14 Mar 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.5°C > 14.0°C: Started cloudy with clearance after 07:30 to leave only high cloud for a while. Calm start again, increasing light / moderate WSW wind later. Good visibility

Sunrise: 06:27 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:55 // 07:45 – 09:28

(30th visit of the year)

Still the two caravans and cars at the W end of the lake. No idea why

A rather quite day with very little flying over

Notes from today:
- did not see the long-term Gadwall pair this morning
- drake Pochard first thing was new in. Gone later and assumed to be the bird from The Flash that I saw landing there at c.07:20
- back to 12 Great Crested Grebes today: most of the time they were formed up as 6 pairs but occasionally some would paddle off and confuse me trying to count them
- even fewer Black-headed Gulls today: just 2 early and then another much later. No other gulls
- Green Woodpecker calling distantly to the NW again
- 2 Sky Larks seen over fields to E of Castle Farm Way
- Redwings over again and yet another single bird seen in the trees
and
- 4 March Moths on three different lamps this morning: the number of specimens seen this year (12 so far) is a bit of a puzzle as I saw none in the previous two years)
- dozens of the same small flies warming in the sun after the cloud cleared

Birds noted flying over the lake
- 2 Greylag Geese (1 group)
- 19 Canada Geese (8 groups)
- 6 Cormorants (2 groups)
- 1 Stock Dove
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 241 Jackdaws (20 groups)
- 4 Rooks (2 pairs)
- 1 Raven
- 11 Redwings
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Greenfinches
- 2 Goldfinches

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

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 10 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Cormorants
- 12 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens only
- 34 Coots
- 3 Black-headed Gulls only

The Chiffchaffs were all ‘lurking’ today. Need to persevere as soon leaves will get in the way! This was one attempt.

Perseverance pays: a better shot. Note the very weak (almost no) supercilium

You can almost hear the song.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash 07:05 – 07:40

(24th visit of the year)

Notes
- the Sparrowhawk did a complete circuit overhead with the slow wing beats given by displaying birds. Oddly it looked, on size, like a female: I am not aware that females display, at least not unless in company of the male. Sadly too dark for a photo to enable me to totally eliminate the possibility it was a male Goshawk
- the drake Pochard flew in while I was there: I assume the bird from the lake (q.v.)

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Buzzard

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

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 19 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard flew in
- 24 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 12 Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gulls

- another Chiffchaff calling alongside the lower pool

(Ed Wilson)

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

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
1 Common Gull.
(Tom Lowe, J Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Chiffchaff singing
4 Siskin
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
3 Lapwing
2 Green Woodpecker
4+ Skylark singing
(Martin Grant)

2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
4 Redwing
3 Chiffchaffs singing
57 Magpies
1 Brambling
10 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Cormorant 
7 Swans 
6 Gadwall
2 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
77 Coots 
1 Common Gull 
253 Jackdaws
Linnet
9 Reed Buntings
Willow Tit
Siskin
( Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill 
1 Chiffchaff
25 Linnet
4 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

Trench Pool 
1 Water Rail
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
19 Tufted Duck
4 Stock Dove
25 Wren
28 Robin
25 Blackbird
7 Song Thrush
2 Redwing
7 Chiffchaff singing
41 Magpie
142 Jackdaw
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
7 Pochard
43 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
86 Coots
1 Water Rail
176 Jackdaws
26 Blackbirds
41 Redwings
20 Greenfinches
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)