30 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake, Woodhouse Lane and The Flash

5.0°C > 7:0°C: Persistent cloud overhead and to the S & W giving light rain; clearer to E. A clearance from the N making very slow progress with some sun after 09:00. Very light W wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:41 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 - 06:15 // 07:10 - 10:10

(79th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Unusual sight of >50 hirundines (Barn Swallows and House Martins) perching on top of a still-bare tree at the W end and making feeding forays. All departed when some of the Sailing Club people arrived. My first double-figure count of House Martins this year.
- Reed Warblers singing from nine different locations though I am not 100% sure they were all different birds - two were in locations I would regard as unsuitable as nest sites and may have been birds 'exploring' and / or 'just passing'.
- A female House Sparrow seen in the SW area - all my previous birds away from the estate have been males.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 5 Canada Geese: single and two pairs outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair inbound
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 11 Racing Pigeons
- 5 Wood Pigeons only
- no gulls
- 19 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >8 Sand Martins
- *>40 Barn Swallows
- *>10 House Martins

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 10 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler again
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 17 (10) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- *4 (2) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the water:
- 2 Canada Geese: both the presumed 'residents' were visible for at least part of the time.
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen sitting on the nest throughout.
- 7 (5♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 3 Common Sandpipers
- 1 Grey Heron yet again

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- *1 as yet unidentified ichneumon wasp

Nothing of note later. Still seems too cold for insects. Just a few unidentified bumblebee fly-bys

The sky was clear to the N and E and here the sunrise is shining through the light rain shower that persisted over the lake.

Just part of a tree full of hirundines. Mostly Barn Swallows. Middle left and middle far right, at least, are House Martins. Of course they were right against the light.

I shuffled around a bit to get a better angle - to get the best angle I was sure they would all leave, which is exactly what happened when one of the Sailing Club folk arrived. Here are two Barn Swallows. The red on the face and throat is just about visible on the left-hand bird.

And here is a House Martin. With its wing raised the white rump is clearly seen.

Did I ever mentioned how annoying branches get in the way? A male Common Whitethroat.

Slightly better.

Better still.

A male Pied Wagtail from an unusually low view-point. And no: I did not lie down on the grass. The bird was on the football field and I was creeping up the bank.

I was trying to see whether the Sedge Warbler would come in to view when this female Reed Bunting popped up and posed.

The only insect on the lamp poles this morning was another ichneumon. It looks to be the same species as photographed on 20 April which I tentatively identified as Netelia virgatus. I now think not. This clearer photo shows the legs to be the wrong colour and to have 'feet' rather than spurs. What a strange way it is holding its body.

This side-elevation helps little. There are in fact short spurs on just the hind-legs.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane: 07:55 - 08:45

(18th visit of the year)

A full walk up and down the lane.

Notes:
- Common Whitethroats in good number. None of them was where I saw one on my last visit.
- A female Linnet seen collecting nesting material.
- Eight Yellowhammers a good count: only one singing.

Some numbers (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (3) Skylarks
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Blackcap
- *6 (3) Common Whitethroat
- 3 Linnets
- *8 (1) Yellowhammers

Also noted:
- *several Lords and Ladies (or Cuckoo Pint) (Arum maculatum) spikes, still sheathed.
- *my first Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) flowers of the year.

A well-behaved male Common Whitethroat.

One of the eight Yellowhammers. This male seemed to have something wrong with its right eye. Some, though not all, of the photos show it mostly closed. Perhaps it was winking at me?

Much less colourful is this female Yellowhammer.

Here the feathering on the back is well displayed. A different male.

And here this third male shows "what I had for breakfast"! The only singing bird I noted.

These are the big leaves and spikes of Lords and Ladies (or Cuckoo Pint) (Arum maculatum). The spikes are still sheathed

This I think is Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca). There are several similar species, some grown for animal feed and liable to escape from fields.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

Highlight here was a Reed Warbler singing by the lower pool - my first at either pool (I have noted Sedge Warblers passing through previously). Only heard on my walk to The Flash and nothing seen or heard on my return.

