28 Apr 20

Priorslee Lake

7.0°C:  Overcast. Increasing and lowering cloud. Light rain throughout. Light E wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:42 BST

Priorslee Lake:  early

(66th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Many more Mallard today with three of the four ducks attracting the attention of multiple drakes.
- Great Crested Grebes seen flying around.
- Two Pheasants on the school playing field again: both very ‘non standard’ in plumage.
- Still very few Coots. Almost none in the NE area where there are usually four or five active nests.
- Hard to be certain how many Lesser Black-backed Gulls involved. Two low over early with one bird (the same?) periodically perching on the same buoy. A third circling over at which time a Buzzard appeared and they all departed in pursuit. It was much later that a single and then another (the same two as earlier) appeared and then proceeded to perch periodically on the same buoy.
- Big group of Sand Martins again.
- No Willow Warbler this morning.
- Four Garden Warblers seen singing. I think all different birds ...
- A Lesser Whitethroat singing briefly in same area at the W end. Only on my fourth pass of the area!
- No Common Whitethroat seen or heard: keeping its head down in the rain?
- Unprecedented three Sedge Warblers singing.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Greylag Goose (pair outbound)
- 3 Canada Geese (trio outbound)
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- >80 Sand Martins
- >5 Barn Swallows

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 16 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 23 (20) Blackcaps again
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers
- 1 (1) Lesser Whitethroat
- 3 (3) Sedge Warblers
- 6 (6) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 16 (12♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Grey Herons: both arrived and departed
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only again
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 19 Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults

Addition flower species new for me here this year:
- Ribwort (Plantago lanceolata)
- Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)
- Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
- Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
- Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

On / around the street lights:
- 1 Lunar Marbled Brown moth (Drymonia ruficornis): the same as yesterday in the same place.

A distant flying Great Crested Grebe illustrating the very elongated shape and the surprising amount of white in the wing only obvious when in flight. A dull and damp morning so not too clear I am afraid. Same applies to all today’s photos.

A different bird flies in to land. Gives a good view of the lobes (rather than webs) on the toes. The legs are so far back on this species – ideal for chasing fish – that landing is always breast-first.

Both the Pheasants this dull morning were at some distance. This rather pale individual I assumed was a female. There seems to be a hint of red above and in front of the eye which would suggest a male in a strange plumage.

The other bird this morning and it too looks nothing like the standard male that has been present for some days. The almost purple tone on the neck is a puzzle.

Another puzzle. This Feral Pigeon was huddled up on the roof of Holy Trinity Academy – no problem pointing the camera that way at the moment. I recall that a lost Racing Pigeon, complete with identification rings on its legs, was in more or less the same place for several weeks last year. Could it be the same bird? If so where has it been? If not what is there about this position on the roof that is attractive?

Yesterday it was a Blackcap on this fence. Today a Chiffchaff. The feet on this individual are brown rather the same black as the legs.

Against the dull light and in rain is not the best conditions. Here is a Garden Warbler: remember no features. The dark marks on the throat are shadows from the raised feathers – the bird is just finishing singing with the bill still slightly open. The bill is all dark and rather stout for a warbler.

A different view with the throat still puffed out – almost a ‘whitethroat’.

Someone is happy in the rain! Here he is in full song.

The heads of Ribwort (Plantago lanceolata), aka Ribwort Plantain. Clearly I have overlooked this for s few days.

The flower (and leaves) of Wood Avens (Geum urbanum).

The classic view of buttercups. This seems to be Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens).

While this rather leggy plant in the foreground seems to be the rather variable Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris). Note the rather greyer and more divided leaves. Buttercups are not easy as they are so variable.

The candles of Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) again obviously open for several days.

(Ed Wilson)

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

If you are on your daily exercise and keeping a safe distance from others, we would love to see any photos or sightings from Priorslee Lake and The Flash, by contacting us at priorsleelake@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.😊

(Martin Adlam and Ed Wilson)

Note:
Here are a few Garden Sightings from Ed Wilson Here on our Readers Corner.

And

A few of Martin Adlam's Sightings from the Isle of Portland Here.

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

On this day..........

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Nedge Hill
2 Lesser Whitethroat
10 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorants
2 Swans 
5 Greylag Geese
1 Common Sandpiper 
8 Swallows
1 Swift
2 Reed Warblers 
2 Common Whitethroat 
17 Blackcaps 
8 Chiffchaffs 
4 Willow Warblers 
1 Common Redstart
1 Nuthatch
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Greylag Goose 
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose 
1 Pochard 
11 Tufted Duck 
4 Blackcaps 
3 Chiffchaffs 
5 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Goosanders
6 Greylag Geese
2 Tufted Duck 
6 Goosander 
1 Grasshopper Warbler
2 Sedge Warbler
18 Blackcaps
4 Willow Warblers
14 Chiffchaffs
1 Wheatear
1 Swift
Swallow
House Martin
Sand Martin
1 Sky Lark
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson, Phil Walters)

Priorslee Flash
4 Greylag Geese
27 Tufted Duck 
5 Blackcaps
4 Willow Warblers
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
5 Reed Warblers 
2 Common Whitethroat 
10 Blackcaps 
10 Chiffchaffs 
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
3 Blackcaps 
4 Chiffchaffs 
1 Willow Warbler
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warbler
2 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Whinchat
2 Lesser Whitethroat
18+ Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
6 Tufted Ducks
Ruddy Duck
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Lesser Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warblers
2 House Sparrows
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Kestrel
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Cormorant
1 Stock Dove
3 Sand Martins
10 Swallows
1 Grey Wagtails
5 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warblers
7 Blackcaps
1 Garden Warbler
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
1 Lesser Whitethroat
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)