12 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 6.0°C: Very early light rain; clearer to E / NE and that gradually spread to give sunny spells. Light W wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:19 BST

* = a photo today

Back to summer schedule: once around the lake; walk to circumnavigate The Flash and back for a second lap (at least) of the lake.

Big numbers of Willow Warblers at both the lake and The Flash again with some birds in unusual places - e.g. gardens in Derwent Drive. I suspect that the recent cold N winds held these birds back and they are now moving through.

Priorslee Lake: 05:15 - 07:00 // 07:50 - 10:00

(61st visit of the year)

Firstly an update from way, way back to 23 February. An immature Herring Gull I photographed turned out to be wearing a coded yellow ring. After much help from 'those that know about these things' and the good old interweb the bird has been traced to the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth, Scotland where it was ringed as a hatchling on 29 June 2018. It had not been seen again until my sighting.

It is the time of year to add new birds to my list as the migrants arrive. However something different today with a pair of Teal - winter visitors on their way out. I noted two small ducks fly over my head at 06:15 when I was photographing the sunrise. They appeared to pitch in at the dam end of the lake. At that time I could not find anything despite walking around the whole lake. When I returned from The Flash they were emerging from reeds giving me bird species #89 here in 2021.

Other bird notes:
- Willow Warblers were almost shoulder to shoulder at times. Unusual were three birds along the S side - usually this species passes only along the N side. No room!
- I have noted several non-singing Blackcaps previously: this morning I saw my first confirmed female of the year.
- Resumption of the early morning exercise classes on the football field probably chased any Linnets away before I got there.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 7 Canada Geese: two pairs and trio outbound
- 1 Stock Dove
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 22 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Count of hirundines etc. noted:
- c.20 Sand Martins again

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- *15 (14) Willow Warblers
- 18 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 18 (13) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 1 Canada Goose: 'appeared' and 'disappeared'
- 2 Mute Swans: pen sitting throughout
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) Teal
- *8 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 2 Little Grebe; both heard only
- *8 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpipers
- 1 Grey Heron

Also noted:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

It was raining when I arrived at the lake but it soon cleared and the first decent sunrise for ages. Here it is starting

Better?

Best?

Record shots only of the Teal. Here is the drake with the yellow band along the side and the yellow at the rear. A passing Sand Martin in the top left for good measure.

And here is the duck Teal. The 'white eye' is the nictitating membrane or third eyelid that many (all?) bird possess for cleaning and protecting the eye - she is effectively blinking. A size comparison with the Great Crested Grebe. There is little else visible in the photo to ID her.

Unless it is frosted Moorhens always appear on the SW grass as it begins to get light. Normally it is all quite peaceful with up to eight birds some days. Today these five were running around and having an argument in the half-light.

This Great Crested Grebe makes a change from Coots silhouetted against the water reflecting the sunrise.

Again

Poor thing - all on its own! Mr. White Van-man apologises for crashing the photo.

I am still having real trouble getting decent photos of Willow Warblers - and there are enough of them! Although they are more deliberate in the way they move through the vegetation they also seem to be more 'always on the move' so are never quite where I expect them to be. The legs do not look dark and the eye-stripe is perhaps a touch more pronounced than a Chiffchaff would typically be. Given just this photo to look at I would be hard-pressed to positively ID it - I was lucky he was singing.

Perhaps here the wings look 'longer' a Chiffchaff but it is subjective as to what constitutes 'long'. Perhaps the best separation here is that the eye-ring is much less obvious than on a typical Chiffchaff.

A male Bullfinch munching away on a Willow. I can't quite make out whether he is eating the catkins or the buds ...

... I think this suggests the buds / new leaves.

Always difficult to show the black eye in the black head of male Reed Buntings. A better effort than some of mine.

And here from 23 February is the Herring Gull ringed as a fledgling on the Isle of May in June 2018.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- A duck Mallard in Wesley Brook under the tunnel and then in the lower pool
- One Moorhen in the upper pool
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
also noted
- *Marsh Marigold (aka Kingcups) (Caltha palustris) in flower.

Looking like super-sized buttercups, always alongside water are these Marsh Marigold (aka Kingcups) (Caltha palustris).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:05 - 07:45

(50th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Grey Wagtail was my first here for a while. Did not get a good-enough view to sex it or see whether it was the ringed bird seen most of the Winter.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Siskin

Hirundines etc. noted.

None

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 8 (8) Willow Warblers
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (6) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 38 Canada Geese
- 13 Greylag Geese: of these four arrived and two departed
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- *25 (20♂) Mallard
- *39 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens only
- 26 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Also noted
- 2 plumed midges on a lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel

This trio still seem quite content to stay together with no aggression between the drake Mallard and the drake Tufted Duck.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

3 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cormorant

2 Grey Herons

1 Greylag Goose

2 Common Sandpipers

c.6 Sand Martins

2 Barn Swallows

1 Grasshopper Warbler

10 Blackcaps

5 Chiffchaffs

1 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

2 Swallows flew through 

2 Meadow Pipits 

4 Great Crested Grebes 

3 Tufted Duck 

9 Blackcaps

4 Willow Warblers

12 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Swallow

1 Reed Bunting

3 Great Crested Grebes

33 Tufted Duck 

5 Blackcaps

6 Willow Warblers

3 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

5 Lapwings

1 Swallow

1 Green Woodpecker

8 Skylarks

3 Willow Warblers

4 Chiffchaffs

1 Common Redstart

13 Wheatear

1 Raven

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

East Priorslee

2 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

3 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warblers

2 Sand Martins

2 Greylag Geese

3 Stock Doves

1 Lapwing

(Ed Wilson)