15 May 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C: Overcast at low level. Light rain / drizzle / mist much of the time. Light ESE breeze. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 05:14 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:50 – 06:35 // 07:20 – 09:10

(92nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The five juvenile Coots were from yesterday's new brood #3. Any others seemed to be keeping out of the rain.
- The Sedge Warbler again doing several bounding display flights.
- Several Reed Warblers came out briefly to sing.

Overhead:
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults?
- 1 Cormorant
- 6 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swift
- 2 Sand Martins again
- 8 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 10 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler still
- 12 (11) Reed Warblers
- 13 (12) Blackcaps
- 4 (3) Garden Warblers again
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat again

Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (4♂) Mallard
- no Moorhens
- 21 + 5 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebes only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first year, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps when I checked them well after dawn

Nothing

Also noted:
- Another group of fungus, probably St George's Mushrooms (Calocybe gambosa).
- A Brassica-like flower I have been unable to identify.

Mute Swan family portrait (even if one adult is out of view).

Have I mentioned that branches get in the way?

That's better. A Reed Warbler popped out for a change. Main feature of this mostly brown bird with a pale throat is the rather long bill at the end of a sloping forehead.

While waiting in vain for the Reed Warbler to reappear or the Sedge Warbler to pop up this male Reed Bunting arrived with a beakful of food for youngsters in the nest.

I suspect I had dismissed this wildflower growing alongside Teece Drive as an Oil-seed Rape (Brassica napus) farm escape but ...

.. in close-up it looks rather different. That said I am not sure what it is. Either a brassica or a cress but none shown in my flora seems to match. A hybrid perhaps?

A cluster of small fungus lurking under dense vegetation. I suspect these are also St George's Mushrooms (Calocybe gambosa).

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- Two juvenile Moorhens were peering out from under an adult on top of the new nest at the upper pool. So the adults did not have to transfer eggs when they moved their nest. The other adult was also seen.
- The usual two Moorhens at the lower pool. As yesterday the bird on the nest was again probably brooding any juveniles.
- 1 Chiffchaff singing at the lower pool.
- No Blackcap this morning.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 – 07:15

(79th visit of the year)

Today's warbler surprise was the second Reed Warbler of the year. It was singing intermittently along the E edge of the water. Probably the first year I have recorded two different instances of this species singing here. I did not hear anything of yesterday's Willow Warbler.

Other bird notes:
- Just three Mallard ducklings seen. I am not certain this was the same brood as I saw yesterday. They were in the same place as yesterday but they seemed very small as if they may have only just hatched. Also they were with a pair of adults whereas I noted only a duck with yesterday's ducklings.
- Just one pair of Tufted Duck. The other drake was with its usual pair of Mallard
- One juvenile Coot seen poking out from under a brooding adult. This was from a second brood from the pair beside the upper bridge. (The brood I have recorded in the last few days was still being brooded by the adult). I did not count the adult Coots today.
- Great Crested Grebe(s) apparently missing again.
- Juvenile Long-tailed Tits seen with adults.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 5 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

On /around the water:
- 22 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 20 (14♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens again
- ?? + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes

Noted otherwise:

Nothing

 Not meant to be a portrait of the Mute Swan family but to show the rather unusual discoloured feathers on the adult. No idea why.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2020

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2006

Priorslee Lake

2 Ruddy Ducks

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Wrekin

Wood Warbler

3 Spotted Flycatchers

(Andy Latham)