22 Mar 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 09:55
Location

Sunrise: 06:05

4°C > 7°C: Overcast with a few brighter bits. Calm, light and variable, mainly NW. Very good visibility

(45th visit of the year)

I am restarting my summary report of singing warblers around the lake

Notes
- no gulls on the water until 09:40. Apart from 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls together all the others were singles
- in addition to 44 Wood Pigeons seen flying over at 09:45 something put up a big party of Wood Pigeons to the E and at least 150 flew W over the lake, a few of them descending in to the trees around the lake
- Kingfisher seen leaving the lake and powering away S over M54
- just 4 Linnets this morning but joined briefly by 2 Redpolls (with another Redpoll over)

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 2 Canada Geese (1 party)
- 1 (1♂) Mallard again
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 4 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- c.200 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 9 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks
- 3 Starlings
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Chaffinch
- 7 Goldfinches
- 3 Siskins
- 1 Redpoll

Singing warblers around the lake
- 1 Cetti’s Warbler
- 2 Chiffchaffs

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 19 (13♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 14 Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Moorhens
- 64 Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls

A Lesser Redpoll doing what it says on the tin and showing its red poll. Note the neat ‘V’ of the closed tail, shared with many finches but it really only Lesser Redpoll and Linnet in our area that show this so strongly, even Siskin is less pronounced. Twite would be similar but would start a local twitch as the species breeds well north of here and winters on the E coast.

Woodhouse Lane (08:20 – 08:40)

Some notes:
Very quiet
- 2 Sky Larks in song was all I could find
 

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in .....................

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011

Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Cormorants
24 Tufted Duck
9 Meadow Pipits
4 Redwings
4 Chiffchaffs singing
2 Brimstone butterflies
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash 
43 Tufted Ducks 
1 Sky Lark
2 Chiffchaffs singing
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
8 Lapwings
3 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff singing
(Ed Wilson)

Trench 
2 Little Grebes 
30 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
2 Gadwall
23 Tufted Duck
4 Sand Martins
1 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaffs singing
8 Linnets 
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
7 Wheatear
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Sky Lark
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebe
43 Tufted Duck
2 Sparrowhawks
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake

4 Cormorant
33 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kittiwake
31 Wren
24 Robin
23 Blackbird
1 Redwing
4 Chiffchaff  singing
34 Magpie
176 Jackdaw
7 Greenfinch
5 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
10 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
1 Chiffchaff singing
1 Willow Tit
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
49 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Water Rail
2 Lapwings
c.950 Black-headed Gulls
509 Wood Pigeon
6 Stock Doves
613 Wood Pigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
13 Pied Wagtails
24 Wrens
19 Robins
22 Blackbirds
5 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Tits
17 Magpies
17 Greenfinches
4 Siskins
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)