Archive News - Apr 2008

Priorslee Lake

Archive News - April 2008

Wednesday, 30th

Swan Lake

For most of the day there have been 17 Mute Swans on the Lake. The resident Cob has had a busy day keeping 15 interlopers at bay in the NE corner of the Lake, whilst I presume his mate was in Wesley Brook.. Where these 15 birds have come from is a mystery. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to check for rings, so if anyone gets an opportunity to have a look, it would be interesting to know.

13 of the 17 Mute Swans on the Lake today (Click on image to enlarge)

(Martin Adlam)

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Sunday, 27th

Got wet this morning at the lake; tried the lanes to the E (NOT the tall wet grass in the fields); and walked to The Flash to try and find warblers lurking. They were almost all at the lake!

Warblers available at the lake:
- 3 Sedge Warblers - none of these near the reedy areas and all in hedges but seen well
- 6 singing Reed Warblers with 1 in the vegetation behind the N side reeds
- 2 Lesser Whitethroats at the W end - these seem to have paired up and stopped singing already
- 2 Whitethroats - 1 in NE area; 1 at W end
- 1 Garden Warbler - in NE area where this, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler were singing within a few feet of each other
- 9 Blackcaps - 6 males in song and 3 females seen
- 9 Chiffchaffs - 6 in song
- 1 Willow Warbler - rather a cheat as the bird in the copse to the E could be heard as there was no traffic this morning!

Also here
- Little Grebe heard again
- 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes confirmed
- 7 interloping adult Swans: the cob managed to get rid of 5!
- 2 Common Sandpipers
- c.10 Sand Martins, c.45 Swallows and 1 House Martin hawking at 09:00 as the boat club set up tents and tressle tables for an 'open day'

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday, 26th

This morning at the Lake my first Swift of the year flew SW at 08:25

Also
- 7 adults Swans flew in causing angst for the resident cob!
- 3 Common Sandpipers
- 1 Sedge Warbler in NE area again
- 6 Reed Warblers, 5 of them in song
- 9 Chiffchaffs, only 6 singing so I guess the females have arrived as well
- no Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday, 25th

The now usual Priorslee Lake, The Flash and Nedge Hill visits. 2 circuits of the lake and the flash in between. And then Nedge Hill

At the lake
- Great Crested Grebes still not put juveniles in the water: at least 2. At least 3, probably 4, other adults around the lake
- just a few Sand Martins and Swallows through
- drake Tufted Duck seen flaring to land on the water but not seen again!
- Sedge Warbler singing and seen near the Castle Farm Way gate in the NE area on the second lap only (09:00)
- 4 Reed Warblers now - 3 in song
- 1 Lesser Whitethroat in the Ricoh hedge again but also only on the 2nd lap (08:30) and chased off by Blackcap
- 1 Common Whitethroat at W end on 1st lap only (06:00)
- 3 Blackcaps
- 6 Chiffchaffs
- 1 Willow Warbler only now - most seem to have moved on (only 1 bred here last year)

At 05:55 I had the most odd Sylvia warbler song at the S end of the dam: it was unusually loud and included Song Thrush-type phrases, recalling Garden Warbler but without the 'throaty' quality of that species. Search in vain for the songster but when it stopped a female Blackcap popped out. When it disappeared the singing resumed. And the same thing happened again. Whether this was the songster is hard to say - could it be a 1st summer male that is somehow not in adult plumage? But why the strange song

No waders anywhere

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 24th

New this morning - 2 Reed Warblers

Also at the lake
- Great Crested Grebes still not put the juveniles in the water and still unclear whether 2 or 3
- 3 Common Sandpipers
- 3 broods of Coot, but only 4 juveniles noted
- 1 Sedge Warbler in song at W end at 05:30 but not subsequently no sight or sound of the Lesser Whitethroat
- 1 Common Whitethroat
- fewer Willow Warblers now - the birds leaping about the low vegetation on Monday have presumably moved on

(Ed Wilson)

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Wednesday, 23rd

This Morning:
- 2 Sedge Warblers singing: 1 in W end reeds; the other in the N-side reeds
- 1 possibly 2 Lesser Whitethroats singing. One at the traditional breeding site in the hedge between the footpath and the Ricoh grounds. It or another later in trees behind the shelter on the grass.

