28 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 6:0°C: Overcast after overnight rain. Seemed clearer to NE, though the cloud descended and occasional light rain after 08:30. Light N/NE wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:45 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 - 06:35 // 07:30 - 09:30

(77th visit of the year)

Another addition to my year list here. I was sneaking along the dam-top to try for a photo of one of the four Common Sandpipers when an unseen Common Snipe shot off the dam and. typically. twisted and turned as it towered high and disappeared. Bird species #97. I see this species most years, more usually in the Autumn. Usually only one record per year.

Bird notes:
- *The pair of Mallard have but one duckling. This seemed still very small and I wonder whether it is from a different brood.
- Three Barn Swallows flew N at 06:15. After 07:30 numbers of hirundines increased with perhaps as many 100 present, mainly Barn Swallow, fewer Sand Martins and just two obvious House Martins. No Swifts seen.
- The Sedge Warbler still singing from the N side but only intermittently (though most things were in the chilly conditions).

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 6 Canada Geese: three pairs outbound
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Buzzard yet again
- 2 Herring Gulls; one first year; one un-aged immature
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 3 Jackdaws only
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >20 Sand Martins
- *>50 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 15 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 18 (14) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler again
- 3 (2) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the water:
- 1 Canada Goose: one 'resident'; partner perhaps on eggs not seen.
- 2 Greylag Geese: chased away
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen was seen standing up and peering at the nest for while.
- *7 (6♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens only
- 18 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only (the 'other one')
- 2 Great Crested Grebes only
- 1 Common Snipe
- *4 Common Sandpipers
- *1 Black-headed Gull: first year briefly
- 1 Grey Heron again

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- 2 plumed midges of very different sizes

Noted later in the cloudy conditions:
- 1 Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria)
- *Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) flowers
- *Red Campion (Silene dioica) flowers

On what the fishermen have dubbed 'the boxing ring' on top of the dam I found what seemed to be a pellet, probably from a Common Buzzard.

One of the fishermen told me that at 02:30 when he was attending his rods there were very many small bats over the water. He also noted that last week there were 'larger bats' over the water in the night. Daubenton's Bats are known to specialise in hawking over water. These are small to medium sized (wingspan 24 - 27cm) and would be hard to separate from the Common Pipistrelle (wingspan 20 - 23cm).

Perhaps an unfortunate angle. This female Mallard with her sole surviving duckling looks pregnant as she flaps her wings to recover her composure after being chased away by a pair of nesting Coots.

The brown in the wing identify this as a first year Black-headed Gull. Some birds - as here - acquire the full dark hood of adults.

While I was photographing Barn Swallows this Common Sandpiper flew by. A chance to see the pattern on the underside of the wing. the rump looks as if it might be all-white here - an illusion as it only the sides that are white.

I spent a long while trying to photo the Barn Swallows. It is a bit of a Catch 22 situation. The hirundines only hawk low over the water when the weather is bad and then there is little light for photography. About as good as it got.

Slightly better.

Looking slightly 'sad' in the cool, rainy weather are these just-opened flowers of Red Campion (Silene dioica (was Melandrium rubrum)). Apparently male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The calyx of male flower has 10 veins, female has 20 veins. I cannot see any veins in this photo!

Here I held them so that I could show the inside of the flowers.

I found this flower on the bank of the football field, no doubt soon to be mown down by council contractors. With the five blue petals looks like a speedwell but the petals are rather too separated and the blue too intense. It is Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens). I am not quite sure why the hairy leaves have red/brown-edges. This is a full month earlier than my 'first date' in 2020.

The pellet I found on the rail of the boxing ring on the dam. Looking at the illustrations in my "Tracks & Signs" book this most closely matches that from a Common Buzzard.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- 3 (3♂) Mallard flying over the upper pool.
- Single Moorhen seen at each pool again.
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler just above the upper pool: a new location this year.
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff calling at the upper pool again.
- 3 (2) Blackcap: one singing alongside the lower pool; one singing and one calling between the upper pool and the academy

On my was back to the lake I came across this Wood Pigeon with a fatal wound to the back of its neck and its head hanging limply. Otherwise it looked intact. So what and why? One of the dog walkers said that as he approached a Carrion Crow was holding down the still struggling pigeon. It is unusual for Carrion Crows to kill live things, especially ones as big as a Wood Pigeon. I have seen them sidle up until they are alongside another bird and then lunge to kill or maim them. Perhaps that is what happened here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 - 07:25

(65th visit of the year)

As expected no sight or sound of yesterday's Sedge Warbler.

Other bird notes:
- First Mallard ducklings here - a bobbing, scurrying brood of 11.
- I thought the adult Herring Gull was flying off but it only went a short distance to drop in to one of the gardens at the end of Westcroft Walk. Rather an unusual 'garden bird'.
- Great Crested Grebes doing their reappearance trick
- The Willow Warbler sang twice only (while I was in earshot) in the NW area. Not on the island where one has been heard for over 10 days (though not yesterday). A new bird? If so rather late.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants (together)
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted.

None

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (5) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 22 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese: two of these departed (could they have been the birds that flew over some 15 minutes later?)
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- *27 (19♂) + 11 (1 brood) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens again
- 20 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Herring Gulls: adult and second year remain

Nothing else of note

Mrs. Mallard with her brood. Not easy to count when they are all stationary in the photo. 11 it seems. Mr. Tufted Duck is nothing to do with this Mallard - a female Tufted Duck was just out of the photo and he was with her.

Oops: chopped the tip of her bill off! Somewhat easier to see there are 11 ducklings.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2020

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Nedge Hill

2 Lesser Whitethroat

10 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Cormorants

2 Swans 

5 Greylag Geese

1 Common Sandpiper 

8 Swallows

1 Swift

2 Reed Warblers 

2 Common Whitethroat 

17 Blackcaps 

8 Chiffchaffs 

4 Willow Warblers 

1 Common Redstart

1 Nuthatch

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

3 Greylag Goose 

1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose 

1 Pochard 

11 Tufted Duck 

4 Blackcaps 

3 Chiffchaffs 

5 Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

6 Goosanders

6 Greylag Geese

2 Tufted Duck 

6 Goosander 

1 Grasshopper Warbler

2 Sedge Warbler

18 Blackcaps

4 Willow Warblers

14 Chiffchaffs

1 Wheatear

1 Swift

Swallow

House Martin

Sand Martin

1 Sky Lark

1 Yellowhammer

(Ed Wilson, Phil Walters)

Priorslee Flash

4 Greylag Geese

27 Tufted Duck 

5 Blackcaps

4 Willow Warblers

3 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

5 Reed Warblers 

2 Common Whitethroat 

10 Blackcaps 

10 Chiffchaffs 

1 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

3 Blackcaps 

4 Chiffchaffs 

1 Willow Warbler

1 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Sedge Warbler

2 Reed Warbler

2 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Whinchat

2 Lesser Whitethroat

18+ Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2007

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

6 Tufted Ducks

Ruddy Duck

Kestrel

Sparrowhawk

1 Grey Wagtail

1 Lesser Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

Reed Warblers

2 House Sparrows

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes

1 Heron

2 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

1 Kestrel

1 Common Sandpiper

1 Cormorant

1 Stock Dove

3 Sand Martins

10 Swallows

1 Grey Wagtails

5 Sedge Warbler

2 Reed Warblers

7 Blackcaps

1 Garden Warbler

4 Chiffchaffs

4 Willow Warblers

1 Lesser Whitethroat

3 Reed Buntings

(Martin Adlam)