Other things:
- 3 (3♂) Mallard flying over the lower pool today.
- Once more single Moorhen seen at each pool again.
- no Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff or Blackcap seen or heard, unusually.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 - 07:05 // 10:15 - 10:50

(66th visit of the year)

Two surprises today:
- A Sedge Warbler was singing at the top end again more or less where it was singing on Tuesday (27th). I did not hear it on Wednesday (28th) and assumed it had gone. I did not visit yesterday (Thursday 29th).
- A Reed Warbler was singing alongside Derwent Drive where one sang for several weeks last year (though breeding was not confirmed). This is species #67 for me here this year.

It had been rather cloudy and dull on my first visit so after finishing at the lake I returned in the hope of photographing one or both of these birds. I was thwarted:
- A fisherman had set up on the fishing peg close to the reeds. The Reed Warbler had either moved on or shut up.
- The Sedge Warbler was still intermittently singing but had moved more towards the NW part of the water, closer to where the first bird was seen on 23rd. So have there been one (23rd), two (23rd and 27th) or three birds (23rd, 27th and 30th)?

The log below is from my first visit only though the second visit allowed me to see:
- The Mute Swans have eight eggs - both adults were briefly off the nest on a change-over.
- One pair of was Coots seen to have three juveniles (I was told there had been four at this site earlier in the week).

Other bird notes:
- Just three Mallard ducklings seen - same brood as the 11 on Wednesday? Duck Mallard have reappeared in some number - failed breeding?
- A Stock Dove flew in to trees on the island.
- Herring Gull(s) not seen.
- The passing group of 21 Barn Swallows is unusual for Spring. I often see aggregations passing in Autumn; in Spring it is usually small groups unless bad weather forces them to feed low over the water.
- A Willow Warbler singing from yet another location.
- I did not see the Long-tailed Tits near their apparent nest site where I have seen them almost daily for several weeks. A party found some distance away seemed not to contain any juveniles.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 21 Barn Swallows: flew N in single group at 06:50

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

Counts from the water:
- 23 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 8 eggs Mute Swans
- 28 (17♂) + 3 only (1 brood) Mallard
- 8 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens yet again
- 20 Coots again (3 juveniles later)
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again

Nothing else of note

Change-over time at the Mute Swan nest. This confirms the clutch was completed at eight eggs. Is that a mark on one of them? Or is it cracking? They should be hatching soon.

Just three Mallard ducklings here. But are these the same brood as the group of 11 seen yesterday? Some duck Mallards are quite good at hiding their small ducklings away.

I am almost glad there is a branch in the way. To my eyes juvenile Coots just hatched are the ugliest things I see around the lakes. Still the parents seem to love them so I suppose it takes all sorts.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2020

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

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

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Common Sandpiper

2 Raven

2 Reed Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Whinchat

1 Yellow Wagtail

1 White Wagtail

2 Common Redstart

40 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington

3 Whimbrel

(JW Reeves)

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Reed Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Common Redstart

15 Wheatear

1 Lesser Whitethroat

2 Raven

(John Isherwood)

The Wrekin

2 Pied Flycatchers

Common Redstart

(Observer Unknown)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Hobby

2 Red-legged Partridge

Lesser Whitethroat

Cormorant

5 Lapwings

6 Reed Warblers

3 Whitethroats

8 Blackcaps

5 Chiffchaffs

4 Linnet

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

17 Mute Swans

(Martin Adlam)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Swift

c.20 Sand Martins

1 Swallow

6 House Sparrows

2 Sparrowhawk

Buzzard

Kestrel

2 Stock Dove

2 Grey Wagtails

1 Sedge Warbler

4 Reed Warblers

Chiffchaff

126 Jackdaw

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

2 Buzzards

Swallow

Ring Ouzel

2 Common Whitethroat

1 Chiffchaff

2 Linnets

(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash

3 Great Crested Grebes

Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes

2 Greylag Geese

6 Tufted Ducks

2 Common Sandpiper

1 Cuckoo

1 Sky Lark

c.10 Sand Martins

c.8 Swallows

c.20 House Martins

1 Meadow Pipit

2 Grey Wagtails

32 Wren

26 Blackbirds

2 Sedge Warblers

3 Reed Warblers

2 Lesser Whitethroats

2 Garden Warbler

10 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

1 Willow Warbler

1 Jay

11 Chaffinches

8 Greenfinches

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)