2 Mar 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 11.0°C: Overcast apart from clearer skies to the far East. Fresh southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:55 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:05

(47th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two pairs of Canada Geese supplemented by two singles arriving from the East.
- seven Goosander noted: again all appeared to be brownheads. Only one noted at 06:15. I did not see any fly in.
- only three Great Crested Grebe noted. At this time of year numbers are often volatile notwithstanding the pairs seen displaying.
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls. It was noticeable that a significant proportion are now in breeding plumage.
- two Herring Gulls visited briefly c.06:30. Otherwise just a few large gulls seen flying over
- presumably it was the same Cetti's Warbler that was singing along both the North and the South side.
- four Chiffchaffs noted: one singing; one calling and two getting on with the job of hunting insects.
- I planned to go directly to Woodhouse Lane in attempt to get closer to the large groups of Jackdaws passing to the East. This did not work out as intended. The first Jackdaws flew over at 06:20, earlier than usual, while I was only part way around the lake and it was still dark. When I did get to Woodhouse Lane it was not as easy to see birds to the East as I expected with the trees in Ward's Rough obscuring some of the view after which birds were skimming the fields and hard to pick up. More work needed!

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 17 Wood Pigeons
- 140 Jackdaws
- 73 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 13 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- *7 (0♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *6 Cormorants
- *2 Grey Herons: one chased away
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted on the West end street lamp poles:

Beetles:
- *1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

This the only inhabitant pre-dawn. It stayed until at least 08:45
It had been windy overnight. I found nothing else on the poles.

Noted elsewhere:

Plants:
- *Hairy Bittercress Cardamine hirsuta
- *Common Chickweed Stellaria media

Not an inspiring sunrise. Taken from the concrete road leading to Woodhouse Lane. Clearer skies to the East.

Seven Goosanders eventually. Just two here: all brownheads.

Three Cormorants (all immatures) share a platform with a Grey Heron.

The other three Cormorants on the adjacent platform. The middle bird is an adult with a slight crest and part of the white thigh patch not covered by the folded wing.

I plan to do better. My first Chiffchaff photo of the year. This bird was neither singing nor calling, just busy flitting after insects.

The Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni I first noted on a street lamp pole pre-dawn. It stayed in the same place for this better photo later. Several recent winters have seen this species abundant on walls and fences. This is certainly my first sighting this year.

A better photo of Hairy Bittercress Cardamine hirsuta

The delicate flowers belong to Common Chickweed Stellaria media. This is not a plant I record every year. I probably overlook it as it is a common-enough wild flower.

Answers on a post-card: I have not idea. This, about the size of my thumb-nail, was on the Teece Drive fence.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane area:

As noted this was a brief visit mainly to look for the early passing corvids. While there I also noted:

In the two now full and very muddy storm pools:
- 5 (3♂) Mallard: 2 (1♂) in the upper pool; 3 (2♂) in the lower pool – these flew off.
- 1 Coot: in the lower pool.

Otherwise:
- at least one Linnet heard in flight (a species not recorded last year at my self-imposed "lake" area)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:10 – 10:25

(44th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two (a pair?) of Mute Swans were being chased away as I arrived. A few minutes later what was probably another two were given the same treatment (it is just about possible the first two circled unseen and very quickly attempted to return).
- the drake Pochard now in the same spot in the water for its fifth day.
- significant increase in Tufted Duck numbers, especially of drakes.
- as recently at the Balancing Lake the Black-headed Gulls were flying in, out, back(?) and around. I made one count of 88 on the water. Almost certainly more. They will soon be off to their inland breeding lakes.
- a Chiffchaff was heard singing at the bottom end.
- *the feeding station was again very quiet: up to six Siskins were joined by both male and female Greenfinches. Three Chaffinches and a Song Thrush were picking at the spills. There were many other Siskins seen and heard in trees along the West side, above the feeders and at the bottom end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- *6 Mute Swans: two pairs chased away
- 27 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 48 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- >90 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first year

Noted around the area:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- an unidentified bumblebee seen in flight: my first in the area this year.

The recently-arrived resident Mute Swan chasing a pair(?) of interlopers.

A pleasing portrait of a female Chaffinch.

A grumpy-looking male Greenfinch.

A female Greenfinch looking more serene.

All six of the Siskins I noted near the feeders were males. Here is one.

Dive, dive, dive!

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
The Wrekin
c.35 Crossbills near the summit.
(Frank Hinde)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Grey Wagtail
10 Song Thrushes
c.20 Redwings
2 Siskins
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Pochard
12 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
11 Pochard
69 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
12 Tufted Duck
6 Goosander
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Iceland Gull.
17 Fieldfare
4 Redwings
1 Kingfisher
>350 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson, Jim Almond)