Priorslee Lake
Priorslee Lake |
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Archive News - March 2006 |
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31st March, Friday - Another breezy morning at Priorslee today, with definite signs of spring, though a few lingering winter visitors. The journey from Newport gave me the following log: no Wood Pigeons; 5 Wrens; no Dunnocks; 83 Robins; 57 Blackbirds; 10 Song Thrushes; 1 Blue Tit; 5 Great Tit; and no Magpies. No real 'highlight' to the day - just a range of sightings of birds not logged every day. No sighting of the Barn Owl today but there was someone walking in the field at the most-likely time Summer was indicated by 19 Sand Martins; 7 Chiffchaffs and 2 Willow Warblers. Winter visitors still around were at least 5 Fieldfare and 13 Redwings. I suppose should include the 5 Siskins here. Other records of interest were a Kestrel mobbing one of the 3 Buzzards seen; one of the other Buzzards was cruising low over the fields to the NE with a Rabbit running at speed ahead of it, though it did not seem interested. 2 Stock Doves on the wires to the NE again; my first Kingfisher for several weeks; a distant singing Sky Lark; 3 separate Meadow Pipits flying W; and at least 4 Jays - I saw 4 birds fly S on four separate occasions without ever seeing them fly N, but I doubt there really were 12 birds. Very few gulls at the lake: a lone Black-headed Gull before 07:00 for a while; and then 3 later. Rather surprisingly there were many Lesser Black-backed Gulls around and I logged 183, mostly flying W to N. None stopped at the lake. My log of the water birds today: 2 widely separated Little Grebes; 6 Great Crested Grebes; no Heron; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; no Greylag Geese; 8 Canada Geese all flying over apart from 1 that seems to have taken up residence of the dam above the level the Swan is prepared to chase it! 17 Mallard; no Pochard again - gone for the summer? just 10 Tufted Ducks (7 drakes); 1 Ruddy Duck (1 drake); only 5 Moorhens; 58 Coots; and no Water Rails seen or heard - probably left too. I logged 103 Wood Pigeons on passage this morning flying E / SE to the N. Possible return migrants were 4 groups totalling 31 birds flying high west and north. There were another 113 birds flying over the lake, with again more flying west than east. And 23 in the trees around the lake. A total of 270 birds. The Jackdaws were again in numerous small groups, with a steady trickle of stragglers. I logged 91 birds. Rooks still scarce with just 5 noted. None of the 4 Starlings seemed to have come from a lakeside roost. The 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: 1 Feral Pigeon; 2 Stock Doves; 270 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Sky Lark; 3 Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; only 3 Pied Wagtails; 23 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 15 Robins; 20 Blackbirds; 5 Fieldfare; 5 Song Thrushes, 3 of which were in song; 13 Redwings; 1 distant singing Mistle Thrush; no Blackcaps; 2 Willow Warblers; 7 Chiffchaffs; 1 Goldcrest; 4 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; 1 Coal Tit; 2 Willow Tits; only 7 Blue Tits; 11 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; at least 13 Magpies; at least 4 Jays; at least 9 Crows; 4 Starlings; 7 Chaffinches; 8 Greenfinches; 2 Goldfinches; 5 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; no Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammers. The interesting-looking yellow dandelion-like flowers seem to be coltsfoot - distinctive-enough for me to identify. I took an hour out to walk around the lanes and fields to the east: nothing too much of note. Once again the were no Linnets - they do seem very scarce this winter. Strangely a party of c.100 Wood Pigeons that flew out of the trees alongside the M54 were not the parties of birds recorded at the lake, all of which passed much further east My log from around the fields and lanes was: 2 Pheasants; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 149 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 5 Sky Larks; 11 Meadow Pipits, all heading N; 1 Grey Wagtails; no Pied Wagtails; 20 Wrens; 12 Dunnocks; 11 Robins; 10 Blackbirds; no Fieldfare; 1 Song Thrush not in song; 3 Redwings; no Mistle Thrush; no Blackcaps; no Willow Warblers; 1 Chiffchaff; no Goldcrest; 1 'party' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 10 Blue Tits; 8 Great Tits; 1 Tree Creeper; at least 2 more Magpies; no Jays; no different Crows; 1 Starling; a massive 28 Chaffinches; 1 Greenfinch; no Goldfinches; 1 Siskin; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; no Reed Buntings; and 4 Yellowhammers (Ed Wilson) 30th March, Thursday (06:45am - 8:15am) - A breezy start and then a gale by 8:00 with waves on the lake. Plenty of Duck activity with Mallard and Tufted taking off and doing a lap around the lake before coming back into land. Similar to Tuesday with several Chiffchaff around the lake and a Willow Warbler just behind the No Swimming sign on the Northbank. And just as I was leaving a Swallow flew west towards the Flash. No Gulls on the lake when I arrived. At 7:15am 2 Black-headed Gulls and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in and left shortly after. The Duck count was Tufted Duck 14 (10 drakes), Mallard 16, 1 pair of Ruddy Duck and 0 Pochard. 