6 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 5.0°C: Dusting of lying snow! Well-scattered clouds. Light WNW wind, increasing moderate. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:33 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:30 - 09:20

(56th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- One pair of Canada Geese throughout. Another pair arrived and a fight ensued but it was only when the cob Mute Swan interfered that the newcomers left. Later another pair tried their luck but were chased away.
- Unsure about Great Crested Grebe numbers. At least seven. Two birds later emerged from an unexpected place in the reeds but I was blocked from checking much of the rest of the water.
- c.15 Sand Martins flew W over the football field at 07:00 and were presumably different from the eventual c.30 that built up over the water after 08:10.
- Seven non-singing Chiffchaffs noted with two of these chasing around with singing birds. I assume these were pairing up.
- *A Meadow Pipit on the SW grass was unusual. It was with a female Grey Wagtail.
- *Three Pied Wagtails on the dam - two males and a female; also a pair in the football field area and one fly-over.
- *There were 10 Linnets in the hedge between the football field and the academy playing fields early morning only. Right against the light for me and only a rather poor photo.
- Three different male Reed Buntings seen. None of them was singing so I assume they are paired and busy with their first broods?

Two possibles that I will not include in my formal log
- What sounded like a House Martin very briefly called: I could only find Sand Martins when I checked.
- I thought I heard a Yellowhammer call from the trees in the SE area. I have never logged one there before and I suspect it was a Great Tit making an unusual noise. Nothing seen.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Goose: pair outbound
- 8 Greylag Geese: trio outbound; single and two pairs inbound
- 3 Mallard: sexes not determined
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: separately
- 27 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 44 Jackdaws
- 8 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Count of hirundines etc. noted:
- >45 Sand Martins: see notes
- 2 Barn Swallows

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 3 (3) Willow Warblers
- *23 (16) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 6 Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans: pen sitting throughout
- 4 (4♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 23 Coots only
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only (also I forgot to put it on the list for yesterday)
- 7? Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult stayed some while.
- 1 Grey Heron

Also noted:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): new for my year-list here.

It did not look too promising a sunrise. One of the semi-resident Canada Geese gets in on the action.

So I was in the wrong place when the sunrise was at its best.

Well this is a bit of a puzzle. I am quite sure that from its call and behaviour (dipping its tail) that this is a Chiffchaff. It has remarkably pale legs, though perhaps not as pink as a Willow Warbler would show. The weak supercilium mainly restricted to in front of the eye supports Chiffchaff.

From this angle to my eye the folded wings look too short for a Willow Warbler, falling level with the base of the tail.

Note the cheek patch. On a typical Willow Warbler this would be more blotchy, though this feature is not easy to see.

One more.

The female Grey Wagtail on the grass. Almost no black on the throat though some older females are reputed to show more extensive black markings.

A female Pied Wagtail on the dam-top. There were also two males here but they would not stop running about.

The best I could do with the Meadow Pipit on the SW grass. I needed to photograph it to positively ID it. Separation of Meadow and Tree Pipits is hard except by call or song - and I did not heard this bird call. On grass it would most likely be a Meadow Pipit but on migration birds can always turn up in strange places. Here the rather long streaks along the flanks indicate it is indeed a Meadow Pipit. I have very rarely seen this bird on the ground here.

As noted the party of 10 Linnets in the hedge were against the light. This at least shows the white in the folded wing that confirms the identity. I'll approach from the other way tomorrow when the angle of the light should be somewhat better - not best unless I can get access to the academy grounds. Unlikely!

A Goldfinch in profile. A very pointed bill for getting in to their favourite food in Autumn - teasel seeds.

This, despite the very white looking tail, is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Where the white of the tail meets the black abdomen the 'fur' is buff-tinged. Not easy to see when the insect is buzzing about.

A 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata). It is keeping its legs well-hidden, perhaps to conserve body heat.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 - 10:25

(44th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I cannot explain why the Tufted Duck numbers vary so much from day to day ....
- Great Crested Grebes back again and seen displaying. I can't explain why they seem to come and go either.
- A Pied Wagtail seen flying off. Seems to be my first record of the species here this year - I will have to double-check. Irrespective it means my bird species total here this year is 63.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard

Count of hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Sand Martins

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

Counts from the water:
- 21 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 24 (17♂) Mallard
- 36 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 24 Coots

Also noted:
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Can't let the lake have all the Chiffchaffs. And I need to be able to complain "there is always a branch in the way".

A male Bullfinch sitting up and taking notice.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

3 Cormorants

2 Grey Herons

12 Tufted Duck

7 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Cormorant

1 Cackling Goose

39 Tufted Ducks

1 Blackcap

4 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

4 Great Crested Grebes

23 Tufted Ducks

1 Sand Martin

1 Blackcap

2 Chiffchaffs

1 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe 

4 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Cormorant 

2 Gadwall

21 Tufted Ducks 

6 Redwings

1 Fieldfare 

372 Jackdaws

Kestrel

Willow Tit

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Cormorant 

1 Pochard 

58 Tufted Duck 

1 Brambling

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool

2 Great Crested Grebes 

2 Cormorants

2 Greylag Geese

4 Shoveler 

19 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

50 Meadow Pipit

100 Redwing

Green Woodpecker

3 Red legged Partridge

Fieldfare

7 Lapwing

Linnet

(John Isherwood)

2012

Nedge Hill

2 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2011

Nedge Hill 

2 Common Redstart

4 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

Garden Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

20 Tufted Duck

2 Buzzard

1 Kestrel

1 Skylark

36 Meadow Pipit

9 Chiffchaff

1 Redpoll

8 Bullfinch

5 Reed Bunting

(Martin Adlam)

2006 

Priorslee Lake 

5 Great Crested Grebes

2 Cormorants

6 Tufted Ducks

1 Ruddy Duck

7 Stock Doves

235 Wood Pigeons

3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers

7 Meadow Pipits

20 Wrens

21 Blackbirds

2 Fieldfares again

2 Blackcaps

5 Chiffchaffs

3 Willow Warblers

1 Willow Tit

15 Greenfinches

3 Siskins

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)