Priorslee Lake and The Flash
8.0°C > 9.0°C: After a clear night once again persistent low cloud again rolled across the sky. Light northerly wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:17 BST
Another busy day with photos later
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:10 – 06:30 // 07:25 – 09:20
(96th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Quelle surprise: a second pair of Greylag Geese with goslings! But some confusion as initially there were eight goslings with the original pair and just two with the new pair. Later there were seven with one pair and three with the other. What is going on?
- Very low Coot numbers. Some are no doubt sitting on eggs or brooding small juveniles but even so...
- I was told the Tree Creepers fledged young last weekend from their traditional but rapidly decaying dead tree along the North side. They were very noisy near the Teece Drive gate at dawn.
- I have no idea why there were so few Blackcaps recorded. Perhaps they are too bust raising their first brood.
- Only one singing Common Whitethroat noted. Yesterday there was another pair seen with the male singing briefly. Perhaps now they are paired song will be very sporadic.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 5 Feral Pigeons: together
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Jackdaws yet again
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler as usual
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler again
- 14 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler again
- 12 (12) Reed Warblers
- 7 (6) Blackcaps only
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler again
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroats
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 10 Swifts
- 5 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Canada Geese: the resident pair with only four goslings
- 4 + 10 (2 broods) Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 13 + 5 (2 broods) Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes yet again
On the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 midge
- 1 small fly
- 1 beetle
Noted later:
- Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria)
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- Common or Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)
- flowers of Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)
Between the lake and The Flash:
- A Sparrowhawk shot past me.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker calling
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:35 – 07:20
(88th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The pen Mute Swan was again sitting on the nest with her wings spread suggesting she was brooding cygnets.
- A Stock Dove was calling behind the medical centre.
- Now five Great Crested Grebes. As frequently remarked this species is very difficult to census as they spend so much time underwater when they can move long distance. Today I managed to see all five on the surface together.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
Hirundines etc., noted:
None
Noted on / around the water
- 13 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans: ? cygnets
- 22 (18♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 24 + 6 (3 broods) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
On / around the street lamp poles or of interest elsewhere:
Nothing noted
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
2009
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)