6 May 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Sunrise: 05:29

3.0°C – 7.0°C: Several remnant shower clouds passing to N and S kept it mostly cloudy. Calm start with light NW breeze developing. Excellent visibility except in showers

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 06:10 // 07:05 – 10:05

(84th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Sedge Warblers were singing along both the S & N sides at c.05:15. Perhaps one of these singing in the NW reeds c.09:30?
- A Reed Warbler was with the Sedge Warbler along the S side throughout. One was also in the brambles behind the Sailing Club shelter at this time. A third was singing from the W end reeds making 10 singing birds in total.
- Garden Warblers were singing in adjacent bushes along the W side at 04:50. The bird in the SW copse was again very mobile and it is hard to pin its territory down.
- The same applies to the Common Whitethroats and I remain unsure whether there are three or four singing birds. They are sometimes in what I would regard as unsuitable breeding areas. But what do I know?

Overhead
- 11 Canada Geese: four pairs and trio outbound
- 3 Greylag Geese: trio outbound
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Cormorant
- 44 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
Barn Swallows were first to arrive 07:50; Swifts last at 08:20
- 2 Swifts
- 4 Sand Martins
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins
One of the fishermen report at least 20 Swifts late last evening

Warblers noted
- 15 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (3) Sedge Warbler; or three: see notes
- 11 (10) Reed Warblers; also see notes
- 17 (12) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers
- 5 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- 1 Canada Goose: the resident again
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (5♂) Mallard: no ducklings
- 5 Moorhens
- 18 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only again
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Herring Gull: at 05:00, briefly; 'immature'
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn
- 1 small plumed midge
- 1 small fly
I could not get acceptable photos of either of these

Noted later:
- 1 presumed geometer moth caterpillar
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee
- 1 spider sp. (to be identified)
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Another rather uninspiring sunrise. A pair of fighting Coots apologise for the ripples on the otherwise calm water.

A Treecreeper in profile clearly showing how it uses its tail as a prop...

... sometimes! Seems to have slipped out of control here. Note the claws managing to grip around a sizeable branch – why it does not need the tail prop.

He is rather a poseur. Our 'ringed' male Grey Wagtail.

A rare moment of silence. Male because of its black throat. While some older females are thought to show a black throat this bird was ringed as a newly fledged juvenile in 2020.

Here he is checking all around.

I hope you are watching this after the watershed. I wondered why the male Chaffinch was singing from the ground and what the heap of leaves was all about. It was not a heap of leaves at all but an apparently very willing female Chaffinch. 10 seconds later it was all over.

I think this is a geometer moth caterpillar. I have no literature that would help further. The four pairs of prolegs and the hind legs are separated such that progress is my 'loops' and they are sometimes known as looper caterpillars. 'Geometer' refers to this progress by measuring its length.

A small spider which appears to be walking on a web on top of the leaf. The leaf comes from a Hedge Garlic plant which helps give scale to the spider.

 'I know a man' who can provide at least a partial ID for the spider.3

One of a small group of Marsh Marigold (aka Kingcups) (Caltha palustris) I have found in easy reach. Slightly past their best.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- pair of Mallard on the lower pool; these then flew to the lake.
- Moorhen on nest at both pools.
- Another Moorhen on the lower pool.
- 1 warbler sang very briefly alongside the lower pool. Sounded more like a Garden Warbler than a Blackcap, but too brief
- 1 very irate Nuthatch in gardens alongside the path.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:00

(71st visit of the year)

Bird notes
- Either I miscounted the cygnets yesterday (quite possible as my photo only shows six – need more fingers) or they have lost one. Definitely only six cygnets this morning.
- I perhaps discovered where some of the Mallard were hiding yesterday – seven drakes were sitting in the road of Wordsworth Close today!
- The duck Mallard was happily with her drake Tufted Duck consort again – indeed she chased the drake Mallard away when he came too close.
- A Willow Warbler heard calling

Noted flying over here:
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted. Still no sigh of Swifts over St. Georges

None

Warblers noted
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (6) Blackcaps

On the water
- 39 Canada Geese: three of these arrived
- 5 Greylag Geese: one of these arrived and another departed
- 3 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 24 (18♂) Mallard
- 13 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 19 Coots

Nothing else of note seen later

The ménage à trois seems to have been settled in favour of the mixed duo. Not sure whether off-spring are possible as they are different genera.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2020

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

10 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2008

Nedge Hill

5 Wheatear

Yellow Wagtail

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

Hobby

1 Common Sandpiper 

1 Cuckoo

2 Ruddy Ducks

(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)

Nedge Hill

1 Ring Ouzel

4 Wheatear

(Arthur Harper)