27 Mar 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 8.0°C: Fine clear start. Increasing puffy cloud after 08:30. Keen W breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:57 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:10 - 06:25 // 07:20 - 09:50

(46th visit of the year)

Birds notes:
- A single Lapwings flolloped around at 08:45 and headed off towards Nedge Hill. They used to breed there before they built on it.
- The Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over before 06:00 in groups of 12 and four. No other gulls seen.
- Eventually four Sand Martins flying around.
- 11 *Chiffchaffs seen, nine of which were singing. Also two Blackcaps in song.
- A Grey Wagtail in the Wesley Brook: it was a female and did not have rings.
- One Lesser Redpoll and at least five Siskins over.
- *A male Reed Bunting seen destroying the seed-head of last year's Great Reedmace (Typha latifol)

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 6 Canada Geese: three pairs outbound
- 6 Greylag Geese: two pairs outbound; one pair inbound
- 2 Tufted Duck: pair flew W
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- *1 Lapwing
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gull: 15 adults; 1 first winter
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Common Buzzards once more
- 118 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 4 Sand Martins
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 5 Siskins

Counts from the water:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair arrived and stayed over two hours.
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens yet again
- 35 Coots
- 2 Little Grebes heard
- *4? Great Crested Grebes
- no gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

My 2021 bird species list for here stays at 79

On the lamp-poles pre-dawn

Nothing - too cool and windy:

Also noted:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

It's that time again - full moon. Well not quite as yet. The so-called Worm Moon (ask Mr. Google) will be full tomorrow afternoon at 14:48 (that is probably GMT and we will be on BST). Anyway before the moon is full it is very low in the sky when I take the pre-dawn photo and the image suffers from some 'wobble' from heat haze.

From the moon to the sun. More heat haze making it also wobbly. And errant flying bird 'bombs' the picture.

Framed by reeds a pair of Great Crested Grebes doing a half-hearted display. They spent most of the time asleep. Periodically one would awake and then they would have a brief display and then go back to sleep.

Making a brief appearance was this single Lapwing. Only my second record here so far this year.

Many Chiffchaffs at the moment. Here is one. This shows the pink lower mandible and the weak supercilium, usually more obvious in front of the eye (though behind the eye is shaded here).

A Chiffchaff with an identity crisis and giving a momentary problem. It was diverting me while I was trying to photo the Reed Bunting - see below. It was hopping about the reeds keeping well-hidden most of the time. It did not sing or call and it seemed rather small. I never resolved the size problem but the behaviour, dipping its tail as it moved around, and this photo 'between the reeds' confirms it as a Chiffchaff.

Another shot of it in the reeds. Very black legs!

No such problems with a singing Chiffchaff.

A male Reed Bunting destroying the head of a 'bulrush' - properly Great Reedmace (Typha latifol).

What exactly it was doing I am not sure. I expected it to be collecting the down to line its nest. Not so - it was blowing away in the wind. I guess it was after the small seeds at the base of each fluffy bit (there must be a proper term for that!).

Surrounded by 'fluff'.

A real mouthful.

Going back for more.

"Better check the coast is clear".

A back view of the attractive plumage. I doubt I will get a better opportunity to photo this species this year.

Again. In bright sunshine here and difficult to control the contrast with the white 'fluff''.

The bright shoulders show here.

I managed a short video. Both the reeds and me were swaying a bit in the breeze but you get the idea.

Actually taken at The Flash but I could have taken it in many places. Willow catkins against the blue sky. Separation of the many species of willow is well-beyond my capability.

I can confidently say this is Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) in flower along Teece Drive. Around the lake many of the bushes are still in bud. The flowers on these trees are already beginning to lose some of the petals.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 - 07:15

(34th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Canada Geese coming and going. They were also being chased again by the 2018 pen Mute Swan who was once more seen in flight.
- If it was a dead gull on the island it wasn't 'our' second year Herring Gull which was present as large as life after a three-day holiday.
- Five Chiffchaffs in song.
- No Blackcaps noted.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Siskin

Counts from the water:
- 36 Canada Geese
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 26 (18♂) Mallard
- 46 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens still
- 25 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe remains
- 1 Herring Gull: second year

My 2021 bird species stays at 58.

Nothing else of note.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between Priorslee Lake and The Flash

- Two Moorhens at the lower pool.
- A Chiffchaff singing by the lower pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

5+ Cormorants

31 Tufted Duck

1 Kittiwake

7 Fieldfare

6 Chiffchaffs

c.230 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Cackling Goose

2 Teal

49 Tufted Ducks

3 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebes

7 Great Crested Grebes

7 Wigeon 

2 Gadwall 

1 Pochard 

34 Tufted Ducks 

c.500 Black-headed Gulls

7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

31 Herring Gulls

1 Common Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull

1 Great Black-backed Gull 

5 Redwings

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash 

3 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Pochard 

62 Tufted Duck 

Steppe Gull?

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

2 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Cormorant 

26 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool

3 Cormorants

2 Goosander 

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Dunlin

1 Raven

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

2 Shoveler

1 Willow Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

4 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

16 Fieldfares

1 Willow Warbler

4 Great Crested Grebe 

4 Herons 

4 Gadwall

29 Tufted Duck

c.215 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

2 Pochard

27 Tufted Ducks

16 Meadow Pipits

36 Robins

28 Blackbirds

5 Chiffchaffs

1 Redpoll

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes

1 Pochard

24 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

1 Water Rail

127 Wood Pigeon

21 Wrens

3 Fieldfare

3 Redwing

3 Chiffchaff

2 Willow Warblers

8 Sand Martins

22 Siskin

6 Linnets

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam, Martin Grant)