6 Apr 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 10.0°C: Another mixture. Initially broken cloud below a medium overcast again. Then more scattered cloud below high level cloud giving a few sunny spells. Then once again more cloud with even a light shower. Moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:34 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:25 – 06:45 // 07:45 – 09:35

(81st visit of the year)

It remains depressingly quiet.

Bird notes:
- Only a single Canada Goose seen. Its presumed partner was heard calling from a nest-site in the reeds.
- I suspect the Little Grebes have gone, though it is hard to be certain with this secretive species. I have not heard calls for four days.
- Once Black-headed Gulls depart for breeding sites it is unusual to see any here until they return in mid-June. It is even more unusual for adults to be seen. The two that flew through today were in full breeding plumage.
- Chiffchaffs were heard singing from two additional locations. 12 have been settled on territory for many days now.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: adults
- 3 Herring Gulls: all immatures
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mostly (near) adults
- 1 Cormorant
- 47 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Hirundines etc. noted:

Still none

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 3 (3) Willow Warblers
- 14 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Blackcaps again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- many plumed midges mostly of the medium-sized species
- 1 springtail
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
And the following plants first noted in flower:
- *Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
- *Cowslip (Primula veris)
- *Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa)
- *Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon)

 Now this would be a reasonable photo of a Long-tailed Tit were in not for the out of focus strand of barred wire across its chest!

A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). I don't wish to suggest that bees are not important for pollination: however unlike hoverflies, other flies and beetles they take much pollen away with them in their pollen sacs, as seen here. Fewer pollen grains tend to get attached to their their bodies to rub off on the next flowers they visit. The flowers you see here are on...

...spikes of Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). This popular garden shrub only has these flowering spikes when it is not pruned and left to grow wild.

These are the first Cowslips (Primula veris) I have seen here this year. Last year I recorded my first flowers in the same location on 26 February.

 As always Wood Anemone flowers (Anemone nemorosa) lurk in the shadiest areas.

These are flowers of Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon).

A close-up of two of the flowers giving a view a bee would see.

These leaves look rather sad but are supposed to look like this. They are Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves just emerging from sticky-buds.

A Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius). It seems to be eating something.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:40

(78th visit of the year)

Still many *Brambling around. As I passed the island there was one bird on a tree top and more could be heard calling. In the high trees at the top left there were at least 20 birds both calling and occasionally singing. Finally there were at least 10 in trees alongside squirrel alley until a cruising Sparrowhawk scattered them.

Other bird notes:
- A significant reduction in the number of Tufted Duck
- Just one Great Crested Grebe seen. I could not locate the other at the usual nest site.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming from the island.
- While I was watching the Bramblings a lone Redwing flushed out of the trees at the top end.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Jackdaws

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese: five of these arrived
- 13 Greylag Geese
- 5 Mute Swans
- 23 (19♂) Mallard: no ducklings seen
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 42 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Herring Gulls: two second years and four first years; four of these arrived together and one departed

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 male plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)

Elsewhere

Nothing of note

Yet more poor photos of Brambling. My excuse is that they were high up in trees whose branches were waving in the wind. Also it was overcast and dull. The orange on the shoulder of this bird is too extensive for it to be a female so it has to be a first winter male that is rather late developing black on the head and nape.

Possibly the same bird still showing two female-like parallel black lines down the nape. Also just visible between the folded wings is the white rump that is often obvious as birds fly away. The white rump is not as extensive and clear as is shown by Bullfinch.

The same bird as the last photo confirming it as a male with the orange shoulders.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- 1 (1♂) Mallard on the lower pool
- 2 Moorhens on the lower pool
- 2 Chiffchaffs: a bird singing beside each pool
- 3 Starlings

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

Nothing noted

(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

3 Cormorants

2 Grey Herons

12 Tufted Duck

7 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Cormorant

1 Cackling Goose

39 Tufted Ducks

1 Blackcap

4 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

4 Great Crested Grebes

23 Tufted Ducks

1 Sand Martin

1 Blackcap

2 Chiffchaffs

1 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe 

4 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Cormorant 

2 Gadwall

21 Tufted Ducks 

6 Redwings

1 Fieldfare 

372 Jackdaws

Kestrel

Willow Tit

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes 

1 Cormorant 

1 Pochard 

58 Tufted Duck 

1 Brambling

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool

2 Great Crested Grebes 

2 Cormorants

2 Greylag Geese

4 Shoveler 

19 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

50 Meadow Pipit

100 Redwing

Green Woodpecker

3 Red legged Partridge

Fieldfare

7 Lapwing

Linnet

(John Isherwood)

2012

Nedge Hill

2 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2011

Nedge Hill 

2 Common Redstart

4 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

Garden Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

20 Tufted Duck

2 Buzzard

1 Kestrel

1 Skylark

36 Meadow Pipit

9 Chiffchaff

1 Redpoll

8 Bullfinch

5 Reed Bunting

(Martin Adlam)

2006 

Priorslee Lake 

5 Great Crested Grebes

2 Cormorants

6 Tufted Ducks

1 Ruddy Duck

7 Stock Doves

235 Wood Pigeons

3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers

7 Meadow Pipits

20 Wrens

21 Blackbirds

2 Fieldfares again

2 Blackcaps

5 Chiffchaffs

3 Willow Warblers

1 Willow Tit

15 Greenfinches

3 Siskins

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)