25 Apr 20

Priorslee Lake

5.0°C > 6.0°C:  Clear very early. Low cloud arrived by 05:45 with mist over the water. Stayed dull thereafter. Light / moderate E breeze. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 05:48 BST

Priorslee Lake:  early

(64th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A trio of Greylag Geese arrived from the E. Again one of these departed well ahead of the pair. Later another single briefly.
- The pair of Canada Geese that arrived at the lake soon departed. May have been the birds seen later on the school playing field.
- A pair of Pheasants seen on the school playing field.
- The low-level mist across the lake prevented a count of the Coots
- Rather strange that the greater than usual number of Barn Swallows was not accompanied by any other hirundines.
- One of the Garden Warblers managed a snatch of Common Whitethroat song in its own song.
- Two Common Whitethroats in different locations from previous days. Neither sang.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Greylag Geese (1 outbound; 1 inbound)
- 2 Canada Geese (pair outbound)
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- >12 Barn Swallows

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 29 (23) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers remain
- 2 (0) Common Whitethroats again
- 4 (4) Reed Warblers again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 (4?) Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 13 (11♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: departed
- 1 Grey Heron briefly
- 1 Little Grebe
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult

Two more flower species new for the year:
- Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
- probable Common or Field Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis)

On / around the street lights:
- 1 male Tipula sp, crane fly

Also:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Footnote: one of my regular informants reported the Mute Swans at The Flash have nine eggs.

Very early it looked promising. Note some low cloud in the distance. Ten minutes later it was all very low cloud and mist arising off the water.

Not a sharp photo on a gloomy morning but it shows that the grey forewing panel on this Greylag Goose extends on to the shafts of the flight feathers. Checking my references this feature is indeed illustrated. It is something I have not previously appreciated.

Distantly on the academy playing field was this male Pheasant. A bunch of out-of-focus Starlings in the foreground.

And here is the Pheasant’s mate. May be the first female I have seen here.

Today’s Common Sandpiper was rather wary. This was my first ‘safety’ shot.

I did manage to get slightly closer.

This Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in for a while. It looks like an adult but note the dark mark on, particularly, the lower mandible. Looking carefully, some of the lesser coverts look slightly browner than the rest of the wing and thus this is likely a fourth year bird.

This crane fly was on one of the street lamps. The end of the abdomen is just visible as a point meaning that it is a male. With wings closed the body pattern is not apparent and so this remains a Tipula sp.

A close-up of a Red Clover flower (Trifolium pratense). My first record for 2020. Looks as if I have overlooked this for some days. This plant might be quite common but its beauty under-appreciated.

With five petals this is a Forget-me-not species. This group is not easy to specifically identify. My vote would be for Common or Field Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis). (Four petals would mean the flowers were Speedwells).

(Ed Wilson)

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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, 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

 2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
(John Isherwood)

 Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
5 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

 2013
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
4 Great Crested Grebes 
2 Cormorants
2 Lapwings 
2 Common Sandpiper 
3 Reed Warblers
14 Blackcaps 
8 Chiffchaffs 
2 Willow Warblers 
(Ed Wilson)

 The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebe 
1 Greylag Goose 
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose 
12 Tufted Duck 
5 Song Thrushes 
3 Blackcaps 
3 Chiffchaffs 
3 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

 Woodhouse Lane
3 Common Whitethroats
2 Linnets.
7 Yellowhammers
Blackcaps
Chiffchaffs 
Willow Warbler.
(Ed Wilson)

 Nedge Hill
4 Meadow Pipits
4 Sky Lark
20 Wheatear
2 Fieldfare
1 Lesser Whitethroat.
2 Common Whitethroats.
3 Blackcaps.
2 Chiffchaffs.
1 Linnet.
2 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

 Long Lane, Wellington
1 Whimbrel
2 Curlew
6 Dunlin
2 Ringed Plover
(JW Reeves)

 2012
Priorslee Lake
35 Swallows
2 House Martins
Grey Wagtail
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
2 Swift
1 Grasshopper Warbler
(John Isherwood, J W Reeves, Martin Grant)

 Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

 2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow Wagtail
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

 Nedge Hill
9 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

 2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Sandpiper
(Andy Latham)

 Nedge Hill
Swift
12 Wheatear
1 Whinchat
Lesser Whitethroat
2 Whitethroat
Blackcap
(Andy Latham)

 2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

 Nedge Hill
19 Wheatear
1 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Turtle Doves
(John Isherwood)

 2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
Sand Martins
Swallows
1 Tufted Duck
1 Sedge Warbler
4 Reed Warblers
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Common Whitethroat
3 Blackcaps 
6 Chiffchaffs 
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

 Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
1 Common Whitethroat
(Ed Wilson)

 2007
Priorslee
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Tufted Duck
1 Wheatear
1 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Tit
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

 Nedge Hill
5 Wheatears
1 Whinchat
1 Sedge Warbler
Common Whitethroat
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

 Priorslee Flash
Swallows
1 Grey Wagtail
6 Blackcaps
6 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
4 Herons
4 Greylag Geese
4 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
2 Kestrels
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Sky Lark
23 Sand Martins
12 Swallows
29 Wrens
2 Sedge Warblers
2 Reed Warblers
11 Blackcaps
8 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
2 Jays
7 Greenfinches
21 Redpolls
5 Reed Buntings.

 Lanes
3 Whitethroats
2 Sky Larks
3 Whitethroats
2 Blackcaps
1 Chiffchaff
4 Linnets
6 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)