1 Mar 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 11.0°C: Broken cloud. Some sunny intervals. Fresh southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 06:57 GMT]

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

It was drizzling when the alarm went off so I turned over. When I awoke I was missing a red sunrise!

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 07:30 – 09:05

(46th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two pairs of Canada Geese throughout.
- the pair of Mute Swans had to defend their territory against a visitor.
- eight (six drakes) of the meagre number of Tufted Duck "appeared": I assume they flew in while I was looking the other way.
- five Goosander noted, all appeared to be brownheads.
- back to three pairs of Great Crested Grebe.
- 71 was my highest count of Black-headed Gulls. As in the last few days probably more individuals with birds coming and going.
- certainly six, probably eight and possibly nine Cormorants. They kept moving on and off the boating platforms to fish in the water and then returning.
- the Cetti's Warbler was singing along the South side again
- the Chiffchaff was again heard and then seen singing in the same area for its fourth day.
- there were at least 10 Redwings in trees at the West end.
- for a week or more I have heard no (or very few) Siskins here or flying over. I surmised they had all decamped to the feeding station at The Flash. This morning there was a small party twittering in trees along the North side.
- no Reed Bunting seen or heard.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 16 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese
- *3 Mute Swans: a visitor soon chased off east
- *14 (8♂) Mallard
- 12 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- *5 (0♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- >71 Black-headed Gulls
- no Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, briefly
- *9? Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted on the West end street lamp poles:
- *many and various springtails

I was too late for the red sunrise. This view will have to suffice.

Leaving so soon? The visiting Mute Swan on its way.

Nothing too exciting. The early light showed the plumage of the trio of Mallard to good advantage.

The same trio flying in close formation. Yes: there is a trio. The duck is hard to see with just her tail and right wing-tip visible.

Most of the Goosanders were being typically shy and staying well away from wherever I was. This brownhead allowed a reasonably close approach.

A quintet of immature Cormorants no doubt making a fishy mess on the boating platform.

A Grey Wagtail. This bird is moulting in to breeding plumage with the dark throat area beginning to show. I read that it is not only males that acquire this feature: it is believed that some older females can show a less intense area of black. So I cannot be sure about the sex of this bird.

It was well after dawn when I checked the West end street lamp poles. Here we see the identification label of one of the poles – only this one- covered in...

...springtails of several different sizes. I have never seen so many previously.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:40

(43rd visit of the year)

New bird species:
An addition to my 2026 bird species list for this site: I heard a Grey Wagtail calling in flight (though I could not locate it). #54 in this year's list.

Other bird notes:
- many fewer Canada Geese this morning.
- *now two Mute Swans: neither is ringed.
- the drake Pochard still faithful to the same spot in the water for its fourth day.
- only one Great Crested Grebe.
- three Common Buzzards were circling and calling above the wooded hilly area in the south-east (I can't find any name for this wood).
- a Chiffchaff was heard singing along the East side.
- the feeding station was again very quiet with just four Siskins seen before I got bored (short attention span!).

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- *1 Cormorant
- 4 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- *2 Mute Swans
- *22 (14♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 30 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 29 Coots again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 27 Black-headed Gulls

Noted around the area:

Springtails:
- 1 springtail sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi

Beetles:
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Now two Mute Swans. They came close-enough for me to see neither was ringed.

I took this photo of a preening drake Mallard because it had its tail spread showing the rarely seen darker centres to these feathers. What it also shows are the very fine vermiculations on the grey feathers on the back and flanks.

An immature Cormorant flying over.

Another (failed) attempt to photograph a Goldcrest flitting around in the tree tops.

An adult male Blackbird with many grey or white feathers. Studies have shown that this feature, most frequently seen in Blackbirds and Carrion Crows, can be caused by a number of different factors – heredity, age, health and diet. It is not correct to label it albinism (which would show pink bare parts) or leucism. Such individuals are believed to be at greater risk of predation as they are easier to spot.

The other side from which it is obvious that the white feathering is not balanced.

Do I need to say? A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata newly-emerged from wherever it has been hibernating. The only insect I found on the Ivy bank despite the full sun.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Shirlett High Park
16 Crossbills
(Yvonne C)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)

Horsehay Pool
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock
3 Pochard
50 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
1 Water Rail
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Great Crested Grebes
4 Heron
3 Cormorants
5 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
107 Coots
2 Water Rails
606 Wood Pigeon
334 Jackdaws
156 Rooks
25 Starlings
11 Pied Wagtails
21 Fieldfare
1 Redwing
1 Willow Tit
26 Starlings
10 Greenfinches
69 Siskins
3 Redpolls
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)