9 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 4.0°C: Early rather heavy rain gave way to more showery outbreaks. Cloud level generally low again. Light NNW wind fell away calm. Moderate / good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:26 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:30 - 09:15

(59th visit of the year)

Two additions to my 2021 bird species list this year:
- I was keeping out of the early heavy rain on the sailing club shelter when I noted four small birds running around on the grass at 05:40. So dark! What were they? Eventually enough light to see they were four Common Sandpipers. This date equals my previous earlies date in 2019. A remarkably consistent date as I have 10 April for 1991 and 2014. Species #85
- I searched and searched through all the Sand Martins and eventually just before 09:00 I found my first House Martin here this year. Species #86

One that nearly got away. A white object seen in the early gloom low-down in a bush seemed to be a white plastic bag masquerading as a Little Egret. However it had gone later. The position was not accessible for the bag to be removes and there was no wind to blow it away. So was it a Little Egret masquerading as a plastic bag? A photo taken in poor light from right across the lake supports the Little Egret identification - just! My fifth record this year though the other four have all been fly-overs.

Other bird notes:
- Just one Wood Pigeon motivated to fly over. Must be some sort of low-count record for me.
- A Common Buzzard feasting on what might have been a Pheasant carcass on the academy playing fields. A(nother) Pheasant still extant - heard calling later.
- The first Sand Martins were present by 07:45.
- All warblers were hard work with song often intermittent. More Willow Warblers - as there were at The Flash later. Mostly passing through I expect. That said Willow Warblers have been singing from the same two small areas for some days - no guarantee these are the same birds each day of course.
- A very frustrating Wren with a rather unusual singing tone and a very fast trill recalling the final phrase of a Wood Warbler's song. It has momentarily confused me for two days now.
- Four Linnets in the hedge between the football field and the academy playing fields. Too dull for photos.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese: one pair outbound
- 6 Greylag Geese: three pairs outbound
- 1 Wood Pigeon only!!
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adults together
- 3 Jackdaws
- 8 Starlings
- 5 Meadow Pipits

Count of hirundines etc. noted:
- c.50 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin

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

Counts from the water:
- 4 Canada Geese: pair throughout; another pair arrived and were chased off.
- 2 Mute Swans: pen sitting throughout
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Common Sandpipers
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret: roosted and departed

Otherwise newly in flower here for 2021:
- Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
- Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa)
- Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)

I am reasonably pleased with these shots of Common Sandpiper considering the light level. The camera and I really struggled with the conditions today.

Two of the four birds here. The way the white extends up the shoulder is a good identification feature of this species as is the constant bobbing of the tail.

Camera 1 Binoculars 0. Just enough on this photo taken across the full width of the lake in the rain to be sure this is a Little Egret (note the black where the bill should be!). It is not a plastic bag, though the latter are far more frequent around the lake these days.

Because of the rain the camera was in my pocket when I saw this Great Crested Grebe attempting to 'do a Grey Heron' with a large fish. By the time the camera was ready the fish had been consumed and all I could see was rather strange behaviour as it kept dipping its bill in the water. There seems to be something hanging out of its bill, though I cannot make out what it is.

Not entirely sure what the Common Buzzard has found to eat other than it clearly had lots of feathers and is now rather a mess. I cannot tell whether the red is part of, say, a Pheasant's plumage, or just blood and guts.

I'm no expert on birds' eggs and was never been interested even as a child at a time when hunting birds' nests was not frowned on (much less illegal!). However Mr. Google to the rescue (other search-engines ....). The sparse black specks on a blue egg suggest a Song Thrush. [Not sure why it looks green in the photo!] Hopefully there is a fledging around somewhere.

Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) is the earliest umbellifer to flower in our area and this is the first I have seen this year. It has a typically open structure with well-spread umbels.

Not looking too happy in the rain and cold is this patch of Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 - 10:25

(47th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I hope it was a Sparrowhawk overhead. It was doing a display flight with the white under-tail coverts spread out the sides. On size it looked like a female. Do females display? If not was it a male Goshawk? I doubt it - Goshawk is the most frequently misidentified bird and after all it is a know Sparrowhawk territory and the species are unlikely to co-exist.
- A pair of Barn Swallows was on a TV aerial on one of the houses in Derwent Drive for a while.
- It is not unusual for Willow Warblers to pass in some numbers in early April. Seven singing birds is a good count if a few days later than usual - held up by the northerly blast?
- A male Reed Bunting was calling at the S end. Only my second sighting of this species here this year after a female along the E side on 18 March

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Feral Pigeon

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Sand Martins
- 2 Barn Swallows

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

Counts from the water:
- 21 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 23 (18♂) Mallard
- 37 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- [no Great Crested Grebes]

Nothing else noted

What is presumably a pair of Moorhens. They had just seen off a Coot in a no-holds-barred bout of kick-boxing.

Terrible light still but Barn Swallows on a TV aerial is not something you see every day. I would judge it to be the male closest to me but with only one long tail-streamer - the other looks broken. It has been shown (by whom? how?) that female swallows prefer males with the longest and equal-length streamers.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
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

2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
12 Tufted Duck
3 Swallows
7 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
133 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cackling-type Goose
29 Tufted Ducks
5 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
1 Sky Lark
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
22 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
5 Great Crested Grebes 
5 Tufted Ducks
Little Ringed Plover
8 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Tit
3 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Greylag Goose 
1 Cackling Goose 
73 Tufted Duck 
Brambling
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington
6 Redshank
18 Teal
(Martin Grant)

2011
Nedge Hill
Ring Ouzel
4 Common Redstart
7 Wheatear
(John Isherwood,Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
3 Pied Flycatchers
2 Common Redstarts
1 Tree Pipit
(JW Reeves)

2007
Priorslee lake
4 Tufted Duck
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Sand Martin
1 Skylark
1 Meadow Pipit
4 Blackcap
2 Willow Warbler
9 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Tit
3 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam) 

Priorslee Village
1 Swallow
(Martin Adlam)

2006 
Priorslee Lake 
5 Great Crested Grebes
3 Herons
1 Cormorant
7 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
259 Jackdaw
4 Stock Doves
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
13 Meadow Pipits
21 Wrens
18 Robins
22 Blackbirds
1 Redwing
3 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
4 Jays
6 Greenfinches
2 Siskin
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)