10 Apr 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  05:30 – 06:30 // 07:30 – 09:35
The Flash:  06:40 – 07:20
Trench Lock Pool:  09:45 – 09:55 // 10:45 – 11:25
Trench Middle Pool:  10:00 – 10:40

2.0°C > 8.0°C:  Broken cloud. Calm to start with; moderate E wind developing. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 06:24 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:30 – 06:30 // 07:30 – 09:35

(95th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- 2 first-year Mute Swans flew in and very quickly got the message and left
- one of the Little Grebes not yet in full breeding plumage. As far as I am aware there is no difference between first-year and older birds in the breeding season
- a calling Chiffchaff seen collecting nesting material and then watched at the chosen nest site
- three male Blackcaps seen VERY close together – only two of them were singing but ...

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose (inbound)
- 2 Canada Geese (inbound)
- 1 Cormorant
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws only
- 1 Starling

Hirundines noted
- >35 Sand Martins
- 4+ Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 9 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 15 (11) Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 > 4 > 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese (departed)
- 4 Canada Geese (two pairs, separately: came and went)
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 16 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 22 Coots

Noted on the lamp poles
- 1 Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
Nothing of note elsewhere

Not a spectacular sunrise but a welcome change from the cloud of the last few days.

The two first-year Mute Swans arrive. From this angle the remaining brown in the plumage is not visible. However we can see the rather dull-looking bills.

Less than two minutes later they were taking to the air .... 

Need to get photos of Blackcaps nailed before the leaves are out and the birds difficult to see. There is always an annoying branch to spoil the view ....

... Sticking out of the top of its head .... 

... Or out from behind the neck.

This Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge) stayed around until well after sun-up and therefore gave an opportunity for a natural light shot showing the detail. A male with the obvious plumes ....

Enlarged as much as I dare here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:40 – 07:20

(88th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- of course the Gadwall weren’t found: silly question!
- accurate count of Mallard very difficult with birds flying in / out / around all the while as well as sitting on and jumping off roof-tops. Best effort! No sign of the ducklings again
- an abundance of Willow Warblers heard after a blank day yesterday. All in unsuitable places (two of them in gardens adjacent to the water) and obviously moving through

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Starling

Hirundines noted
None

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (5) Willow Warblers
- 5 (4) Blackcaps

The counts from the water:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 24 (18♂) Mallard
- 17 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Moorhens
- 29 Coots

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- single Moorhen on the lower pool
- 2 (1) Goldcrests beside the upper pool
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff at the lower pool
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler at the lower pool
- 1 (1) another Willow Warbler beside the upper pool
- 1 (1) Blackcap beside the lower pool
- 1 (1) another Blackcap sub-singing above the upper pool

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  09:45 – 09:55 // 10:45 – 11:25

(20th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- the lone drake Tufted Duck remains
- the lone Great Crested Grebe remains
- very low number of Coots – perhaps more hiding on nests, though I walked all the way around
- no hirundines seen here
and
- several species of flower awaiting identification

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws]
- 1 Common Buzzard

Hirundines noted
None

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 9 Canada Geese
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) feral Mallard as ever
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck only again
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only again
- 4 Moorhens
- 17 Coots only

This is Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens), in the same family as the forget-me-nots but with very different leaves, some of which are discoloured with a fungus.

A splash of colour here. This is Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus). A native to Sicily that ‘escaped’ from the Oxford Botanical Gardens and is now well established throughout the UK. ‘Our’ Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is a Summer / Autumn-flowering plant.

Here is the plant with typical ‘ragwort’ leaves. Note the flower bracts are black tipped in this species.

I thought this was a flower of Herb Robert aka Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum) but .... 

Here we see the leaves which show it is more likely the closely related Shining Crane's-bill (Geranium lucidum). When the petals fall off and the seeds develop and protrude we see how the ‘crane’s bill’ will emerge.

To finish off today’s botany lesson here is close-up are the flowers White Dead-Nettle (Lamium album).

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:00 – 10:40

(20th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
45      Barn Swallow
46      House Martin

Other notes from here
- I suggest the other Great Crested Grebe was probably hidden away on a nest
- possibly more hirundines than the number logged – birds moving through? Notable was that birds were here but not at Trench Lock. Perhaps it was too windy there and the insects harder to catch? That said these birds were all high above the tree-line and certainly not collecting hatchlings from the surface
- strangest sighting was a spotty juvenile Robin: strikes me as very early for this species. Indeed it wasn’t that juvenile as it had lost the yellow bare skin around the gape
and
- my first flowers of (Common or English) Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) this year

Birds noted flying over / near here
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 5 Jackdaws

Hirundines noted
- 4 Sand Martin
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans again
- 19 Greylag Geese
- 38 Canada Geese
- 13 (12♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 4 Moorhens only
- 15 Coots again

A surprisingly early spotty juvenile Robin. Not that recently fledged as there is no yellow at the gape.

And the back view.

Ah: Bluebells – it must be Spring.

Or as the camera renders them here Mauve-bells.

And here.

A forget-me-not but which? Separation of Field... from Wood... is not easy for a beginner. My vote would be for the more common Field Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis), partially on date. Habitat would also be suitable for the less common Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica).

However ... none of my reference books suggests that the flowers can ever be mauve on either species.

What ...? the combination of shape and shadow make this hard to decipher .... 

Sideways-on it is clear that it is a spider hanging by one leg, but what exactly it is doing is still hard to make out. There almost seems to be hooks at the front somewhere. I am not aware of any spider with hooks.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
6 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
3 Greylag Geese
13 Tufted Duck
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Dunlin
>50 Sand Martins
1 Swallow
8 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Woodhouse Lane
4 Sky Larks
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
3 Linnets
3 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
10 Greylag Goose
1 Cackling-type Goose
26 Tufted Ducks
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
1 Common Redstart
1 Wheatear
Kestrel
Lapwing
> 50 Meadow Pipits
(John Isherwood)

2013
The Flash
Cackling Goose
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
3 Wheatear
10 Meadow Pipit
(John Isherwood)

2009
Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
3 Wheatear
1 Redwing
6 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Sand Martin
Ruddy duck
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake 
5 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
11 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
387 Jackdaw
2 Stock Doves
1 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Sky Lark
1 Tree Pipit
1 Meadow Pipit
2 Grey Wagtails
17 Wrens
10 Dunnocks
17 Robins
18 Blackbirds
4 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
8 Greenfinches
5 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)