22 Apr 20

Priorslee Lake only

5.0°C > 10.0°C:  Clear with heavy dew. Calm / light NW wind. Good visibility: hazy again.

Sunrise: 05:55 BST

Priorslee Lake:  early

(61st visit of the year)

New species for my 2020 lake list, in the order noted
81      Little Ringed Plover
82      Swift

Other bird notes:
- Pair of Gadwall a surprise after relatively few during the winter period.
- One of the Little Grebes made a very unusual call – had it not been coming from deep in reeds I would have been looking for a Curlew!
- Two pairs of Great Crested Grebes seen displaying. Not always with the same partners? Hard to keep track of. At least seven birds noted.
- The Little Ringed Plover only put in a very brief appearance.
- Two of the ten Lesser Black-backed Gulls came very low and separately circled the lake but carried on.
- The three Barn Swallows arrived low from the direction of Priorslee Village and are likely to be breeding birds from there.
- Willow Warbler(s) heard singing separately from two different locations, neither of which was where I photographed a bird on Monday. Did not see either to check whether the right eye seemed damaged. One or two birds? Still moving through?
- Blackcaps everywhere. Hard to get an accurate count. In one location I could hear five different birds singing and several others(?) calling.
- A single short burst of song was all I heard of Garden Warbler.
- The Lesser Whitethroat not heard today. Monday’s bird may have been on passage. However this species, almost uniquely, usually sings only until paired and is then silent. There is sometimes an equally short song-period between broods.
- Nine Starlings, likely breeding birds from the estate, were taking advantage of ‘no school’ and feeding on the playing fields.
- One of the five singing Chaffinches had an unusual song with the first part very flat-toned, reminiscent of Lesser Whitethroat.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 4 Canada Geese again
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults
- 2 Stock Doves
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- 3 Swifts
- 3 Barn Swallows again

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 12 (10) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (2)? Willow Warblers (see notes)
- 23 (18) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat again
- 2 (2) Reed Warblers again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 9 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 29 Coots again
- 1 Little Ringed Plover

Also noted
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- 3 Grey Squirrels

More new flower species for 2020:
- Lady's Smock / Cuckooplant / Milkmaid (Cardamine pratensis)
- Marsh Marigold (aka Kingcups) (Caltha palustris)

I again left before insects were about

Just as the sun was peeping over the horizon.

This female Gadwall is not really asleep – one eye peering at me. Great marking with the pale brown edges to the dark brown feathers.

Meanwhile her consort stands guard.

Two for the price of one. A drake Mallard stretches his wings. Alongside a tiny wader. The breast band suggests ringed plover. The just visible yellow eye-ring and yellow legs identify it as a Little Ringed Plover. For many years this protected species nested on the derelict Celestica site to the north of the lake. No more – it is all houses. Whether this is ‘one of ours’ wondering what to do or a passing bird is impossible to say. My first in 2020.

This pair of Great Crested Grebes were not at all obliging. It was only just light when they started to display.

Then one dived and came up with weed for the less frequently observed ‘weed dance’.

Sadly not enough light to freeze the action.

Both birds have weed. I only noticed one of them dive. Whether the other one dived as well or whether weed was passed I am not sure.

A different pair make a brief display. This seemed to be a pair passing by and just acknowledging each other rather than real display.

Another pair? Punks.

A Great Crested Grebe in rather more restrained circumstances.

A pair of Coots threatening for a fight.

Repel the intruder!

Coots can fly well but usually they just patter across the surface.

Here we see the spread tail on the leading bird and note the pale in the wing of the chasing bird. Coots are not all black as they appear.

An uncharacteristically approachable Stock Dove – ‘stock’ because of its preference to feed alongside animals in open fields. Smaller and more compact than Wood Pigeon with a dark neck patch that iridesces when lit at the right angle – just a hint here. Lacks the white in the neck shown by adult Wood Pigeons. Note also the dark bar in the folded wing.

For some reason this is slightly out of focus but it does show the iridescence better.

It won’t win prizes but it clearly is a Swift with long, sickle-shaped wings, my second new bird species in 2020 here this morning.

‘Only’ a female Blackbird but just look at that tail. The nest must be in a Hawthorn bush!

A Song Thrush with its mouth closed for a change.

A perky Blue Tit for no other reason than it looks perky!

Very much a grab-shot as this male Bullfinch perched momentarily for its mate fly off, leaving what I assume was the very hidden nest. No time for a second shot.

A male Reed Bunting now in full breeding plumage.

A different male Reed Bunting. He seemed to be supervising (standing guard?) ....

... while Mrs. Reed Bunting was working hard collecting nesting material.

This bumblebee has found a sunny tree trunk to perch on to warm up. It is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Some individuals can be hard to separate from White-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus lucorum) but this specimen is much too orange for any confusion to arise.

If Monday was a white flower day, today was a yellow-flower day. Super-sized buttercups. Marsh Marigold (aka Kingcups) (Caltha palustris).

They grow in damp places. Very bright.

Only slightly better than photos I rejected on Monday. Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) grows mainly in well-shaded areas. Related to dead-nettles, the leaves and stems also resemble stinging-nettles without hairs.

I have shown Cowslip (Primula veris) previously this year but that was deep in shade on the bank of the Wesley Brook. This was on the ‘football’ field. It is likely no longer with us – the council contractors were mowing the grass later.

Not really white, more a delicate pink. The flowers of Lady's Smock / Cuckooplant / Milkmaid (Cardamine pratensis). The food plant for caterpillars of the Orange-tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines).

(Ed Wilson)

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Note
If you are on your daily exercise and keeping a safe distance from others, we would love to see any photos or sightings from Priorslee Lake and The Flash.

It won't be long before Swallows and House Martin's start to appear along with warblers such as Common Whitethroat, Garden Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers.

So keep an eye out and let us know if you see any by contacting us at priorsleelake@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.😊

(Martin Adlam and Ed Wilson)

Note:
Here are a few Garden Sightings from Ed Wilson Here on our Readers Corner from the past few days

And

A few of Martin Adlam's Sightings from the Isle of Portland Here.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Nedge Hill
1 Whinchat
20 Wheatear
1 Blackcap
Willow Warbler
(Ian Grant)

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
5 Tufted Duck
12 Blackcaps
4 Willow Warblers
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
6 Great Crested Grebes 
5 Greylag Geese
31 Tufted Duck 
1 Heron
1 Buzzard
6 Blackcaps
4 Willow Warblers
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
5 Lapwings
1 Green Woodpecker
3 Skylarks
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
3 Chiffchaffs
6 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow Wagtail
5 Common Sandpiper
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Sedge Warbler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Yellow Wagtail
10 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
1 Common Sandpiper
Swallows
Sand Martins
Common Whitethroat
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

The Nedge
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Sedge Warblers 
Reed Warbler
Common Sandpipers
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill 
1 Wheatear
1 Cuckoo
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
5 Greylag Geese
12 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
27 Sand Martins
11 Swallows
5 House Martins
1 Sedge Warbler
8 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
25 Wrens
23 Blackbirds
5 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings.

Lanes to the east of Priorslee Lake
6 Pheasants
8 Sky Larks
2 Whitethroats
4 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Greenfinch
6 Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)