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Peregrine
6 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
31 Wigeon
12 Gadwall
1 Greater Scaup
>700 Black-headed Gulls
7 Common Gulls
>1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>300 Herring Gulls
7 Great Black-backed Gulls.
(Ed Wilson, (John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine
1 Little Grebe
30 Swans
4 Gadwall
28 Pochard
86 Tufted Ducks
1 Buzzard
296 Coots
5 Redwings
27 Greenfinches
c.30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Goldeneye
1 Water Rail
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
c.120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.45 Herring Gulls
10 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
24 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
152 Coot
1 Water Rail
c.48 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)