23 Mar 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 7.0°C: Variable amounts of mostly medium-high cloud. No sun.. Light north-westerly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:06 GMT

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:35 – 06:30 // 07:30 – 09:30

(67th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Great (White) Egret deigned to visit again
- at least one Redwing heard calling in West end trees
- no Reed Bunting heard today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Greylag Geese: flew West together
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws
that's all

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 2 Mute Swans: including 7JUE
- 13 (9♂) Mallard
- 17 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- *2 Herring Gulls
- *1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 14 (13) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
dew on all the poles again.

Moths:
- *1 Early Tooth-striped Trichopteryx carpinata: moth species #10 here this year

Flies:
- *male and female plumed midges Chironomus plumosus

Springtails:
- *at least one small globular springtail

Beetles:
- *1 unidentified weevil

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 unidentified money spider

Noted later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Plants:
- *Sun Spurge Euphorbia helioscopia
- *Cowslip Primula veris
- *Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus
- *Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
- *speedwell, probably Common Field-speedwell Veronica persica

Not a sunrise worth getting out of bed for.

A first year Herring Gull. Grey on the back but no grey panel in the wings until the second year. On this bird the tail band is somewhat more extensive and the upper-tail less marked than on many individuals at this age.

A Grey Heron masquerading as a flying barn door.

It gave me a great display.

Head plumes trailing in the breeze.

I think I am being watched!

Definitely.

I will keep trying for a better photo of the always furtive, if noisy, Cetti's Warbler. All the feature are visible here: the overall dark brown colouration; the large rounded tail; and the grey on the throat.

Not easy to see pre-dawn against the lichen-covered label on a street lamp pole. This moth is an Early Tooth-striped Trichopteryx carpinata. It is moth species #10 here this year for me. This species is on my list for this site. However I have no records since I started my current logging system in 2014. A good find.

My first identified wasp of the year. The shape of the yellow on the sides of the thorax confirms this is a Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris. And very hairy it is too!.

A male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus. While this species is the largest of the non-biting midges in our area it is still only about 12mm [<0.5"]. That makes the globular springtail by the midge's left rear leg no more than about 1mm.

And the female of the same plumed midge species.

An unidentified weevil: but then aren't they all! Its proboscis is best seen as the shadow.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. unusually with its front legs spread out.

This is Sun Spurge Euphorbia helioscopia. Not exactly colourful.

Unlike the cultivars I photographed at The Flash a few days ago these seem to be "real" Cowslips Primula veris: the flowers are hanging down.

The first flowers are appearing on the racemes of Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus. As previously noted this alien species, often planted or a garden escape, can become invasive. It does however provide an early source of nectar.

Along often narrow and mostly muddy south-side path the blossom of Blackthorn Prunus spinosa is a splendid sight.

 Identification of species of speedwell is not easy, made more difficult here as the flowers are not fully open. It is probably Common Field-speedwell Veronica persica

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:35 – 07:25

(64th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- where were all the duck Mallard hiding? The only three I noted were sitting on different roofs with their escort.
- *a pair of (Common) Teal were tucked up against the island. A favourite spot.
- many of the Moorhens seemed to be hiding.
- a Cormorant arrived flying straight in to land on a tree on the island.
- no Siskins seen or heard again

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 1 Sparrowhawk

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese: probably more inside the island
- 9 Greylag Geese: these all departed in three groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 28 (25♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) (Common) Teal
- 18 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- *2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

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

Of note around the area:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Flies:
- many male and female plumed midges Chironomus plumosus

To the left of the Canada Goose a pair of (Common) Teal are bust feeding. This species was my "target bird of the day" on my Merlin app. Sadly the photo its showed was of the very similar New World species known as Green-winged Teal!

One of the two Great Crested Grebes seen today. At first sight it looks as if it has a deformed bill. Closer inspection shows the lower mandible to intersect with one of the wavelets.

Confirmed from this view.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Woodcock
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
33 Tufted Ducks
c.45 Black-headed Gulls
c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.30 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
15 Golden Plover
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Teal
2 Redpoll
1 Siskin
1 Little Grebe
2 Gadwall
24 Tufted Duck
c.160 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Great Crested Grebe
28 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
13 Cormorant
6 Greylag Geese
29 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kestrel
1 Lapwing
3 Stock Dove
242 Wood Pigeon
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Meadow Pipit
29 Wren
27 Robin
24 Blackbird
2 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
50 Magpie
6 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
9 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
3 Buzzard
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
1 Cormorant
1 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
700 Black-headed Gulls
125 Jackdaws
474 Wood Pigeons
1 Meadow Pipit
3 Grey Wagtails
20 Wrens
20 Robins
20 Blackbirds
7 Fieldfares
27 Redwings
9 Greenfinches
7 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)