5 May 21

Priorslee Lake, Woodhouse Lane and The Flash

3.0°C – 7.0°C: Clear after overnight showers but with more showers later. Moderate W wind. Excellent visibility except in showers

Sunrise:: 05:31

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 06:05 // 06:55 – 10:00

(83rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A group of 10 large gulls passed at c.07:10 – 1 immature Herring and eight adult and one immature Lesser Black-backs. Three of the adult Lesser Black-backs paused for a drink. The others did not deviate.
- A Sedge Warbler was singing along the S side at 05:15. What I assume was the same bird was singing along the N side by 09:30
- The Sedge Warbler had been replaced along the S side by a Reed Warbler by 07:25. Whether this was a ninth bird or the bird heard earlier in the brambles behind the Sailing Club shelter is hard to say
- A Mistle Thrush was in song alongside Reece Drive at 04:50 - the first song I have heard for some time. Prelude to another brood? Later a very upset bird was rattling away some way to the E

Overhead
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound
- 3 Greylag Geese: pair outbound; single inbound
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Ducks: pairs at 05:05 and 07:05
- 21 Racing Pigeons: one group
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 5 adults
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Cormorant
- 77 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
Birds coming and going: max. number at any one instant
- 1 Swift
- 6 Sand Martins
- 10 Barn Swallows
- 6 House Martins

Warblers noted
- 11 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler (see notes)
- 8 (8) Reed Warblers
- 11 (6) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- 1 Canada Goose: the resident
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Mallard: no ducklings
- 3 Moorhens
- 21 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn

Nothing

Noted later:
- 1 Common Wasp

Before the showers got going again there was a reasonable sunrise

Much later as the showers approach.

A sight you do not see too often - a Coot in flight well above the water. The primaries are surprisingly pale and the secondaries have a small white trailing edge. This species is in fact a good flyer as evidenced by the arrival of sometimes many more birds in the winter. That said I have never, ever seen one arrive or leave. They seem to do so only at night.

Two of the three Lesser Black-backed Gulls that dropped in. These seemed at the time to be adults but the photo reveals some brownish feathers in the folded wing of the front bird. May be a third-year bird.

Some flowers of the Ramsons (Allium ursinum) are now fully open, as here.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woodhouse Lane: 08:05 – 09:00

(20th visit of the year)

A full walk up and down the lane with nothing of real note, though I did manage to sneak up on two Linnets to photograph them.

Some numbers
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 3 (3) Skylarks
- 4 Linnets
- 8 (0) Yellowhammers (all males, none singing)

One of the eight male Yellowhammers I noted today.

When he turns around he shows the brown tones on the rump

A different male

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash

- Moorhen on nest at both pools
- Another Moorhen walking under the Priorslee Avenue bridge
- 1 (1) Blackcap alongside the lower pool

As I was walking down the dip to go under Priorslee Avenue this Moorhen wandered through the tunnel and up the slope towards me.

The first chance I got to snap a Linnet – a female here I think. Easier to tell when they face you.

These are normally very flighty birds. I moved very slowly to where they had moved and was able to get quite close to this male.

And again

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:10 – 06:50

(70th visit of the year)

Bird notes
- Quite why there were so many Canada Geese is a mystery. Perhaps the nesting birds have given up sitting on the eggs that were dipped to stop them hatching?
- The Mute Swans have hatched seven cygnets. One egg remains in the nest. Perhaps unfertilised – a common occurrence
- In contrast to the Canada Geese the number of Mallard was very low.
- The Common Sandpiper was walking along the edge of the path alongside Derwent Drive as I arrived.
- After several blank days a not very vocal Willow Warbler was present. It was moving slowly N along the W side as I walked clockwise around the water. What I presume the same bird was then working S along the E side.

Noted flying over here.

Nothing

Hirundines etc. noted.

None

Warblers noted
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler: see notes
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (3) Blackcaps

On the water
- 35 Canada Geese: three of these departed
- 7 Greylag Geese: two of these departed
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swan: 8th egg did not hatch
- 14 (10♂) Mallard only!
- 10 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 20 Coots
- Common Sandpiper

Nothing else of note seen later

Only six of the seven cygnets visible here as they all scramble for cover under mum.

The Common Sandpiper alongside Derwent Drive

"Fill the frame, fill the frame". Oops: chopped this Song Thrush's feet off.

And now the tip of its tail! Two Song Thrushes were standing around quite close to each other on the top end grass. This one is not a juvenile.

The only chance I had to snap the Willow Warbler. It was just a silhouette and took some fiddling about to get this imperfect result. Willow Warblers can be quite yellow – indeed juveniles in Autumn can be very yellow.

Small(ish) bird; big(ish) wire. A Goldfinch of course.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day

2020

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2012

Wrekin

Several Pied Flycatchers

2 male Common Redstarts

2 Wood Warbler

3 male Tree Pipits

(Glenn Bishton)

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2007

Nedge Hill

2 Wheatears

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 drake Ruddy Duck

(Ed Wilson)