17 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

1.0°C > 8:0°C: Clear with frosty start. Calm / very light and variable breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:08 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:15 - 06:40 // 07:45 - 09:45

(67th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The lone 'Canada Goose' does indeed have a partner sitting on eggs in the reeds.
- Just two Great Crested Grebes noted.
- As I arrived two Grey Herons were departing. Perhaps one chasing the other off and the same one that I saw on the dam-face later, though it might have been a third bird.
- A lone Common Sandpiper now for four mornings.
- Several Black-headed Gull sightings on an unusual date for this species here. Three unaged birds circled once at 05:45 and left to the N. Two adult appeared at 06:20 and briefly landed on buoys before departing to the NW. Much later a single first year bird flew high W.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 5 Canada Geese: pair and trio outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair outbound
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 25 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 4 (3) Willow Warblers
- 18 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 18 (13) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 2 Greylag Geese: soon chased off by the Canada Goose
- 2 Canada Goose: one sitting on eggs
- 2 Mute Swans: pen sitting throughout
- 8 (7♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck: arrived
- 7 Moorhens
- 17 Coots only
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes only
- 2 (or 3) Grey Herons
- 1 Common Sandpiper still
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: adults, briefly; see notes

Also noted:
- 1 Brindled Beauty moth (Lycia hirtaria) still on the same street light both pre-and post- dawn.
- 1 female Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva)
- 5 Tapered Drone Flies (Eristalis pertinax)
- 2 Alder Flies (Sialis lutaria)

The sunrise: not too inspiring.

Identification of this bird gave me a real problem. It did not sing and the call was not quite like the usual Chiffchaff two notes: it seemed louder and more slurred. Its behaviour was most odd as it continually preened and fluffed its feathers. I wondered whether it had crashed a spider's web and was trying to clean itself. During this it showed none of the Chiffchaff's tendency to dip its tail and its deliberate movements were more like a Willow Warbler. And the legs are brown. Yet it showed almost no supercilium. It also gave a few single very quiet 'chick' calls that might have been from the muffled calls sometimes given between bouts of a Chiffchaff's song - notes that are never given by a Willow Warbler.

Could look very scruffy.

Here the legs look dark, More preening is still needed!

Well that's a bit excessive.

Not much better. I concluded it was a Chiffchaff.

And now for a definitive and easy Chiffchaff right alongside the W end path. It gave me frame-filling views.

I did say frame-filling.

The other side. Note the marks on the crown.

"There is always a branch ...". I retained this shot to illustrate something I have never noted previously: the 'tram-lines' on the crown. I guess the way the feathers align.

One more.

 It was definitely a warbler morning. But a change of warbler here - a male Blackcap.

This rather splendid creature is a female Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva). The black legs contrast strongly with the orange pile on the abdomen and reddish pile on top of the thorax (pile = hairs). These females are perhaps the easiest of the Andrena mining bees to identify. The slightly smaller males are browner and have white hairs on the face like a moustache.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- No Moorhens seen or heard.
- No Chiffchaff by the lower pool.
- 1 (1) Blackcap by the lower pool again
also noted
- The Herald moth (Scoliopteryx libatrix) in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel for its fourth morning.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 - 07:40 again

(55th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was told today that Mallard are roof-sitting in many places around the estate and not juts on those overlooking the water. That probably explains where some keep disappearing to.
- The Great Crested Grebes continue to confuse: none today.
- Yesterday the Blackcaps were everywhere: today it was Willow Warblers. I have no way of telling whether these are new birds moving through or birds 'stuck' in the chilly conditions before moving on. For the last few years there have been none breeding around here which I attributed to the height of the trees being unsuitable.
- A Pied Wagtail in Derwent Drive. Only my second here this year, unusually.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

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

Counts from the water:
- 20 Canada Geese: five of these departed
- 7 Greylag Geese; three of these arrived as a single and a pair
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 18 (15♂) Mallard
- 19 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes!

Nothing else of note.

A duck Tufted Duck flies past. This bird retains more white around the base of the bill than is usual during the breeding season. Could be a first year bird.

I did warn about the warblers ... I spent some while with two Willow Warblers that were close together and swapping places. I suspect both appear in one or more photos but which is which? This one was trying to get away. Note the brown (not dark or pink) legs.

Hiding its bill here.

And now hiding its legs. The bill is rather stouter than that of a Chiffchaff.

That is a proper pose showing the more obvious supercilium and dark line through the eye. From some angles this does not show too clearly and some birds are more distinctly marked than others.

A singing Mr. Blackcap, throat all puffed-up. I am hopeful that new species of warbler will arrive in the next few days ....

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Cormorant
2 Grey Herons
8 Greylag Geese
10 Tufted Duck
1 Sand Martin
4 Swallows.
1 Sedge Warbler
10 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
191 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

Woodhouse Lane
2 Red-legged Partridges
1 Whitethroat
4 Sky Larks
1 Blackcap
1 Chiffchaff
1 Linnet
2 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Willow Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
2 Swallow
2 Blackcap
6 Skylark
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
(Martin Grant)

2013
Nedge Hill
1 Common Redstart
5 Whitethroat
15 Wheatear
2 Swallows
Chiffchaff
2 Yellowhammer
6+ Skylarks
3 Linnet
(Ian Grant, Martin Grant)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Dark-bellied Brent Goose
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
2 Wheatear
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Tufted Ducks
1 Lapwing
1 Siskin
Common Whitethroat
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
1 Common Redstart
12 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John. Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Reed Warblers
1 Pochard
17 Tufted Duck
6 Swallows
2 Reed Warblers
4 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
1 Jay
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Gadwall
7 Tufted Ducks
1 Common Sandpiper
111 Sand Martins
1 House Martin
4 Swallows
1 Blackcap
4 Willow Warblers
11 Chiffchaffs
1 Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Tufted Ducks
3 Ruddy Duck
9 Common Sandpiper
11 Chiffchaff
8 Willow Warbler
4 Blackcaps
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Swallow
1 Willow Tit
5 Greenfinch
1 Linnet
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)