18 Apr 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:35 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:45
The Flash:  06:45 – 07:25

7.0°C > 11.0°C:  Again low cloud with the sun threatening to break through at times. Moderate E breeze. Rather poor visibility and very hazy

Sunrise: 06:05 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:35 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:45

(103rd visit of the year)

Species added to my 2019 bird log from here
81      Little Ringed Plover
This species was actually logged on Saturday 13th March when one bird was displaying and another on the ground inside the building site to the N. This is a strictly protected species which has been present annually on this brownfield site for many year. Had these bird stayed it would have been necessary to continue to withhold the information. They seemed to find the idea of sharing with JCBs and the like uncomfortable and have apparently moved on – hence I decided to release the information. Some photos taken from outside the building site are included in this report

Bird notes from today
- single Little Grebe seen. Possibly another heard
- both Great Crested Grebes pairs seem to have one bird ‘out of action’ and on nests leaving jsut two visible on the water
- a single Barn Swallow over the W end again
- the Blackcaps are have a right scrap sorting out territories. Very difficult to be certain about numbers and birds are chasing in overlapping territories with females joining in the mayhem. Also birds are still singing from ‘new’ locations suggesting on-going arrival. I cannot believe there is room for all 16 singing birds

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
***not much in the haze and low cloud
- 1 Greylag Goose (inbound) again
- 2 Canada Geese (outbound)
- 2 Stock Doves again
- 3 Wood Pigeons only
- 3 Rooks

Hirundines noted
- c.20 Sand Martins
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 6 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 21 (16) Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese (pair arrived and departed)
- 6 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1+ Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- [visibility too poor to count Coots]

Nothing on the lamp poles pre-dawn

Later as the sun struggled to get out some insects appeared
- 1 wasp sp. (could not see its face marking to specifically ID it)
- >3 Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverflies)
- >4 Syrphus ribesii or S. vitripennis hoverflies – indistinguishable males only
- 1 Eristalis pertinax (Tapered Drone-fly)

This is one of the two Little Ringed Plovers (LRP's) that was on the building site last Saturday (13th April) but not since. I assume it is the female as I only saw it on the ground. Apart from the calls this species can most easily be separated from the very slightly larger (Common) Ringed Plover by the obvious yellow eye-ring and its pale pinkish (rather than yellow / orange) legs.

This was the bird that was flying around calling and is therefore presumably the male. Pity they did not stay. Discussion with the site-foreman might have been challenging.

This singing warbler is a Willow Warbler. Points to note are the relatively long wings; the pale lower mandible; and the supercilium extending well behind the eye above a dark line through the eye.

Here ‘sitting up straight’ we see the yellowish wash in the throat and breast. Note too the rather thin and pointed bill – a Chiffchaff’s bill is more robust.

The eye-ring is indistinct too.

Necessarily both over-enlarged and made brighter in an attempt to see beneath the wings at the pattern on the body of this hoverfly. This looks to be a male Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverfly), the yellow spots on a male being more lozenge-shaped. They are more triangular-shaped in a female.

A rather ‘cleaner’ shot of a different specimen, also a male. Note the hairs on the leaf – must be like negotiating a jungle to a small hoverfly.

This may be yet another specimen. Here the body looks red and yellow rather than black and yellow. No hoverflies have red markings like this and I can only assume this is a cast from the rather iridescent wings.

One of the Syrphus hoverflies. As this is a male – the eyes meet – it is not possible to separate S. ribesii from S. vitripennis.

This is a different specimen, and also a male.

This one settled on a small twig where it was hard to locate.

Why are things never straightforward? I think this is the dark form of a female (eyes do not meet) Eristalis pertinax or Tapered Drone-fly (the front of its head is hidden under a leaf: apologies).

It really does look ‘tapered’ here. I have no idea what it is doing. Defecating? 

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:45 – 07:25

(96th visit of the year)

Species added to my 2019 bird log from here
65      Barn Swallow
A single bird seen over the water in the hazy / misty conditions

Other notes from here:
- no broods of Mallard ducklings located
- clear-out of some Tufted Ducks. Remaining birds were flying about a lot
- now back to three Great Crested Grebes. Where do they go? Do they go? Or just hide?
- many Willow Warblers seem to have moved through

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
None

Hirundines noted
- 1 Barn Swallow

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

The counts from the water:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 18 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall still
- 17 (14♂) Mallard
- 13 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhen only
- 24 Coots

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

At or around the lower pool (singing birds)
- 1 Moorhen
- 1 party of Long-tailed Tits
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 2 (1) Blackcap

At or around the upper pool (singing birds)
- 1 Moorhen
- 1 party of Long-tailed Tits
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers

Yes another Long-tailed Tit photograph.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
7 Wheatear
6 Lapwing
Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2013
Nedge Hill
21 Wheatears
3 Common Redstart
Common Whitethroat
(Peter Jordan, Ian Grant)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Sedge Warbler
25 Swallows
6 House Martins
1 Sand Martin
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Tufted Duck 
1 Common Sandpiper 
Swallows
House Martins
Sand Martins 
2 Reed Warblers again 
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Lapwing 
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker 
Redstart
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
4 Willow Warblers
15 Sand Martins
27 Swallows
2 Gadwall
4 Tufted Ducks
2 Kestrels
9 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Sand Martins
6 Swallows
2 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
17 Willow Warblers (11 in song)
4 Redpolls

Nedge Hill
2 Willow Warblers

Trench Lock
2 Sand Martins
7 Swallows
2 Chiffchaff
3 Willow Warblers

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpipers
1 Garden Warbler
Chiffchaff
Reed Bunting
1 Ring-necked Parakeet
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Curlew
(Ed Wilson)

Wood Lane
1 Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Swallow
1 Sand Martin
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Tufted Duck
2 Ruddy Duck
5 Common Sandpiper
1 Kestrel
1 Buzzard
1 Sky Lark
2 Grey Wagtail
1 Willow Tit
5 Greenfinch
1 Linnet
3 Reed Bunting.
(Martin Adlam)

Lanes east of Priorslee Lake
4 Pheasants
4 Sky Larks
4 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers 
8 Linnets
4 Yellowhammers
1 Redwing
1 Tree Sparrow
1 Common Whitethroat
2 Stock Dove 
2 Jay
2 Kestrel
(Martin Adlam)