27 Apr 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 09:55
Location

With Woodhouse Lane [08:40 – 09:15]

Sunrise: 05:44 BST

1°C > 5°C Frost again to start. Increasing cloud with showers visible in distance later. Light NW wind, increasing moderate. Excellent visibility

Highlight of the day (and for me highlight of the year so far) was my first-ever Wood Warbler at the lake. The bird was heard in sporadic song and briefly seen twice over a 30 minute period in the Teece Drive gate area. This summer visitor is normally found amongst old beech and oak woods in N and W Britain and requires a clear under storey to breed. In our area the nearest breeding birds are few pairs on The Wrekin. This sighting was a major surprise as this species is almost never seen on migration, just ‘appearing’ on its breeding sites from early / mid-April

Thanks to Martin Adlam for pointing out that I had a ‘one that got away’ record of a possible Wood Warbler at The Flash three years ago to the date – 27 April 2013!

(63rd visit of the year)

Other notes
- Mallard everywhere this morning with more on the lake; some flying over; and, later, birds seen in the Wesley Brook from my Woodhouse Lane circuit
- even more Tufted Ducks today
- 3 Common Sandpipers with display seen again: perhaps the same birds? perhaps not!
- no gulls again: I would not expect to see more than the odd Black-headed Gull until mid-June. Small numbers of large gulls are likely to fly over at any time
- House Martins were back over the Priorslee Estate this morning
- yesterday’s Lesser Whitethroat seem to have moved on

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Hirundine totals
- >15 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 12 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the lake: numbers in brackets are singing birds
- 1 (1) Cetti’s Warbler
- 8 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (4) Willow Warbler
- 1 (1) Wood Warbler
- 18 (13) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats again
- 5 (4) Reed Warblers
- 2 (2) Sedge Warblers again

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 31 (18♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 3 Common Sandpipers again

At this time of year and in the early light perhaps they should be called Yellowfinches and not Greenfinches! A male uttering his unmusical wheezy song.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane 08:40 – 09:15

A full circuit of the field and lane failed to produce much of note
- the Red-legged Partridges are becoming less frequent: Grey Partridges seem to be a thing of the past
- rather fewer warblers than I expected but the area around the sluice was less sheltered with today’s wind
- only 1 Common Whitethroat is disappointing
- both the Yellowhammers were males, but neither was singing: perhaps the birds are already nesting and singing is not needed
some numbers (numbers in brackets are singing birds)
- 3 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 Red-legged Partridges
- 2 (2) Sky Larks
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warblers
- 5 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
- 3 (2) Song Thrushes
- 2 (0) Yellowhammers

Possibly the last year we will be able to enjoy these views with planning permission for 100s of houses having been granted for these fields.

The current narrow backwater of Woodhouse Lane will be entirely unsuitable for access to any new houses.

Not all these fields are at risk ... yet.

England’s green and pleasant land ...?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash

Finally a postscript to the Mute Swan records from The Flash yesterday. What I thought was the cob has been confirmed by Martin Grant as Orange 17H, in fact a pen and ringed at Bewdley, Worcestershire in August 2013, having hatched in 2012. It and its companion, cob Blue 7HLP, were seen as here as pair in November 2015 also being chased off.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2013
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Greylag Geese
3 Common Sandpipers
1 Reed Warblers
1 Common Whitethroat
11 Blackcaps
10 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Wood Warbler
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Greylag Goose
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose
16 Tufted Duck
5 Blackcaps
Wood Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
6 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
3 Wood Warblers
1 Redstart
5 Pied Flycatchers
2 Tree Pipits
2 Redpolls
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson, JW Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Tufted Duck
6 Swift
50 Swallow
25 House Martin
2 Sand Martin
1 Grasshopper Warbler
1 Wheatear
1 Sedge Warbler
6 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
26 Wheatear
1 Greenland Wheatear
1 Fieldfare
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Wood Sandpiper
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Swift
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
1 Lesser Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Sedge Warblers
6 Reed Warblers
2 Lesser Whitethroats
2 Whitethroats
1 Garden Warbler
9 Blackcaps
9 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
1 Little Grebe
2 Common Sandpipers
c.10 Sand Martins
c.45 Swallows
1 House Martin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Sand Martins
12 Swallows
2 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The lane to the E of Priorslee
6 Whitethroats
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
2 Linnets
3 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
5 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Kestrel
2 Stock Doves
2 Swallows
House Martins
2 Grey Wagtails
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
1 Jay
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Swallows
House Martin
Ring Ouzel
Fieldfare
Common Whitethroat
Blackcaps
Chiffchaff
Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
1 Swallow
6 Willow Warbler
Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Greylag Geese
2 Ruddy Ducks
3 Common Sandpipers
1 Stock Dove
7 Swallows
3 Grey Wagtails
26 Wrens
17 Robins
30 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Reed Warblers
8 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
5 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)