Priorslee Flash (or Hangman s Pool)
This year's bird species total ended up as 79 (80 in 2024; 77 in 2023)Birds
Highlights here have included:
- my third record here of a Goldeneye. A splendid breeding-plumage drake visited when most of the water was iced-over and gave close views. The only open water was close to the footpath
- Autumn produced a high number of Goosanders – up to 70 including as many as 13 breeding plumage drakes. It was many years ago that this erstwhile unusual duck suddenly appeared in high numbers with 144 being my highest count. Since then I had not recorded double figures until this October. Discussions with the fishermen suggested that this year's warm weather produced a bumper hatch of fish fry. Many ended up inside the Goosanders I am sure. Along with them came a larger than usual number of Cormorants to eat the larger fish.
For the Balancing Lake I noted earlier that the new pair of Mute Swans had departed. There was a very similar happening here. When the former resident cob was taken away with blood on its neck it was almost immediately replaced by a new arrival. Quite which cob, perhaps both, mated with the pen is unclear. There seemed to be a lone cygnet from their liaisons. But then the pen died, apparently of old-age. The new cob did not seem interested in parenting. The cygnet soon perished. Other Mute Swans turned up. These were sporadically chased without much serious intent it seemed. Eventually there were seventeen present: on this relatively small body of water. These gradually all departed of their own accord – to where? As at the Balancing Lake this water too was then devoid of Mute Swans for about 10 days. The first time I can recall none being present. One or two have been present some days in December.
The behaviour of geese has also begun to change. After the breeding season there was the usual built up of both Canada and Greylag Geese, visiting here while they moulted their wing feathers and were flightless. After this they dispersed daily to feed on stubbles in the fields. There were some high counts of birds returning from their daily feed and the Greylags often brought up to four all-white feral birds. After October numbers of both species declined to unusually low-levels.
The lake is an interesting location for ducks. It seems they see the island as a refuge and the less regular species, especially Gadwall, Shoveler and (Common) Teal are more frequent, albeit in low numbers, here than at the larger Balancing Lake.
There are almost always a few Tufted Duck to be seen and they have bred, though not this year. These have been variable but smaller numbers all year and especially during the second-winter period. Conversely the normally more scarce Pochard have been a consistent feature sometimes in double figures.
Moorhens and Coots had a typical breeding season. As at the Balancing Lake there has none of the usual Winter build-up of Coots though there has not been the same exodus.
All Spring there seemed to be a very variable number Great Crested Grebes, between zero and seven. Somewhat later than usual two pairs produced young with five seen fully grown. Two Little Grebes did not breed. Two unusually tame Little Grebes were present for several weeks in October.
Late in the year a Little Egret was present for about 10 days. A Great (White) Egret was present on a few days with both species being seen on one occasion. Up to five(!) Grey Herons have often allowed very close approach.
Kingfisher is and occasional visitor outside the breeding season. Despite its vibrant colour when sitting in overhanging branches it can be surprisingly hard to see.
As usual Chiffchaff and Blackcap were the only warbler species that bred. A typically good Spring passage of Willow Warblers was followed by the occasional Sedge and Reed Warbler. One of the latter set up a territory for a few days – this species has bred here very occasionally.
The only Autumn passage warblers were Willow Warblers. Birds do not usually sing on Autumn passage so who knows how many went through unseen?
Bird species recorded this year here in the order I noted them:
01/01/25 Greylag Goose
01/01/25 Black-headed Gull
01/01/25 Mute Swan
01/01/25 Coot
01/01/25 Tufted Duck
01/01/25 Wood Pigeon
01/01/25 Canada Goose
01/01/25 Mallard
01/01/25 Magpie
01/01/25 Feral Pigeon
01/01/25 Robin
01/01/25 Kingfisher
01/01/25 Moorhen
01/01/25 Blue Tit
01/01/25 Herring Gull
01/01/25 Blackbird
01/01/25 House Sparrow
01/01/25 Dunnock
01/01/25 Carrion Crow
01/01/25 Great Tit
01/01/25 Lesser Black-backed Gull
01/01/25 Wren
01/01/25 Goldfinch
01/01/25 Jackdaw
01/01/25 Siskin
01/01/25 Coal Tit
02/01/25 Pochard
02/01/25 Collared Dove
02/01/25 Grey Heron
02/01/25 Song Thrush
02/01/25 Cormorant
04/01/25 Little Grebe
04/01/25 Great Spotted Woodpecker
04/01/25 Redwing
08/01/25 Teal
09/01/25 Bullfinch
08/01/25 Stock Dove
10/01/25 Sparrowhawk
10/01/25 Long-tailed Tit
13/01/25 (Common) Goldeneye
13/01/25 Tree Creeper
16/01/25 Chaffinch
16/01/25 Great Black-backed Gull
25/01/25 Greenfinch
25/01/25 Jay
25/01/25 Goldcrest
26/01/25 Goosander
03/02/25 Water Rail
04/02/25 Common Buzzard
07/02/25 Shoveler
14/02/25 Nuthatch
23/02/25 Great Crested Grebe
27/02/25 Mistle Thrush
28/02/25 Grey Wagtail
10/03/25 Gadwall
07/03/25 Chiffchaff
19/03/25 Pied Wagtail
23/03/25 Fieldfare
24/03/25 Green Woodpecker
24/03/25 Rook
23/03/25 Eurasian Wigeon
27/03/25 Blackcap
29/03/25 Willow Warbler
07/04/25 Pink-footed Goose
18/08/25 Sedge Warbler
20/04/25 Barn Swallow
27/04/25 Starling
29/04/25 House Martin
02/05/25 Swift
10/05/25 Common Sandpiper
12/05/25 Reed Warbler
17/06/25 Great White Egret
19/06/25 Ring-necked Parakeet
04/07/25 Marsh Tit
24/07/25 Shelduck
26/09/25 Sky Lark
17/10/25 Lesser Redpoll
30/10/25 Little Egret
19/12/25 Raven
Bird species recorded in 2025 and not in 2024
(Common) Goldeneye
Great Black-backed Gull
Little Egret
Green Woodpecker
Ring-necked Parakeet
Marsh Tit
Bird species recorded in 2024 but not this year
Pheasant
Oystercatcher
Yellow-legged Gull
Tawny Owl
Garden Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Linnet
Butterflies:
During the Summer period my visits here are usually completed soon after 07:00 so I never see a representative number of butterflies.
Moths:
Most of my records from here are of individuals resting on street lamp poles after being attracted to the lights over night. I did make a few forays for grass moths and the like during June and July. This only partly explains why this year's species count of 78 (377 individual records) is so much greater than the 50 species I noted in both 2024 and 2023.
The most notable sighting was of my first Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum for many years. The long warm dry Spring and Summer produced bumper numbers of this migrant species from Southern Europe in to the UK. In contrast a usually common migrant Silver Y Autographa gamma was scarce.
Hoverflies and other insects:
As with butterflies during the Summer I have departed before there is much insect activity. For me this site is interesting in Autumn when the bank of Ivy near the Priorslee Academy attracts butterflies, bees, wasps and especially hoverflies to the late flowers. This was not a great year as there were so many overcast days in October and November. No unusual species were noted. A few mid-December records book-ended a year that started in late January.