12 May 15

Priorslee Lake: 5:00am - 6:51am
Map

Telford sunrise: 5:17am

10.5°C > 11.0°C. Mainly high overcast lowering somewhat ahead of rain; light SW wind; very good visibility.

Nothing to highlight

(53rd visit of the year)

Other notes
- the Swans seem to have already lost one of their cygnets
- only 4 adult Great Crested Grebes seen but I suspect the others were yet to emerge from nesting areas prior to by departure, earlier than normal
- 2 Swallows flew through at 6:15am. No other Swifts or hirundines seen prior to by departure
- 2nd Willow Warbler this morning: the ‘new’ bird singing in what looked like more usual habitat of bushes and shrubs (the long-time songster is using a 100’ tree as a song-post)
- no fewer than 16 Blackcaps singing this morning
- 2nd Garden Warbler also singing this morning: both birds very close to each other in NW area – so close I may have overlooked the fact that there were 2 different birds previously
- 3 of the 6 Reed Warblers heard singing were doing so from vegetation near the reeds rather than actually in the reed-beds

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 Canada Geese (2 groups)
- 1 Cormorant
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 97 Jackdaws
- 54 Rooks

Count of hirundines etc
- 2 Swallows

Count of singing warblers
- 7 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Willow Warblers
- 16 Blackcaps
- 2 Garden Warblers
- 3 Common Whitethroats
- 6 Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 1 Heron
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Oystercatchers
- 6 Moorhens
- 30 Coots

(Ed Wilson)