Friends of Priorslee Lake Wildlife Site: 15 Mar 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 8.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud dissipated; increasing amounts of lower cloud developing. Increasing southerly wind eventually gusting fresh. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:25 GMT

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:40 – 08:30

(62nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- three pairs of Canada Geese flew off, all to the East this morning leaving one pair behind. These saw off a later visiting pair that was accompanied by a Greylag Goose. An earlier arriving pair of Greylags had been ignored with these soon leaving of their own volition,
- a brief visit by a single Lesser Black-backed Gull at 06:00 was the only gull on the water.
- no Great (White) Egret. Two Grey Herons seemed to be getting on OK.
- of the Jackdaws one large group almost immediately disappeared below the tree-level even from my elevated vantage point. So many more that I have noted I am sure.
- no Reed Buntings heard or seen.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew West
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 30 Wood Pigeons
- >140 Jackdaws: see notes
- 43 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese: see notes
- 3 Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- *13 (9♂) Mallard
- 38 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- *4 (0♂) Goosander: again
- 7 Moorhens
- 22 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes: again
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- no other gulls
- 2 Cormorant
- *2 Grey Herons
- no Great (White) Egret

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 9 (9) Chiffchaffs

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

Flies:
- *1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *1 male small plumed midge

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Noted later:

Moths:
- *1 Shoulder Stripe Earophila badiata

I thought there would be too much cloud for a decent sunrise.

Wrong!

Spectacular for a short time.

A pleasing view with the white flowers of Blackthorn Prunus spinosa ; the red of what I believe to be Red Stem Dogwood Cornus stolonifera [there are other cultivars]; next to a clump of reeds that yesterday held a singing Reed Bunting. He was not there today.

A well-synchronised pair of Mallard.

I am still perplexed by this Goosander. I am sure a female should not show so much white in the folded wings. As far as I know a first-year drake should not still have a brown head at this date.

Here are two real brownheads.

And here are all three with the tone of the brown on the head depending on the angle of the light.

A very friendly Grey Heron. This view is straight from the camera which was not fully zoomed-in.

Doesn't look so friendly when zoomed-in and enlarged!

"I am standing up straight"

"I am sure I saw something move".

"It was there". I stood as still as the heron for at least five minutes and my arms ached holding the camera ready for action. Nothing happened. The heron eventually wandered off. So did I.

Full plumes at this time of year.

And you thought Carrion Crows were black. Some of its wing-feathers have seen better days and there are several months to go before its regular moult.

This is likely its partner. Often with this species they fly well apart.

A surprise find on the Teece Drive fence was this smart Shoulder Stripe moth Earophila badiata.

Not much on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn. On the left a springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type. On the right a male small plumed midge.

A winter cranefly Trichocera sp. The only species in this group easily identifiable from photos has a dark mark in the wing. Not here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:35 – 10:05

(57th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- just as I was about to leave seven Tufted Duck flew in: probably refugees from the Balancing Lake displaced as the sailing club arrived? I was unable to sex these.
- only one adult Great Crested Grebe: the dead body still in the water.
- two Black-headed Gulls: one adult and one first-year.
- what was probably the same first year Herring Gull as yesterday was present throughout.
- two Blackcaps singing: one at the top end seemed to be passing through; the other was near the feeding station and perhaps one of those that spent the Winter in the area.
- the feeding station was devoid of attendees.
- *a Lesser Redpoll was seen along the West side. What I think was a different bird was heard flying over.
- *Siskins were in trees above the feeders and at the bottom end.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 24 (19♂) Mallard
- 29 (>13♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 7 Moorhens only
- 29 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe (plus the dead body)
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: a first year.

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

Around the area:

Nothing else of note