5.0°C > 3.5°C: Lowering cloud with spots of rain after 08:35 and heavier rain (and soft hail!) at 09:00. Very light NW wind. Very good visibility but rather poor in rain
Sunrise: 06:54 BST
Priorslee Lake: 05:50 – 07:00 // 07:55 – 09:20
(33rd visit of the year)
Notes from today:
- the extra cygnet was present early and later. When I arrived back from The Flash c.08:00 the three resident cygnets were flying around without their usual companion. It returned at 08:30 from the W
- 2 drake Tufted Ducks in very different parts of the lake. Nevertheless they flew off high W together at 08:15
- in addition to the Wood Pigeons overhead >100 were noted in trees to the N having been flushed from fields. They tend to ignore the bird-scarer cannons
- Jackdaw passage much larger today. Two early birds at 06:19. Two large groups followed 11 minutes later with birds to the E of the water today, most in parties of c.90 and c.220 birds
- Treecreeper seen and another heard this morning
- one of the non-singing Chiffchaffs is a rather strange bird that I first saw last Saturday. It has a dark crown and when I first saw it I thought it a female Blackcap. It was quickly obvious that it was too small for that species, indeed it seems rather small for a Chiffchaff. Its behaviour and body tone is correct for Chiffchaff and I am sure that is what it is
- at least 4 male Chaffinches seen around the lake: only one was singing. Two is my usual count of singing males during breeding season
- at least 11 Greenfinches chasing and calling with at least 3 giving their wheezy song and one of these see doing its bat-like display-flight
- a lone and rather late Siskin
and
- what seemed to be a White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger) found on one of the lamps
Today’s bird totals
Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 4 Greylag Geese (2 pairs outbound)
- 4 Canada Geese (also 2 pairs outbound)
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- c.318 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 7 (5) Chiffchaffs
The counts from the lake area
- 6 + 4 Mute Swans once again, but see notes
- 4 Greylag Geese briefly
- 5 (3♂) Mallard once again
- 2 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens again
- 63 Coots
A Coot nest. Seems to be ‘a building project’.
Not a stunning shot but the best I could manage in the dull weather: a Treecreeper of course.
Severn-Trent’s Emergency work seems to be finished. We may get some Daffodils yet.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 07:10 – 07:45
(20th visit of the year)
A Goldcrest heard singing and then seen at the top end of squirrel alley was my first here this year: my species count for 2018 now stands at 46
Other notes from today
- the Mute Swan on the water was again the pen. Managed to find an angle to see the cob on the nest inside the island. Martin Grant had suggested to be that it is not unusual for the cob to be deputed to keep the eggs warm while the clutch is incomplete (for the pen to build up her reserves for egg-laying and then the long brooding process?)
- some of the Canada Geese were still leaving while I was walking around
- one of the Chiffchaffs still learning – more of a ‘chiff-chiff-chiff-chiff-chaff’!
Birds noted flying over
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 37 Canada Geese
- the white feral goose as usual
- 13 (11♂) Mallard
- 49 (30♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
Seen between the lake and The Flash
- 1 (1♂) Mallard on the lower pool
- 2 Moorhens around the upper pool
- a Siskin singing – well wheezing – from trees near the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2017Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
4 Great Crested Grebes
9+ Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
2 Shoveler
30 Tufted Duck
10 Chiffchaffs
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cackling Goose
51 Tufted Ducks
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Meadow Pipit
2 Fieldfare
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
7 Meadow Pipits
c.150 Fieldfare
c.30 Starlings
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
7 Wigeon
22 Tufted Duck
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Mediterranean Gull
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
63 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
4 Herring Gulls.
(Tom Lowe, Martin Grant)
Nedge Hill
2 Lapwing
(Martin Grant)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Glaucous Gull
Iceland Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull.
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
10 Chiffchaffs singing
4 Blackcaps singing
1 Sky Lark
1 Willow Tit
1 Raven flew over
3 Great Crested Grebes
11 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
38 Tufted Duck
5 Chiffchaffs singing
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
6 Gadwall
c.15 Tufted Duck
1 Fieldfare
11 Linnets
5 Chiffchaffs
c.40 Sand Martins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
30 Tufted Ducks
Siskins
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
10 Meadow Pipits
Linnets
Sky Larks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
2 Cormorants
14 Tufted Ducks
3 Ruddy Ducks
1 Kittiwake
242 Wood Pigeons
4 Stock Doves
2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
3 Meadow Pipits
3 Grey Wagtails
9 Pied Wagtails
26 Wrens
3 Fieldfare
94 Redwings
2 Swallow
13 Sand Martins
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
7 Chiffchaffs
18 Magpies
4 Jays
127 Jackdaws
13 Greenfinches
7 Siskins
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)