5 Apr 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 4.0°C: Fine and clear. Brisk moderate NW wind kept frost away. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 06:36 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:35 – 06:45 // 07:45 – 09:05

(40th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- a very flighty pair of Gadwall were new in. Probably not the more sedentary birds that were present during winter
- 2 drake Goosanders flew E at 06:40 – a late date for this species here
- now just 2 Great Crested Grebes: perhaps each of their partners is sitting on eggs
- with clear skies to the E much easier to see the outbound Jackdaws this morning. After 2 at 05:50 and a few more small groups at least 450 birds seen passing at 05:58 on many different flight lines and at different heights some to the very far E. If any birds flew to the W of the lake it was a rather too dark to see them
- 2 Willow Warblers singing. One of these was a rather odd-looking bird with almost no supercilium and rather brown-toned plumage. However this bird was singing and also noted moving much more sluggishly through the vegetation and not dipping its tail and therefore behaving just like any Willow Warbler should
- 4 Blackcaps seen: 3 males only one of which was singing
- only one of the two male Reed Buntings was singing: the other seen chasing a female
and

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 (2♂) Goosanders
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- c.525 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 1 Greenfinch again
- 4 Siskins

Hirundine today
None

Warblers noted: figure in brackets are singing birds (not necessarily all the males seen were noted singing)
- 8 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 4 (1) Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area
- 6 + 4 Mute Swans again
- 3 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes only
- 7 Moorhens
- 41 Coots yet again

A fine morning means you get a moon-shot.

Here is that Willow Warbler with the indistinct supercilium. I have to say in the photo it appears rather stronger than it did in the field. We can see the bill appears slightly thicker and shorter than a Chiffchaff – though that depends upon angle of view somewhat. It certainly appears almost all pale and lacks the orange of the Chiffchaffs’ underside to the lower mandible. The pink (not dark or black) legs can be seen through the vegetation. Another separation is wing length – Willow Warblers migrate from sub-Saharan Africa and have longer wings. That is rather obscured by vegetation here.

Here is the Chiffchaff that has caused me some confusion recently: note how brown the cap is and from certain angles makes the bird look like a female Blackcap. The body colour is of course quite wrong for that species. Illustrations in bird books show the ‘normal’ appearance and there is always individual variation. When birds are singing – as both the Willow Warbler and this Chiffchaff were doing – life is so much easier.

A male Blackcap obviously: this bird did not sing.

And here is a female Blackcap wondering what this man with a camera is doing.

A male Great Tit singing. Even he not been singing the bird could have been sexed by the width of the ‘zip’ up its belly – much wider in males.

Yes, yes ... we’ve heard it already.

Another rather unusually-plumaged bird: your field guide illustrations of female Reed Buntings won’t look too much like this! With its head turned we cannot see the usually obvious pale malar stripe and as for the rufous crown I have no idea!

The warm weather brought many of these small flies out to bask on the lamps. There are not too many small flies which hold their wings flat across the body and which do not have red eyes. But I cannot identify it. It is a bit like a Humped-back Fly (Phoridae sp.) but ...
(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:55 – 07:35

(26th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- one of the two Blackcap seen was a male: as at the lake he was not heard singing
- both Nuthatch and Treecreeper seen today with the Nuthatch giving its territorial call from the huge Ash trees at the bottom of squirrel alley
and
- mole hills at the N end were the first I had noted here this year

Birds noted flying over
- 8 Wood Pigeons

Warblers noted: figures in brackets are singing birds (not necessarily all the males seen were noted singing)
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 2 (0) Blackcaps

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 18 Canada Geese
- 12 (11♂) Mallard
- 38 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens only
- 16 Coots

Noted between the lake and The Flash
- 1 duck Mallard on the lower pool
- 1 Moorhen calling from the lower pool
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff at the upper pool

A rather more cooperative Treecreeper this morning.

Not quite sharp but included to show the way the feet work climbing up – always up – the tree. It uses its stiff tail as a prop.

And here we see that prop and also see clearly the single toe pointing downwards. Nuthatches who can go up and down with equal ease can point two toes forward and two back to do so.

Talking of which Nuthatches ... here we see the two toes pointing forward as this Nuthatch gets to grips with a tasty morsel.

After breakfasting it sits in the sun.

And having a preen of its back – makes my neck ache. Hooray for loofahs!

And to call me a liar it now appears with three toes pointing forward!

Time for another preen.

A Blue Tit in search of breakfast.

A female Blackcap. Something I did not notice at the time was the rather buffy cheeks making the brown cap of the female less ‘cap-like’.

Obviously an effect of the light as in this view the cap appears the normal shape. Note the obvious broken eye-ring.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
9 Tufted Duck
4 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warblers
131 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Cackling Goose-type
37 Tufted Ducks
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
3 Sand Martins
1 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes 
5 Great Crested Grebes 
2 Gadwall 
23 Tufted Ducks 
2 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash 
3 Great Crested Grebes
48 Tufted Duck 
2 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
4 Lapwings
1 Stock Dove
3 Sky Larks
8 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
Male Wheatear
(Glenn Bishton)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Ring Ouzel
60 Golden Plover
20 Yellowhammer
4 Wheatear
(John Isherwood, Andy Latham, John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee lake

2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Tufted Duck
68 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Kingfisher
5 Meadow Pipit
1 Blackcap
6 Chiffchaff
3 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebe
5 Herons
7 Tufted Ducks
3 Lapwings
2 Ruddy Ducks
418 Jackdaws
27 Wrens
26 Blackbirds
47 Sand Martins
1 Swallow.
2 Fieldfares
1 Barn Owl
4 Meadow Pipits
2 Fieldfares
2 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warblers
1 Willow Tit
9 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
7 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)