7.0°C > 8.0°C: Another gloomy morning with mist coming and going. Occasional spits of rain. Light south-easterly breeze. Poor or very poor visibility.
Sunrise: 06:39 GMT – really!
* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 08:55
(53rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- a group of four Greylag Geese flew in for a while. Another seemed to be loosely associating with the lone Canada Goose.
- still three brownhead Goosanders. Birds were seen to fly to their usual feeding area at 06:35 and 06:40. I could not tell whether they were merely positioning from a roost around the lake or had flown from elsewhere.
- at least four pairs of Great Crested Grebes noted. Sighting of several single may or may not have been additional birds. Usually too misty to see the whole water.
- no Great (White) Egret again.
- one or two Sand Martins were seen from time to time. Perhaps birds merely passing and more individuals involved?
- seven singing Chiffchaffs.
- there were at least four Redwings in trees by the Teece Drive gate.
- the South side Reed Bunting was heard singing at 06:30 but not later.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 122 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: one paired(?) with a Greylag Goose
- 5 Greylag Geese: four briefly only
- 2 Mute Swans
- 16 (10♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) Goosander again
- 8 Moorhens
- ? Coots: too misty to count accurately again
- 8? Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: immature, briefly
- 1 Cormorant only
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 8 (7) Chiffchaffs
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Springtails:
- >3 springtails of at least two species
- >3 springtails of at least two species
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 money spider
- *1 possible running crab spider
On the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 money spider
- *1 possible running crab spider
On the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- *4 plumed midges
- *1 fungus gnat-type
- *4 plumed midges
- *1 fungus gnat-type
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Later:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Later:
Nothing of note
With very little on the street lamp poles and the mist preventing me seeing much else I decided to check the walls of the sailing club HQ. There were four of these common small plumed midges (all males) and...
There were three spiders on the street lamp poles pre-dawn: this one I can at least partially identify as a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. It is accompanied by one of this morning's springtails.
This spider is one of the money spider group in the family Linyphiidae. Different internet sites give the number of UK species in this confusing group as "over 270" or "over 650". Take your choice!
Not at all sure about this one. Obsidentify suggests two different species of the running crab spider group Philodromus sp. This looks to be a male with large palps. The suggested species have distinctive-looking males, neither of which seem to match this specimen.
There were unusually few spiders around the sailing club HQ. Just three. Two of them were Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata.
(51st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no sign of yesterdays' (Common) Teal.
- the two drake Pochard remain.
- after the low number of Black-headed Gulls at the Balancing Lake I was surprised to see so many here.
- no Blackcap seen or heard.
- the feeding station had just four Wood Pigeons in attendance.
- many Siskins were twittering in trees above the feeders and also at the bottom end.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
....this larger insect which might be a fungus gnat.
And the third was this Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:00 – 10:20
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The Flash: 09:00 – 10:20
(51st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no sign of yesterdays' (Common) Teal.
- the two drake Pochard remain.
- after the low number of Black-headed Gulls at the Balancing Lake I was surprised to see so many here.
- no Blackcap seen or heard.
- the feeding station had just four Wood Pigeons in attendance.
- many Siskins were twittering in trees above the feeders and also at the bottom end.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 28 (21♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 33 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- *4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
Otherwise noted around the area:
Noted on / around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 28 (21♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 33 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- *4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
Otherwise noted around the area:
Plants:
- *Daisy Bellis perennis
- *Common Groundsel Senecio vulgaris
Amazingly this is the same bird as it moved away from me. It demonstrates how the angle of light can change the perception of colour. A rare Winter visitor to the UK is the Siberian Chiffchaff which can apparently be separated from our (Common) Chiffchaff by its "pale greyish khaki-brown" tones. Very difficult to judge!
A very common flower that can be found on almost any day throughout the year: a Daisy Bellis perennis. This specimen looks to be a recent, and hence fresh, example.
And this is Common Groundsel Senecio vulgaris. This species has also been flowering all year to date, usually looking very battered or crowded out.
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
1 Grey Wagtail
(Martin Grant)
2011
Priorslee Lake
13 Pochard
37 Tufted Ducks
1 Chiffchaff. First of the year
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Snipe
1 Teal
11 Pied Wagtails
13 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
17 Redwings
1 Linnet
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)
2007
Priorslee Lake
6 Cormorant
22 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
420 Wood Pigeon
33 Wren
25 Robin
22 Blackbird
17 Fieldfare
22 Redwing
1 Chiffchaff. First of the year
4 Goldcrest
59 Magpie
218 Jackdaw
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
4 Great Crested Grebe
3 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
11 Goosander
1 Stock Dove
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
6 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
115 Coots
226 Wood Pigeon
178 Jackdaws
21 Blackbirds
c.25 Fieldfares
12 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
9 Greenfinches
6 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
- *Daisy Bellis perennis
- *Common Groundsel Senecio vulgaris
Hampered again by poor light. Another Chiffchaff at point-blank range.
Two miserable photos of a distant Nuthatch in the mist.
One day the sun will come (then of course there will be leaves on the trees obscuring the birds!)
(Ed Wilson)
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2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
1 Grey Wagtail
(Martin Grant)
2011
Priorslee Lake
13 Pochard
37 Tufted Ducks
1 Chiffchaff. First of the year
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Snipe
1 Teal
11 Pied Wagtails
13 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
17 Redwings
1 Linnet
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)
2007
Priorslee Lake
6 Cormorant
22 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
420 Wood Pigeon
33 Wren
25 Robin
22 Blackbird
17 Fieldfare
22 Redwing
1 Chiffchaff. First of the year
4 Goldcrest
59 Magpie
218 Jackdaw
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
4 Great Crested Grebe
3 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
11 Goosander
1 Stock Dove
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
6 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
115 Coots
226 Wood Pigeon
178 Jackdaws
21 Blackbirds
c.25 Fieldfares
12 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
9 Greenfinches
6 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)