1 May 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 9.0°C: Clear start, just frosted in places; a few clouds later. Almost calm with light SW breeze later. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 05:38 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:30 – 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:20

(54th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- all 9 adult Mute Swans present when I arrived: 2 of these had left before I returned from The Flash
- unclear how many different Canada Geese seen: single birds coming and going
- 3 Common Swifts raced through at 08:10: probably these 3 returned c.08:20 and then stayed with numbers increasing to 6
- no sign of any Willow Tits this year and I have to assume this species in no more at this site after two years when a male seemed to have been singing in vain
- 2 Barn Swallows over 08:00 briefly: then 2 more with Sand Martins and swifts later
- two Willow Warblers again: in different locations to yesterday
- probably 2 Lesser Whitethroats: one sub-singing as it worked N along the Ricoh hedge c.06:00; one in full song in SW copse at c.09:00
- 4 single Starlings seen flying to / from the estate – collecting food for mate / brood?
- 2 Song and 1 Mistle Thrush feeding on the football field while another Song Thrush was singing away close-by
and
- nothing on the lamps
- first 2 Alder Flies (Sialis lutaria) on the dam
- first 2 hoverfly sps. seen: a Helophilus pendulus (aka The Footballer) and a Syrphus ribesii
- 1 Green-veined White my first butterfly of the year here

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 3 Greylag Geese again
- 1 female Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull yet again
- 1 Stock Dove
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Rook

Hirundines seen today (minimum numbers)
- 6 Common Swifts
- 4 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds (not all the males seen might have been singing)
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers again
- 15 (10) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler yet again
- 2 (2) Lesser Whitethroats
- 3 (3) (Common) Whitethroats again
- 1 (1) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 9 > 7 Mute Swans
- 5 Canada Geese
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens again
- 29 + 4 (1 brood) Coots

A day-time full moon offering this month. It was actually full yesterday so there will not be a Blue Moon in May. The April full moon is apparently called a Pink Moon, it seems because it coincides with pink cherry blossom.

And here is the sunrise.

A Chiffchaff: the angle means the strong light suggests the legs are rather orange. However there is little if any supercilium, there is a strong broken eye-ring and the underside of the lower mandible very pink / orange.

When it turns (and sings) the legs now look much darker. Conversely we see a supercilium, at least in front of the eye. Always easier when they sing!

A Common Whitethroat in full cry.

Now a Song Thrush in full cry, greeting the sunrise.

Meanwhile this one gets on with the business of hunting food on the football field.

A ‘white’ butterfly, but which. The dark veins suggest a Green-veined White ....

And the underside clinches it. Much of the ‘green’ around the veins will soon wear off.

This is the hoverfly Syrphus ribesii.

This is the hoverfly Helophilus pendulus (aka The Footballer).

One of two alder flies on the sluice exit on the dam-top – yes it was upside down. I tried inverting the photo but it looked ‘wrong’.

And here is the other one an Alder Fly, Sialis lutaria

It is rather stunning at the moment: rain forecast tomorrow and that will probably ruin this cherry (Prunus sp.) blossom. Not entirely sure whether this tree is a true Wild Cherry.

Now it is fully open another chance to see Lady's Smock / Cuckooplant / Milkmaid (Cardamine pratensis).

Another flower now fully open is Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-Hedge (Alliaria petiolata). Here we are looking down on it.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:05

(40th visit of the year)

Notes from today

- 5 Mallard ducklings seen today

- an ‘extra’ drake Tufted Duck today – or has it a partner on the island somewhere?

