25 May 14

Priorslee Lake: 4:25am – 5:55am// 6:50am – 7:25am
Map

8.5°C > 10.0°C. A few early breaks but mainly low overcast and some drizzle and then rain. Calm initially but light E wind later. Moderate visibility, poor in rain.

The rain brought in c.40 Swifts, 8 Barn Swallows and c.20 House Matins: also 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the water for a while.

The rain was perhaps also responsible for the distinctly out of season pair of Linnets in the trees at the W end: these turned out to be my first of this year from the lake (all the others were in Woodhouse Lane area).

Also present was a late Common Sandpiper.

(56th visit of the year)

Notes
Both pairs of Great Crested Grebes with young but conditions too poor to get a count.
A female Mallard with 8 well-grown ducklings again.
3 Tufted Ducks hanging on.
Coots not counted: no juveniles seen.
No other gulls.
Juvenile Willow Tits seen, so this decreasing species still doing OK here.
and
The same Poplar Hawk-moth in the same place in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

Counts
4 +? (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant over
2 + 2  Swans
3 (1) + 8 (1 brood) Mallard
3 (1) Tufted Ducks
2 Moorhens
? Coots
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>40 Common Swifts
8 Barn Swallows
>20 House Martin
9 (9) Song Thrushes
2 (2) Reed Warbler
2 (2) Common Whitethroats
1 (1) Garden Warbler
9 (8) Blackcaps
4 (4) Chiffchaffs
Small corvid roost dispersal: 31 Jackdaws and 4 Rooks
2 (2) Reed Buntings

In the gloom and rain some of the Swallows were resting on the boat platforms at the lake. Here one stretches its wings to let the rain run off its feathers as another takes off.


(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 6:05am - 6:40am
Map

(49th visit of the year)

Notes
Definitely 2 broods of Coots today.
The Willow Warbler not heard today.

Counts
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron over
1 + 1 Swans
2 Greylag Geese
1 Cackling Goose
52 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
7 (6) Mallard
Both the all-white and mainly dark feral Mallard-type ducks seen
2 (1) Tufted Ducks
4 Moorhens
8 + 6 (2 broods) Coots
No gulls
and
2 (2) Song Thrushes
4 (4) Blackcap
3 (3) Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)