16 Apr 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 11.0°C: Clear when I arrived. Within 15 minutes fog had rolled in from the E. Lifted slightly after 08:15. Calm start with light SE breeze failing to blow away the fog. Very good visibility initially; very poor for a while, then generally poor.

Sunrise: 06:10 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:35 // 07:25 – 09:10

(90th visit of the year)

Much of the time it was almost impossible to see anything on the water and certainly anything flying over. A very few clearer intervals.

Bird notes:
- Two Common Sandpipers noted.
- There seems to be five Goldcrest territories in the area this year. I noted four last year.
- No Willow Warblers heard.
- The Common Whitethroat first noted yesterday was heard and occasionally seen in the SW area.

Birds noted flying over here:
This won't take long!
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler as usual
- no Willow Warblers
- 20 (16) Chiffchaffs
- 21 (17) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat again

Counts from the lake area:
- 1? Canada Goose remains keeping watch
- 2 Mute Swans: pen on nest throughout
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Ducks
- 6 Moorhens
- no meaningful count of Coots possible
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Common Sandpipers

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
The poles were again covered in a heavy dew
1 small black beetle
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Noted later:
- Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-Hedge (Alliaria petiolata) flowers

Thin high cloud taking some clarity off the nearly full moon - note that craters are just visible around the left side. It is 100% at 19:55 this evening. I read we are supposed to call this the Pink Moon: not because it ever looks pink but because that was the name given to it by American Native Indians as it coincides with the flowering of Phlox subulata. Another web source says this is the Snow Moon and that it is March's full moon is the Pink Moon, The Indians had no calendar as such: We do: "April Moon" seems to be perfectly apposite name and removes any confusion.

One of 10 Starlings that were feeding on the football field and flew in to a small tree on the approach of dog-walkers. I assume they some of the birds nesting in the estate though I don't see them everyday.

I have seen this small black beetle on lamp post previously. I am no nearer identifying it. The rather swollen femur would seem to provide a clue. I have not fund it helpful!

The first flowers of Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-Hedge (Alliaria petiolata) I have seen around here this year. This plant is not related to garlic: the leaves have a garlic smell when bruised. The leaves are also good to eat (leave some for the insects to eat).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 – 07:20

(87th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The two Mallard ducklings were significantly larger than any seen previously so not a new hatch. But where were many of the Mallard? There were six drakes on the lower pool and two more in the Wesley Brook by the tunnel.
- The visibility was not good but that does not account for the very low number of Tufted Duck.
- Just one Willow Warbler remains.
- Two male Bramblings flushed off the ground along the West side.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (6) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water: all numbers potentially visibility effected
- 18 Canada Geese
- 6 Greylag Geese: of these a pair arrived
- 5 Mute Swans
- 9 (8♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 13 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 22 Coots
- 1 Herring Gull: first year again

On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere

Nothing noted

Handsome I think is the right word for the Greylag Goose.

Scampering across the path in the mist is this family party of Mallard.

Safely(?) on the water.

At last a half-decent photo of a Brambling. This male was feeding on the ground and popped up on to a branch for a few seconds. A significant amount of black on the head and the nape on this bird.

As with most birds a head-on view looks like Mr. Angry.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- 6 drake Mallard on the lower pool
- 1 Chiffchaff singing from trees between the pools
- 2 Blackcaps singing near the upper pool

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- the usual plumed midges – all female without plumes
- two different crane flies

There were two different craneflies on the wall of the tunnel. One was very plain but I thought this well-marked individual might be possible to identify. Sadly not as the head, certainly as viewed here, is not well-separated from the thorax as all the photos I can find of well-marked species.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2014

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

3 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cormorant

2 Grey Herons

10 Tufted Duck

2 Common Sandpipers

6 Sand Martin

2 Swallow

11 Song Thrushes

11 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warbler

112 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes

2 Cormorants

1 Grey Heron

4 Greylag Geese

25 Tufted Ducks

2 Blackcap

2 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

Curlew

6 Sky Lark

3 Meadow Pipit

5 Blackcap

3 Chiffchaffs

2 Linnets

1 Yellowhammer

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Wheatear

2 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

East Priorslee

5 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

3 Yellow Wagtails

Common Whitethroat

62 Wheatear

1 Fieldfare

3 Common Redstart 

Willow Warbler

2 Swallows

Linnet

Skylark

Chiffchaff

(Martin Grant, Ian Grant, John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington

1 Little Ringed Plover

1 Ringed Plover

12 Lapwing

2 Stock Dove

4+ Skylark

5 Teal

(Martin Grant)

2012

Nedge Hill

1 White Wagtail

1 Redstart

2 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Yellow Wagtail

(John Isherwood/ Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

1 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Whitethroat

15 Wheatear

2 Linnets

(John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

2 Great Crested Grebes

9 Tufted Duck

1 Buzzard

25 Sand Martins

6 Swallows

3 Skylarks

2 Blackcaps

3 Chiffchaffs

3 Willow Warblers

1 Willow Tit

2 Jays

4 Linnets

1 Siskin

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

Common Sandpiper

Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

4 Chiffchaff

5 Blackcap

1 Willow Warbler

1 Reed Bunting

8 Tufted Duck

(Martin Grant)

2006

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

1 Little Grebe

2 Heron

4 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

7 Common Sandpiper

4 Swallow

3 Sand Martin

1 Kestrel

1 Raven

2 Sky Lark

2 Grey Wagtail

2 Meadow Pipit

1 Wheatear

9 Chiffchaff

4 Willow Warbler

5 Blackcaps

1 Sedge Warbler.

5 Greenfinch

2 Siskin

1 Linnet

5 Reed Bunting.

(Martin Adlam, John Isherwood)

7 Willow Warbler

6 Blackcaps

1 Sky Lark

2 Grey Wagtail

1 Willow Tit

4 Greenfinch

3 Linnet

5 Reed Bunting.

(Martin Adlam, John Isherwood)