6.0°C > 7.0°C: Early high overcast soon replaced by medium-low overcast with rain between 09:00 and 09:50. Almost calm. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:16 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 07:05 – 09:45
(10th visit of the year)
No ice remains.
Bird notes:
- six Canada Geese were present throughout.
- a drake Shoveler was doing its best to (successfully) hide from the camera.
- eight Mallard were seen flying in from the pools to the East. I did not see them again and have no idea how many drakes / ducks there were.
- now ten Pochard (nine drakes).
- just three Great Crested Grebes again.
- no gulls until 07:35 when the first of >350 Black-heads, 19 Herring and 45 Lesser Black-backs arrived. These had all gone soon after 08:00 and here was no later arrival.
- a single group of Fieldfare and two one of Redwings flew over.
- only three Song Thrushes were heard singing with another(?) three heard calling.
- a Mistle Thrush was seen to fly on to the dam top grass from the other side of Castle Farm Way and later fly back. Much later two birds were in trees at the West end before flying off towards Castle Farm Way. Were these both different birds?
And on that got away. What I believe to me a duck flushed out of sedges in front of me flying quickly away. Its identity has me flummoxed. It seemed to be mostly dark with a paler belly and white somewhere near the tail area. It flight it seemed larger and flying with slower wing beats than, say, a Tufted Duck. If it had a wing bar it was very indistinct. The rain on my binoculars did not help.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 43 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- 34 Jackdaws
- 41 Rooks
- 4 Fieldfare
- 7 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 8 (?♂) Mallard
- 10 (9♂) Pochard
- 21 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 23 Coots again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Herring Gulls
- c.45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Great (White) Egret again
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Fewer insects etc. on the dew covered poles.
Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Flies:
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
Springtails:
- 1 globular springtail sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta
- 1 springtail possibly Tomocerus minor
- 1 globular springtail sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta
- 1 springtail possibly Tomocerus minor
Beetles:
- 1 ground beetle, possibly Paradromius linearis
- 1 ground beetle, possibly Paradromius linearis
Spiders / harvestmen etc.:
- 1 unidentified spider
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere
- 1 unidentified spider
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted later on the Teece Drive fence or elsewhere
Nothing
There were six Cormorants here this morning. The same ones each day? Here is #1.
And #2 and #3.
A dew-dusted male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata.
A three springtail morning. This globular springtail is probably Dicyrtomina saundersi.
The relatively short and curved antennae lead me to suggest this springtail might be Tomocerus minor.
An unidentified spider. Obsidentify was 80% certain it is Synema globosum. But there are only two confirmed records of this much smaller species in the UK. Google Lens suggested the more likely Larinioides cornutus though none of the photos on NatureSpot resembles this individual.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:50 – 10:55
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:50 – 10:55
(5th visit of the year)
Still >50% ice. Hard to be sure as much of the ice is covered in water.
Bird notes:
- only one Great Crested Grebe again.
- some of the Goosanders flew off. It is unusual for there to be more drakes than brownheads (ducks).
- a Grey Heron today.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 37 (25♂) Mallard
- 33 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 (7♂) Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 47 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around the area:
Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 37 (25♂) Mallard
- 33 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 (7♂) Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 47 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Springtails:
- 1 globular springtail sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi
More Goosander photos. The light was not so helpful today. Here is a duck with soggy-looking head plumes.
This duck has been keeping her head plumes dry! What is the female equivalent of a "spiv"? Google AI suggests there is any equivalent.
Not a brilliant photo but this departing drake Goosander shows how the white on the wings of drakes extends across the whole width. On ducks only the rear part is white.
- 1 globular springtail sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi
A drake Goosander.
And another.
Grey Heron is an early-breeding species (end of February) and so is already fully plumed.
The nearby Coots would not stop moving the water about to spoil a perfect reflection.
Nesting time already? This Collared Dove seems to think so, collecting a stick.
Just too late with the camera. This female Blackbird had just swallowed a worm.
Muddy feet too.
This globular springtail got a 100% identity of Dicyrtomina saundersi by Obsidentify.
Not sure about this. Is it the remains of a springtail?
(Ed Wilson)
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2014
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Scaup
2 female Scaup
(Paul King)
2013
Priorslee Lake
103 Coot
147 Black-headed Gulls
25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
63 Tufted Duck
1 drake Scaup
2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)
Priorslee Flash
4 Goosander
38 Tufted Duck
(Tony Beckett)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
5 Great Crested Grebe
20 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
92 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
24 Redwings
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)
Priorslee Flash
66 Tufted Duck
236 Black-headed Gulls
36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
East of Priorslee
Willow Tit
Skylark
Brown Hare
(John Isherwood)
Holmer Lake
69 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
8 Swans
4 Gadwall
23 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
256 Coots
c.800 Black-headed Gulls
c.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
c.40 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Willow Tit
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson and unknown observer)
2007
Priorslee Lake
38 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
15 Goosanders
2 Buzzards
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
>215 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
32 Robins
15 Blackbirds
179 Fieldfares
104 Redwings
274 Jackdaws
266 Rooks
218 Starlings
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
13 Cormorants
10 Pochard
24 Tufted Duck
207 Coots
2 Lapwings
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
61 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
309 Jackdaws
493 Rooks
12 Pied Wagtails
10 Fieldfare
15 Robins
12 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)