1 Sparrowhawk causing havoc in the woods on the north bank. There were 5 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Dabchick. 1 Grey Heron just east of Wesley Brok. Resident Mute Swan (2) the Cob spent a good ten minutes chasing a lone Canada Goose around the lake forcing it up onto the dam where it stayed for the remainder of my walk. Overhead a Greylag Goose flew west at height. First reaction was that it was a Curlew, until I got the scope on it. Coot numbers down to 48 and I only logged 5 Moorhen. Not a peep out of Wesley Reddbeds to indicate that there were any Water Rail. Are they still about? Only 1 Rook seen and 7 Jackdaws. Plenty of Magpies 8 and 3 Carrion Crow. There were a few Woodpigeon flying over the lake in different directions with approx 20 logged and there was a solitary Feral (Racing) Pigeon that shot across the lake heading South. 1 Pied Wagtail but no Grey Wagtail. There were only 2 Starling that left their roost in the Wesley Reedbeds at 6:55am this morning. Plenty of Blackbirds 11 and 3 Song Thrush. Overhead there were three parties of Redwing: 2 headed north at 6:45, 7 headed southeast at 6:55 and 11 birds flew east at 7:55am. Quite a few finches about with 4 Siskins, 4 Chaffinch, 14 Goldfinch, 3 Bullfinch, 2 Linnet, 9 Greenfinch and 4 Reed Bunting, one singing in the Wesley Reedbeds, another singing in Wesley Wood, one in the reed beds on the northbank and another in the small wood on south bank. Also about were 10 Meadow Pipit flying north in small flocks and a Skylark singing at height from the fields Northeast of the lake. Other passerines noted from around the lake were 4 Long-tailed Tit, 3 Blue Tit, 6 Great Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Willow Tit, 4 Goldcrest, 18 Wren, 10 Robin and 4 Dunnock. Also 1 Rabbit (Martin R Adlam) 29th March, Wednesday - Barn Owl to NW; 25 Sand Martins; 3 Chiffchaffs; 1 Willow Warbler; 47 Redwings; 4 Meadow Pipits; 12 Tufted Duck; only 15 BH Gulls on lake for short while; 4 Jays; 433 Wood Pigeons - small passage west. (Ed Wilson) 28th March, Tuesday (Evening update) - 1 Swallow and 13 Sand Martins at 5:00pm today. Weather was attrocious when I arrived with a squally shower that seemed to last forever. If there were any other Swallows it was difficult to see them. (Martin Adlam) 28th March, Tuesday - A very breezy morning at Priorslee today, but a very worthwhile visit with numerous great sightings. The journey from Newport gave me a good count considering the conditions: no [0] Wood Pigeons; 10 [3] Wrens; no [0] Dunnocks; 77 [60] Robins; 39 [33] Blackbirds; 9 [11] Song Thrushes; no [0] Blue Tits; 4 [1] Great Tit; and 1 [4] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Highlight today had to be the adult Kittiwake that was the first gull noted and 'appeared' above the lake at 07:30: I identified it, wrote the note in my log and looked up to find it had disappeared! But I did then see it again also high over the lake but equally briefly some 5 minutes later. Typical date and typical weather for this beautiful gull. An earlier sighting at 07:00 of a Sand Martin (or two?) had excited me. Early mornings are not good for 'first' dates of diurnal migrants like hirundines as they will have required a stop-over night-roost close-by. This bird was 'fluked' when it flew the opposite way though my binocular view of departing Fieldfare. A minute or so later one was briefly over the lake - possibly the same bird. Would have been very unlikely to have picked this up otherwise. Then at 09:30 as I was photographing a fine male Reed Bunting there was my first Swallow of the year over the lake. Other signs of spring were a sub-singing Blackcap; a calling Willow Warbler; and several singing Chiffchaffs, one of which in comparison with yesterday's bright olive bird, was a very dingy brown colour. A wintering bird? But singing it was! If these were signs of incoming spring, departing winter visitors were evident: as well as the 3 Fieldfare there were at least 94 Redwings, including a good-sized party of 43 heading east - though in fact most of the birds logged were heading west or south! What else of special interest: the now regular Pheasant still noisy; at least 1 and probably 2 Buzzards over the houses in Priorslee; Kestrel over the fields far to the north; a Lapwing flew in and spent some while on the SW grass until a dog-walker arrived; 4 Stock Doves logged, one clinging like a limpet to the power lines and leaning in to the wind; at least 3 separate Meadow Pipits over; and at least 4 Jays making a lot of noise including some