29 Mar 17

Priorslee Lake, The Flash and Trench Lock Pool

9.5°C > 11.0°C: Mainly cloudy; a few breaks after rain between 06:00 and 06:30. Light SSW wind. Mainly good visibility except in heaviest rain

Sunrise: 06:52 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:54 – 08:55 // 09:45 – 10:09

(43rd visit of the year)

A singing Willow Warbler in the Ricoh hedge became my 80th confirmed bird species logged from around the lake this year

Other notes from today:
- the pen Mute Swan made sporadic appearances away from the nest site
- the same number of Canada Geese logged overhead for 4 days – 8 birds. But each day the formation of the groups has been different
- the reduced number of Tufted Ducks were all in pairs today
- 3 Grey Herons doing a lot of sparring and flying about – a pair with a 3rd bird trying to get in on the act?
- 10 of the 36 Wood Pigeons logged overhead were in a single party flying very high N – migrants?
- getting rather late for Redwings: two birds seen overhead; earlier a single bird in tree-tops
- 3 singing Blackcaps again; also 2 males seen chasing at another location
and
- still no moths on the lamps
- located several clumps of Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa)

Birds noted flying over the lake
- 8 Canada Geese (4 groups)
- 2 Cormorants
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 36 Wood Pigeons
- 449 Jackdaws (68 groups)
- 20 Rooks (16 singles / pairs)
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Goldfinch

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 9 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 5 (3) Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 Canada Geese (2 pairs)
- 6 (5♂) Mallard yet again
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Grey Herons
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 29 Coots

Some spectacular sunrises recently: this is what it normally looks like.

The Mistle Thrush chose a dull morning to sit on a branch unobstructed by twigs. Getting the exposure right was trial and, mainly, error. A bit too dark here.

Here we see the pale edging to the wing and tail feathers.

Well I did say trial and error! Here a bit too light but we see more detail.

One of three clumps Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa). I kept a sharp look-out for these yesterday as I had seen some elsewhere and thought there ought to be some around the lake. I failed. But this morning as large as life and easy to spot.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:05 – 09:35

(32nd visit of the year)

Notes
- drake Gadwall seen again: perhaps hiding yesterday
- no idea where the duck Mallard are – I suppose sitting on eggs somewhere. Two days with only drakes recorded
- 3 Great Crested Grebes seen: none of these was anywhere near where I thought there might be a nest; a pair of Coots seemed to have taken over that site
- a Sparrowhawk flew across the water
- all the over-flying gulls only noticed because the Black-headed Gulls were being characteristically noisy
and
- a March Tubic (Diurnea fagella) moth on the lamps
- a single flower of a Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) seen
- the first few umbels of Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) [aka Wild Chervil, Wild Beaked Parsley, Keck, or Queen Anne's Lace] are just breaking

Birds noted flying over
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 13 (13♂) Mallard
- 24 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 16 Coots again

This is a March Tubic (Diurnea fagella) moth on the lamp by the doctors’ surgery. My first here since 04 April 2014.

This is a head of Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) [aka Wild Chervil, Wild Beaked Parsley, Keck, or Queen Anne's Lace] just breaking – the most ‘open’ I could find. Will be very different in about a week when this wild flower will turn the hedgerows white.

Between the lake and The Flash alongside the path
- 1 (1♂) Mallard on the lower pool
- single Moorhen on the upper pool again
- singing Chiffchaffs around both pools

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 10:18 – 10:29

(14th visit of the year)

A short visit to check whether any hirundines had turned up – they hadn’t

Some disturbance this morning with contractors strimming and cutting some of the vegetation in the NW area

Notes from here
- the remaining cygnet left alone by the adults while a pair of Greylag Geese were allowed to inspect the traditional nest site unimpeded
- reduced number of Tufted Ducks here – as at the lake
- one of the Great Crested Grebes sitting on a nest: the other in close attendance
- only 1 juvenile Coot noted: any others might have been being brooded by the sitting adult. Rather few Coots counted this morning

Birds noted flying over here.
None

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 6 Canada Geese again
- 3 (3♂) Mallard again
- 17 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 33 + 1 Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull


(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........
2015
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
3 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
31 Tufted Duck
3 Redwings
5 Sand Martins
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cackling Goose
2 Common Teal
49 Tufted Ducks
3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes
17 Tufted Ducks
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
3 Tufted Duck
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
7 Wigeon
Iceland Gull
(John Isherwood and et al)

The Flash
1 Shoveler
2 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool
2 Mandarin Ducks
(Paul Spear)

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
16 Tufted Duck 
2 Blackcaps
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes 
47 Tufted Duck
1 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Red-legged Partridges
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
Blackcap
5 Chiffchaffs
Sand Martins
7 Gadwall
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
6 Sky Larks
1 Fieldfare
3 Redwings
Lapwing
Green Woodpecker
14 Linnets.
(Ed Wilson) 

2006
Priorslee Lake
 Barn Owl
25 Sand Martins
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
47 Redwings
4 Meadow Pipits
12 Tufted Duck
4 Jays
433 Wood Pigeons
(Ed Wilson)