Had hoped the rain might bring some birds down - it did: 2 Black-headed Gulls for about 20 minutes!

(Ed Wilson)

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Tuesday, 22nd (08:50am)

- A few more Swallows this morning with a few Sand Martins amongst them.

(Martin Adlam)

- a singing Common Whitethroat
- Great Crested Grebes certainly have young: at least 2, perhaps 3, tucked up on adult's back
- 2 drake Gadwall
- 1 Common Sandpiper left
- at least 3 family parties of Coot

(Ed Wilson)

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Monday, 21st

- A single Swallow flew east at 1:00pm

(Martin Adlam)

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Sunday, 20th

After some consideration decided to visit the lake despite the rain. Luckily the wind was less strong and shelter in the hut on the SW shore was possible until I got bored and walked around in the rain anyway

A worthwhile visit with a site year-tick of Wheatear.

Highlights:
- Little Grebe still here - heard calling but not seen. Suspect breeding
- 5 adult Great Crested Grebes: the pair in the NW area were outside the reeds and one of them was 'fluffed-up' and I strongly suspect that small juveniles were lurking on its back, but could not be certain
- 4 Common Sandpipers
- another medium-sized wader was glimpsed overhead: but it did not call and flew on W
- a sub-adult Lesser Black-backed Gull flew through - my first gull here since I came back from Hawaii a week again
- no passage of hirundines but by 09:25 there were 20 Sand Martins and 4 Swallows feeding over the water
- a pair of Grey Wagtails visited the grass in front of the hut and proceeded to display - cannot recall seeing this behaviour before
- stuck my head around the back of the hut to see what was about and was amazed to see a male Wheatear sitting in a small tree behind the hut. It was still there 5 minutes later but I never saw it again
- another (sub?) singing Redwing. Strangely when it saw me and flew off it did not call
- 8 singing Willow Warblers included one working the sparse vegetation on the dam-face
- 9 Chiffchaffs - 7 in song
- no other warblers: not even a Blackcap
- a calling Willow Tit was only my second record this year from the site (or elsewhere come to that)

As there were a few things moving - Wheatear, Willow Warblers - I did a quick visit to Nedge with complete lack of anything remotely interesting!

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday, 18th

Best was a pair of sparkling (though hardly in the gloomy weather) Wigeon at the lake

A significant arrival of Willow Warblers with 4 singing birds at the lake

A small passage of N-bound hirundines with more Swallows than Sand Martins today:
- 6 Sand Martins then later 9
- 24 Swallows then later 3

Otherwise at the lake
- a pair of Gadwall this morning
- 2 pairs of Tufted Ducks
- a lone red-headed juvenile Coot from a new brood: no sign of the only remaining juvenile from the earlier brood
- 2 male Kestrels seen fighting
- no Blackcaps heard
- 9 Chiffchaffs (7 in song)

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 17th

First visit to the lake in the rain (from 05:30)
- Little Grebe at potential nest site
- drake Gadwall seen again (after 2 blanks days)
- 7 Tufted Ducks (5 flew in) after 2 blank days
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 juvenile Coot only remaining from a brood at least 1 week old (there were still 2 on Tuesday)
- 93 Sand Martins logged flying E / NE through the lake: biggest group 30 birds
- 4 Swallows also
- 1 singing Blackcap
- 4 Willow Warblers singing
- 11 Chiffchaffs (8 singing)

Second visit to the after visiting the Flash & Nedge, with a worthwhile stop on the way home (c.10:00)
- 18 Sand Martins feeding over the lake with a House Martin joining them
- 1 Common Tern did 2 circuits of the lake and then headed out E