- two of the three singing Willow Warblers were in very different locations to yesterday

- Blackcaps strangely absent / quiet this morning

- a new Garden Warbler today – this one along the E side

- the Pied Wagtail again around Derwent Drive

and

- the Streamer moth was in a slightly different location, but on the same lamp in squirrel alley

Birds noted flying over

- 3 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines seen today

None

Warblers noted: figures in brackets is singing birds (not all the males seen might have been singing)

- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again

- 4 (3) Willow Warblers

- 1 (1) Blackcap

- 1 (1) Garden Warbler

The counts from the water

- 2 resident Mute Swans

- 2 Greylag Geese

- 14 Canada Geese

- 15 (13♂) + 5 (1 brood) Mallard

- 7 (4♂) Tufted Ducks

- 2 Great Crested Grebes

- 2 Moorhens again

- 14 Coots again

In the shade by one of the footbridge we see proud mum Mallard with three of her ducklings.

A most unusual and frustrating Willow Warbler: it sat on this branch singing away to make photographs easy. Trouble was the branch was between the path and the water and I could not get ‘the other side’ to get better lighting on it. Nevertheless we see the orangey legs, the long supercilium and weak broken eye-ring. The wings look long.

A slight change of angle is sufficient to emphasise the length of the supercilium.

Noted between the lake and The Flash

- a pair of Mallard was on the lower pool

- a Willow Warbler was back singing at the lower pool

- the Blackcap was singing by the upper pool this morning

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

3 Great Crested Grebes 

6 Cormorants

3 Reed Warblers 

2 Common Whitethroat 

8 Blackcaps 

9 Chiffchaffs 

3 Willow Warblers 

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Greylag Geese 

1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose 

17 Tufted Duck 

2 Song Thrushes 

3 Blackcaps 

4 Chiffchaffs 

3 Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

16 Wheatears

1 Lesser Whitethroat 

3 Common Whitethroats 

1 Blackcaps 

2 Chiffchaffs 

3 Fieldfare

5 Linnets 

4 Yellowhammers

1 Raven

(Ed Wilson)

Long Lane, Wellington

2 Whimbrel

(JW Reeves)

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Common Sandpiper

1 Sedge Warbler

2 Raven

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

1 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Whinchat

4 Wheatear

2 Garden Warbler

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

5 Reed Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Whinchat 

1 Lesser Whitethroat

22 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2009

Priorslee Lake

7 Swans

3 Common Sandpipers

Sedge Warbler

Garden Warbler

9 Reed Warblers

Common Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat

(Ed Wilson)

Lanes to the E / SE of the lake 

2 Lesser Whitethroats

3 Whitethroats

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

8 Tufted Duck

2 Willow Warblers

1 Chiffchaff

2 Blackcaps

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

Lesser Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat

Garden Warbler

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Willow Warbler

2 Linnets

2 Yellowhammers

5 Wheatears

4 Sky Larks

2 Jays

(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin

5+ Tree Pipit

3 Redstart

Wood Warbler

Garden Warbler

Wheatear

7 Meadow Pipits

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

13 Mute Swans

(Martin Adlam)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Whimbrel

4 Great Crested Grebes

3 Tufted Ducks

Sparrowhawk

Kestrel

1 Common Sandpiper

2 Stock Doves

2 Grey Wagtails

2 Sedge Warblers

4 Reed Warblers

Chiffchaff

Willow Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Jay

119 Jackdaw

3 House Sparrows

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

1 Heron

1 Tufted Duck

2 Ruddy Ducks

1 Dunlin

1 Whimbrel

5 Common Sandpipers

8 Swifts

1 Sky Lark

97 Sand Martins

31 Swallows

3 House Martins

2 Grey Wagtails

1 Sedge Warbler

1 Reed Warbler

2 Lesser Whitethroats

1 Garden Warbler

10 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warblers

6 Greenfinches

1 Linnet

4 Reed Bunting

Lanes to the east of the Lake

3 Mallards

1 Lesser Whitethroat

5 Whitethroats

3 Jay

3 Sky Larks

2 Blackcaps

2 Chiffchaffs

1 Willow Warbler

4 Greenfinches

3 Linnets

4 Bullfinches

8 Yellowhammers.

(Ed Wilson)