9.5°C > 11.0°C: Mainly cloudy; a few breaks after rain between 06:00 and 06:30. Light SSW wind. Mainly good visibility except in heaviest rain
Sunrise: 06:52 BST
Priorslee Lake: 05:54 – 08:55 // 09:45 – 10:09
(43rd visit of the year)
A singing Willow Warbler in the Ricoh hedge became my 80th confirmed bird species logged from around the lake this year
Other notes from today:
- the pen Mute Swan made sporadic appearances away from the nest site
- the same number of Canada Geese logged overhead for 4 days – 8 birds. But each day the formation of the groups has been different
- the reduced number of Tufted Ducks were all in pairs today
- 3 Grey Herons doing a lot of sparring and flying about – a pair with a 3rd bird trying to get in on the act?
- 10 of the 36 Wood Pigeons logged overhead were in a single party flying very high N – migrants?
- getting rather late for Redwings: two birds seen overhead; earlier a single bird in tree-tops
- 3 singing Blackcaps again; also 2 males seen chasing at another location
and
- still no moths on the lamps
- located several clumps of Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa)
Birds noted flying over the lake
- 8 Canada Geese (4 groups)
- 2 Cormorants
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 36 Wood Pigeons
- 449 Jackdaws (68 groups)
- 20 Rooks (16 singles / pairs)
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Goldfinch
Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 9 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 5 (3) Blackcaps
The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 Canada Geese (2 pairs)
- 6 (5♂) Mallard yet again
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Grey Herons
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
Some spectacular sunrises recently: this is what it normally looks like.
Here we see the pale edging to the wing and tail feathers.
Well I did say trial and error! Here a bit too light but we see more detail.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:05 – 09:35
(32nd visit of the year)
Notes
- drake Gadwall seen again: perhaps hiding yesterday
- no idea where the duck Mallard are – I suppose sitting on eggs somewhere. Two days with only drakes recorded
- 3 Great Crested Grebes seen: none of these was anywhere near where I thought there might be a nest; a pair of Coots seemed to have taken over that site
- a Sparrowhawk flew across the water
- all the over-flying gulls only noticed because the Black-headed Gulls were being characteristically noisy
and
- a March Tubic (Diurnea fagella) moth on the lamps
- a single flower of a Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) seen
- the first few umbels of Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) [aka Wild Chervil, Wild Beaked Parsley, Keck, or Queen Anne's Lace] are just breaking
Birds noted flying over
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 13 (13♂) Mallard
- 24 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 16 Coots again
Between the lake and The Flash alongside the path
- 1 (1♂) Mallard on the lower pool
- single Moorhen on the upper pool again
- singing Chiffchaffs around both pools
(Ed Wilson)
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Trench Lock Pool: 10:18 – 10:29
(14th visit of the year)
A short visit to check whether any hirundines had turned up – they hadn’t
Some disturbance this morning with contractors strimming and cutting some of the vegetation in the NW area
Notes from here
- the remaining cygnet left alone by the adults while a pair of Greylag Geese were allowed to inspect the traditional nest site unimpeded
- reduced number of Tufted Ducks here – as at the lake
- one of the Great Crested Grebes sitting on a nest: the other in close attendance
- only 1 juvenile Coot noted: any others might have been being brooded by the sitting adult. Rather few Coots counted this morning
Birds noted flying over here.
None
Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 6 Canada Geese again
- 3 (3♂) Mallard again
- 17 (11♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 33 + 1 Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in ...........
2015Local Area
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
3 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
31 Tufted Duck
3 Redwings
5 Sand Martins
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cackling Goose
2 Common Teal
49 Tufted Ducks
3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes
17 Tufted Ducks
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Middle Pool
3 Tufted Duck
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
7 Wigeon
Iceland Gull
(John Isherwood and et al)
The Flash
1 Shoveler
2 Pochard
(John Isherwood)
Horsehay Pool
2 Mandarin Ducks
(Paul Spear)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
16 Tufted Duck
2 Blackcaps
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
47 Tufted Duck
1 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
2 Red-legged Partridges
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
Blackcap
5 Chiffchaffs
Sand Martins
7 Gadwall
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
6 Sky Larks
1 Fieldfare
3 Redwings
Lapwing
Green Woodpecker
14 Linnets.
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Barn Owl
25 Sand Martins
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
47 Redwings
4 Meadow Pipits
12 Tufted Duck
4 Jays
433 Wood Pigeons
(Ed Wilson)