18 Jul 15

Priorslee Lake: 4:26am - 6:00am // 7:00am - 8:17am
Location

Telford sunrise: 5:07am

10.5°C > 14.5°C. Clear but rather hazy start; some low cloud from W encroached at times. Moderate NW wind feeling fresh again. Good visibility.

(93rd visit of the year)

Notes
- 30 Mallard this morning: must be close to my highest-ever count (though I don’t have a ‘maximum’ log): late summer is always when the highest totals are recorded here
- only 8 adult Great Crested Grebes seen but others could have been lurking on the reeds
- Kestrel flew in, unusually, from the W: not been so common in the last few weeks as it was in spring
- one new brood of Coots; some of the older juveniles are wandering widely and hard to ascribe to ‘home’ brood
- first Swift at 4:40am with 15 by 5:10am, mostly to the E in the lee of trees / bushes alongside Castle Farm Way. Gone by 5:45am. Then >25 in same general area by 8:00am.
- almost all the Jackdaws and Rooks went out in one sprawling group at 5:02am
- all the Reed Warblers heard singing were in the NW reed bed: most of this year more have been singing from the N side reeds which were strangely quiet this morning.
And
- a Comma butterfly seen on brambles. Generally it was rather too windy and cool for many insects

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 195 Jackdaws
- 113 Rooks
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Count of hirundines etc
- c.40 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 6 House Martins

Count of singing warblers
- 7 Chiffchaffs
- 10 Blackcaps
- 1 Common Whitethroat still
- 3 Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 30 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- 8 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 7 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 58 + 17 (10 broods) Coots
- 45 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 6:10am - 6:50am
Location

(68th visit of the year)

Notes
- 4 Mallard ducklings seen this morning from 3 broods
- Tufted Ducks hard to count as many hauled out on island and some way ‘inland’: possibly more?
- the juvenile Great Crested Grebe was venturing out on its own for the first time this morning – indeed it has hardly left the side of the nest previously. Its mother – I assume – is still sitting on the refurbished nest
- not sure why there were so few Coot this morning
Also
- Comma butterfly on buddleia in one of the gardens: my first here this year

Birds noted flying over
None

Hirundines etc
- 6 Swifts
- 8 House Martins

Singing warblers
- 1 Chiffchaff again

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 61 Greylag Geese
- 151 Canada Geese
- 1 Lesser Canada Goose ssp.
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 28 (?♂) + 4 (3 broods) Mallard
- 13 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- [the all-white feral duck not seen]
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 14 + 5 (4 broods) Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2011, 2013 and 2014
2014
Priorslee Flash
Location
Report from today Here
(Ed Wilson)


2013
Priorslee Lake Location
6 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake Location
Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake Location
Drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)