15 Mar 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 8.0°C: Some clear spells but they rarely seemed to be over Priorslee. Moderate NW wind Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:25 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:35 - 09:20

(34th visit of the year)

Two bird species to add to my 2021 list for here:
- Two Meadow Pipits flew W together. A typical mid-March date for me here.
- A male House Sparrow made it from the estate on to my recording area. He was in the viciously trimmed hedge of the academy apparently sizing up the Magpies' piles of twigs in an adjacent bush.

My 2021 bird species list for here moves on to 74.

Birds notes:
- The male Pheasant was calling from the N side wood again.
- A group of eight geese flew from the S with the seven Canada Geese going inbound and a lone Greylag Goose peeling off and going outbound. Perverse.
- Little Grebes heard calling in NW and NE areas. In the NW it sounded like more than one bird. None seen.
- Another pair of Great Crested Grebes new in with all three pairs seen displaying. A lone bird cruising around causing some consternation.
- Just eight Black-headed Gulls made it in early (c.06:15). After 06:45 several small groups arrived. My highest count was 52 but there were likely more birds involved.
- One Redwing seen departing a roost. At least three more birds in bushes along the N side later.
- Certainly four Chiffchaffs noted. Song was once again intermittent. It was hard to be sure whether all of these sang - likely they did as early passerine arrivals are usually males and it is the males that sing.
- At least 24 Siskins noted flying W over the water and the trees. These did not seem to have congregated at the W end where I could only find a single bird later.
- Single Reed Buntings left the W end also the N side, both flying off high to the SW. Whether these were roost departures or residents off on feeding forays is hard to say.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 9 Canada Geese: pair and group of seven inbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: single outbound; trio inbound
- 1 Stock Dove once more
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls: one adult and two first years
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: nine adults and four first years
- 1 Common Buzzard
- c.135 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- c.24 Siskins

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 2+ Little Grebes
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- >52 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first year briefly
- 1 Grey Heron

Nothing else of note.

Too much cloud for an interesting sunrise. The best I could manage looking through last year's reeds.

Probably more or less my last chance of photographing a Redwing until October. The last of them will soon be off. The creamy eye-brow is enough to identify this species of thrush when, as here, mostly hidden.

Meanwhile this Chiffchaff has only recently arrived. A few will still be around when the Redwings return.

It is a tough time of year if, like this Goldfinch, you are a seedeater. Looks to be trying a dead Knapweed head (Centaurea nigra) from last year.

Looking surprised! The lack of seeds at this time of year explains why seed-eaters (finches) usually nest later than insectivorous birds - warblers, tits etc.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 - 10:00

(23rd visit of the year)

The men were back, now reducing all the felled wood to chips. Fallen and rotting wood is an important natural resource at the bottom of the food chain. Wood chips inhibit natural vegetation regrowth. If you have to cut trees down (and I am yet to be persuaded why) then at least leave them to decay naturally.

Bird notes:
- The pen Mute Swan was on the nest throughout.
- A single Siskin noted flying over. None around the lake.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Feral Pigeons; both all-white birds
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Siskin

Counts from the water:
- 38 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese: two of these arrived
- 3 Mute Swans
- 34 (22♂) Mallard
- 83 (46♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens again
- 25 Coots
- [no Great Crested Grebe]
- 8 Black-headed Gulls drifted in; two adults and six first-year birds
- 1 Herring Gull: seemed to be the same frequent second year visitor again
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 52.

Nothing else of note.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2011

Priorslee Lake

2  Pochard

18 Tufted Duck

23 Redwings

5 Meadow Pipits

26 Greenfinches

8 Linnets

1 Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock

6 Sand Martins

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

5 Pied Wagtails

1 Chiffchaff singing

1 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebe 

4 Great Crested Grebe 

1 Heron

6 Gadwall

1 Pochard

41 Tufted Duck

1 Goosander

108 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

2 Cormorant

12 Tufted Duck

1 Ruddy Duck

A leucistic Black-headed Gull

3 Stock Dove

391 Wood Pigeon

27 Wren

23 Robin

21 Blackbird

8 Fieldfare

7 Chiffchaff singing

43 Magpie

11 Greenfinch

5 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

6 Great Crested Grebe

2 Pochard

33 Tufted Duck

1 Ruddy Duck

3 Chiffchaff singing

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

5 Great Crested Grebes

7 Pochard

36 Tufted Ducks

c.1110 Black-headed Gulls

22 Wrens

20 Robins

19 Fieldfares

19 Redwings

7 Greenfinches

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)