27 Feb 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C: Low cloud, murk and drizzle. Light northerly breeze. Poor visibility.

Sunrise: 07:01 GMT

Yet another winner for the Priorslee micro-climate. I experienced continuous drizzle. Down in Donnington it was not exactly dry but windscreen wipers were not needed.

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 08:55

(44th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
Another new bird species for the year here this morning #62: A belatedly sighting of my first Treecreeper here. It was still too dark to find the calling bird so I used my Merlin app to double-check. Bizarrely Merlin also reported Woodcock (I don't think they call unless doing their territorial display flights: not here!). And Little Ringed Plover (no longer seen or heard here): this I suspect was a phrase from one of the several Song Thrushes in full voice.

Other bird notes:
- now two apparent resident pairs of Canada Geese, joined by a pair of Greylags.
- a pair of Mute Swans flew in at 07:10 and stayed.
- by the time I departed there were five brownhead Goosander present: I did not see any of them arrive though none was present at 07:00.
- six Great Crested Grebe, mostly behaving as three pairs.
- a few Black-headed Gulls drifted in at 06:47 with a maximum of c.75. Strangely these seemed happy to wander around on the south-west grass which almost all the Coots are shunning.
- a brief visit from a (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was the only large gull seen.
- only Jackdaws and Rooks passing directly overhead could be seen in the murk.
- a Chiffchaff was heard and then seen singing.
- no Reed Bunting noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 9 Jackdaws only
- 43 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: two resident(?) pairs; a single flew in and out.
- 2 Greylag Geese
- *2 Mute Swans: arrived
- 12 (7♂) Mallard
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (0♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- no Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, briefly
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

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

Flies:
- 1 female small midge
- *1 female larger midge
- *1 midge-type with spurs on the legs: possibly one of the Cerotelion species
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- *>6 various springtails

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.

Later:
Nothing of note

Here are the two Mute Swans that flew in and then stayed at least until I left. They behaved as if a pair. Sadly the photo does not show the bill of the back bird. At the time I could not detect any material difference in the size of the swelling at the bill-base. The photo does not suggest a significant difference in size. I think the closer bird is a cob (male). I would not like to speculate about the other.

There were three different species of midge on the street lamp poles this morning. This is what I usually note as the "larger" species until...

...I noted this midge-type with spurs on its legs. I have noted this type before: it is possibly one of the Cerotelion species.

This is a lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp. A few drops of water on the legs and a few of the eyes showing eye-shine, Note also two very small springtails toward the bottom of the photo. These were not seen until I edited and cropped the photo.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

I visited here pre-dawn to see what was hiding from the rain. Answer: nothing, just...

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *5 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

One of five Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata that, like me, were searching unsuccessfully for insects sheltering from the damp. Note the eyeshine from two of its eight eyes.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:00 – 10:10

(41st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a morning when some of the Mallard had gone AWOL. Also the first time this year I have noted birds on the surrounding roofs.
- the drake Pochard still here.
- there were no Black-headed Gulls at all. A (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull made a fleering appearance.
- a Blackbird seen carrying nesting material.
- *the feeding station was again dominated by Siskins. A male Blackcap made a brief visit. A lone Goldfinch seemed very reluctant to mix it with the Siskins. I have yet to see a Coal Tit at the feeders.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- *21 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 30 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- no Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, briefly

Around the area:
Nothing else of note

The first roof-sitting by the Mallard I have seen this year.

I mentioned a few days ago my Sony RX10 camera had been playing up from time-to-time. I have bought another, second-hand, example - the camera model is no longer made and there is no equivalent. So I was trying the "new" one and making sure I had the settings I needed.. Most of the subjects on and around the feeders I have shown. I hope you like these repeats despite the dull conditions. Let us start with a few Siskins. A trio of males tucking in.

"Are you taking my photo?" asks another male.

Another male in the rain.

 Sizing up an approach.

This male has been out in the rain...

...and about to dive on to the food.

Siskins will forage on the ground.

An aggressive-looking female Siskin. Male Siskins significantly outnumbered females. Perhaps the females are less bold and stayed hidden?

A passive-looking female.

And a quizzical-looking female. Nice black nail polish!

Blue Tits were definitely out-gunned at the feeders and had to wait for their turn.

A male Blackcap was a brief visitor to the feeders. I have only seen a female once.

House Sparrows are usually in the area though they don't seem to visit the feeders. Here is a female.

And a male. I don't often photograph this species so...

...here is another view.

A female Chaffinch. As previously noted this species prefers to hoover up the spillage on the ground.

And a rather soggy-looking male.

A Goldfinch of course.

It kept looking at the feeders, moving toward them and retreating as if daunted by all the Siskins even though it is a (slightly) larger species.

Still looking!

This Song Thrush did visit the feeders, quickly deciding it preferred the ground. I am not sure why it is holding its left foot strangely. It looked OK on the feeder.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 Iceland Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Greater Scaup
26 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
33 Tufted Ducks
84 Coots
c.800 Black-headed Gulls
c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.60 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
1 Glaucous Gull
(J W Reeves )

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Shelduck
4 Pochard
30 Tufted Duck
35 Robins
24 Wrens
15 Dunnocks
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
4 Gadwall
35 Pochard
51 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
103 Coots
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
c.225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
Common Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
2 Willow Tit
124 Jackdaws
86 Rooks
1 Linnet
14 Siskins
2 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Iceland Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Pochard
19 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
600 Black-headed Gulls
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
36 Wren
28 Robin
7 Redwing
20 Magpie
134 Jackdaw
8 Greenfinch
4 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorant
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
110 Coots
150 Starlings
23 Pied Wagtails
21 Wrens
15 Robins
17 Blackbirds
2 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
16 Greenfinches
38 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)