30 Mar 21

Priorslee Lake, The Flash and Nedge Hill

5.0°C > 8.0°C: Banks of fog until c.08:30. Then clear. Light winds. Poor/very poor visibility early; good later.

Sunrise: 06:50 BST

* = a photo today

Best today was my first Willow Warbler of the year singing intermittently atop the highest trees at the top of squirrel alley at The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 - 09:20

(49th visit of the year)

Birds notes:

- A male Pheasant calling in the far NE area first thing.

- One Common Buzzard on the academy playing field.

- A male House Sparrow again made it nearly as far as the academy grounds.

- Even more Chiffchaffs. Most place around the lake I could hear four singing - hard to separate them.

- Four Lesser Redpolls in the Ricoh hedge.

Birds noted flying over / near here: badly affected by the early fog
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: single outbound and single inbound
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 26 Jackdaws

Count of warblers noted (number in brackets is singing birds)
- 17 (16) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps again

Counts from the water:
- 4 Canada Geese: pair arrived and stayed; another pair arrived and were chased away.
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair arrived and were chased away.
- 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens again
- Coots not counted
- 1 Little Grebe heard
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: first year briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult briefly
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- no Grey Herons

On the lamp-poles pre-dawn

Nothing - too much dew?:

Also noted:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- My first flowering Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) of the year.
- several other species of flower that I will try and ID later.

It was clear when I left home. This bank of fog rolled in just after I arrived at the lake.

What seems to be a pair of Magpies getting friendly.

 "Oi! Leave my feathers alone"

LLLLLLLLLLLL

And a video of the action: "give us a kiss"!

There is always a branch in the way. A female Great Spotted Woodpecker - no red on the nape.

Yesterday a Chiffchaff in the willow catkins. Today another amongst the Blackthorn flowers. Looks a bit glum to me - perhaps he did not like the fog either. The fog has given a rather soft focus effect.

I don't chase after the local tits but if they present an opportunity .... a Blue Tit.

Did I mention 'there is always a branch in the way'? Mr. Reed Bunting does not look too happy with the fog either.

One of today's flowers that I can immediately recognise - Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris). This very common plant flowers in most months and I have probably overlooked it previously. There do seem to be some dead flower heads.

This head of tiny flowers looks to be related to Shepherd's Purse if the seeds are anything to go by. One for later.

At least I remembered to take a photo of the leaves as well.

Another one for later: looks like a 'touch-me-not'. When ripe the seed-pods peel open rapidly ejecting the seeds some distance

Autumn already? When was Summer?

Did not find any spiders though.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 - 10:20

(37th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- It was the pen Mute Swan on the nest this morning which might indicate the clutch of eggs is complete and that any opportunity to count the number of eggs is unlikely. The RSPB site suggests that the parents share the brooding. The Swan Sanctuary site suggests, but does not explicitly say so, that the pen does all the incubation - up to 41 days.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Count of warblers noted (number in brackets is singing birds)
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- no Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 24 Canada Geese
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 28 (21♂) Mallard
- 47 (31♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 26 Coots again

My 2021 bird species list for here moves on to 59 with the addition of:
-Willow Warbler (as highlighted)

Also noted:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Flaps and air-brakes out this drake Tufted Duck prepares for splash-down.

And some formation-flying by this pair of Tufties.

You will probably have to take my word for it - this is a Willow Warbler. It was right at the top of the tallest tree. The song, if somewhat hesitant and intermittent, was diagnostic. Also the way it moved around was characteristically very different from Chiffchaff - much more deliberate and slower and this species does not dip its tail as it moves around. The supercilium is, as here, typically more defined than on Chiffchaff. I can just about believe that the legs are pinkish and not darkish.

Yesterday I showed 'sticky buds' just opening. A different Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) with the distinctively shaped young leaves well developed.

(Ed Wilson)

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Nedge Hill: 10:30 - 11:-05

(1st visit of year)

Very much an exploratory visit to this area that has changed much over the last few years with the advent of T54. Fields that saw breeding Lapwings are now covered in industrial units.

Some other fields that used to be grazed by horses are now planted with arable. It was these fields that seemed to attract migrants in the Spring with notable records of Cuckoo, Grasshopper Warbler, Ring Ouzel, Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, and Yellow Wagtail.

Breeding Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Yellowhammers were regular.

Access to some of the more distant fields is probably now impossible with increased security necessitated by the increase in rural crime.

It was not an ideal day to visit - it is early in the migration period and the clear skies would have encouraged any migrants to keep going. All I noted of interest were

- A few Skylarks
- Two Meadow Pipits
- An overflying Siskin
Many Chiffchaffs were the only warblers in evidence.

(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

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

4 Great Crested Grebes

3 Cormorants

1 Grey Heron

19 Tufted Duck

4 Meadow Pipits

1 Redwing

1 Blackcap

7 Chiffchaffs

197 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cackling Goose

2 Common Teal

42 Tufted Ducks

3 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Horsehay Pool

Mandarin Ducks

(JW Reeves)

2012

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

15 Tufted Duck

1 Peregrine Falcon

3 Blackcaps

12 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood )

The Flash 

46 Tufted Duck 

3 Blackcaps

4 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

Raven

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

7 Chiffchaff

1 Willow Warbler

1 Swallow

14 Tufted Duck

2 Ruddy Duck

1 Sparrowhawk

5 Great Crested Grebe

1 Little Grebe

1 Grey Heron

20 Redwing

4 Siskins

2 Linnet

9 Greenfinch

4 Reed Bunting

10 Meadow Pipit

1 Willow Tit

(Martin R Adlam)