27 Mar 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Mainly cloudy after overnight rain. Spells of light rain / drizzle. Moderate S wind. Good visibility becoming poor at times in rain

Sunrise: 06:56 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:55 – 07:05 // 07:50 – 09:35

(32nd visit of the year)

A very quiet morning: nothing ‘brought down’ by the low cloud – was hoping for some Sand Martins: however despite staying until well after their usual post 09:00 arrival nothing seen

Notes from today:
- the extra cygnet seemed to attract attention from all the adults today but it largely ignored them!
- Gadwall now gone
- Tufted Ducks also gone, though still good numbers at The Flash
- an extra pair of Great Crested Grebes seen at c.06:45: gone by 08:00?
- in addition to the Wood Pigeons overhead some 200 were noted being flushed from fields to the NNE in to the trees
- Jackdaw passage much as yesterday. In the dull conditions the 2 early birds were nine minutes later at 06:23. 4 groups followed again 8 minutes afterwards
- am somewhat surprised not to have heard Mistle Thrush song so far this year. A few birds were seen in their normal area around the Ricoh copse earlier in the year, but not recently
and
- a March Moth found on one of the lamps

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 3 Canada Geese (pair and single outbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Stock Doves
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 89 Jackdaws

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the lake area
- 6 + 4 Mute Swans once again
- 3 Canada Geese again
- 5 (3♂) Mallard again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 55 Coots

Something you can only really do with a camera and an editing package to magnify the result: one Mute Swan of the ‘new’ pairs has a BTO ring and no ‘easy-to-read’ Darvic ring. Wait till it upends and snap away hoping to catch the ID – W41365. I hope Martin Grant will be able to shed some light on this bird’s origin. Watch this space.

The first character was none to clear on the last shot – this confirms the W.

Not a stunning view of a rather scruffy March Moth. Just about the end of the flight-season for this species.

Well there goes the ice display of Daffodils. “Essential Works’ by Severn-Trent the label says.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:15 – 07:45

(19th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- yet again only 1 Mute Swan
- numbers of Tufted Ducks holding up well: notably these are much more scattered around the water and more mobile making accurate counts rather difficult

Birds noted flying over
None

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 1 (1) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 1 Mute Swan only again
- 21 Canada Geese
- the white feral goose as usual
- 10 (9♂) Mallard
- 47 (28♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 17 Coots

Nothing of note seen between the lake and The Flash

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
5+ Cormorants
31 Tufted Duck
1 Kittiwake
7 Fieldfare
6 Chiffchaffs
c.230 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Cackling Goose
2 Teal
49 Tufted Ducks
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
7 Great Crested Grebes
7 Wigeon 
2 Gadwall 
1 Pochard 
34 Tufted Ducks 
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull 
5 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash 
3 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Pochard 
62 Tufted Duck 
Steppe Gull?
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
2 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Cormorant 
26 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
3 Cormorants
2 Goosander 
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Dunlin
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
2 Shoveler
1 Willow Warbler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
4 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Fieldfares
1 Willow Warbler
4 Great Crested Grebe 
4 Herons 
4 Gadwall
29 Tufted Duck
c.215 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
16 Meadow Pipits
36 Robins
28 Blackbirds
5 Chiffchaffs
1 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
127 Wood Pigeon
21 Wrens
3 Fieldfare
3 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warblers
8 Sand Martins
22 Siskin
6 Linnets
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam, Martin Grant)