amazingly loud pig-like squeals as well as the usual sound of murder being committed. The gulls were slightly better today - eventually! After the Kittiwake was long-gone the first few Black-headed Gulls arrived at 08:00, but it was after 09:15 before any larger gulls appeared, though the first of the 21 birds logged overhead were before this time. Specimen counts: My log of the water birds today: no Little Grebe; 7 Great Crested Grebes (with a real battle involving 3 of the birds); no Heron; 2 Cormorants in the distance; the 2 resident Swans; 1 Greylag Goose flew E with 2 of the 13 Canada Geese that flew over; 23 Mallard of which 3 flew off and 3 were flying far to the N; no Pochard; 14 Tufted Ducks (10 drakes); 3 Ruddy Ducks (2 drakes); 14 Moorhens; 66 Coots; but no Water Rails seen or heard. I logged 73 Wood Pigeons on passage this morning flying E / SE to the N. A possible return migrants were 33 birds flying high west. There were another 106 birds flying over the lake, with unusually more flying west than east. And 30 in the trees around the lake. A total of 242 birds. The Jackdaws were struggling low in small groups against the wind as I struggled to spot them. Again the passage continued sporadically for the next hour. I logged 127 [118]. A few more Rooks - 14 [5] in the log [yesterday's counts in brackets]. I noted 16 Starling that may have been leaving a roost at the W end. One other flying over. The 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: 5 Feral Pigeons; 4 Stock Doves; 242 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; 3 Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 9 Pied Wagtails (one on the dam for a while); 26 Wrens; 11 Dunnocks; 17 Robins; only 13 Blackbirds; 3 Fieldfare; 7 Song Thrushes, 6 of which were in song; 94 Redwings; no Mistle Thrush; 1 Blackcap; 1 Willow Warbler; 3 Chiffchaffs; 3 Goldcrests; 5 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 17 Blue Tits; 11 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; at least 18 Magpies; at least 4 Jays; at least 12 Crows; 17 Starlings; 8 Chaffinches; 13 Greenfinches; 3 Goldfinches; 7 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 3 Bullfinches; 7 Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammers. The interesting-looking yellow dandelion-like flowers were still closed this morning - perhaps a later visit is needed. (Ed Wilson) 27th March, Monday (Evening update) - Stopped off at the Lake after work at 5:00pm and there were 7 Sand Martin in the Southeast corner of the lake, feeding in the lee of the trees. Quite a strong southerly wind but mild at 12C. (Martin Adlam) 27th March, Monday (12:45 - 13:30pm) - When I arrived at 12-45 there were 3 Sand Martins over the Lake they were also present while I walked along the North shore where I recorded 2 Willow Warblers and 3 Chiff Chaffs, as I was leaving at 13-30 the Sand Martin count had gone up to 8. I assume it included the original 3, not a further 8. Other birds of note were the pair of Ruddy Duck a Cormorant, 2 Grey Wagtail one in the Wesley Brook and one on the Dam and a singing male Reed Bunting. all for now. (Martin Grant) 27th March, Monday - After a damp start at Priorslee it turned out wet and I was forced to abandon the lake and then give Priorslee Flash a miss (though I went back later!) as I scurried home to dry out. But not before some interesting records. Restricted log today on damp roads with weekday traffic and light drizzle from Newport after the overnight rain was: no [1] Wood Pigeons; 3 [8] Wrens; no [0] Dunnocks; 60 [93] Robins; 33 [51] Blackbirds; 11 [10] Song Thrushes; no [1] Blue Tits; 1 [2] Great Tit; and 4 [1] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Highlight at the lake today had to be the singing Chiffchaff at point-blank range in the rain: amazing to see just how greenish / olive / yellow it was in fresh spring colours. What else: the now regular Pheasant calling from the Celestica grounds; 2 sightings of probably the same Kestrel; 3 Feral Pigeon, probably from the loft adjacent to Castle Farm Way; a Stock Dove over; both Fieldfare and Redwing seen again; and 6 Linnets overhead, 5 of which were together. Nothing that I could turn in to a Willow Warbler today. The gulls are easy to cover today: 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull circled low over the lake just after 08:00 and that was the only gull of any sort anywhere - on the lake or flying over. They obviously had more sense than me! My log of the water birds today: no Little Grebe; 5 Great Crested Grebes (I suspect the 6th was again hidden on the nest); 1 Heron; 1 Cormorant; the 2 resident Swans; no Greylag Geese; 25 Canada Geese of which 8 landed briefly until the cob Swan chased them off; 22 Mallard of which 9 flew off; 1 Pochard (a drake) when I arrived but not seen thereafter; 24 Tufted Ducks (18 drakes); 1 drake Ruddy Ducks; 12 Moorhens yet again - one of which was some 10 foot up a bush well away from the water! just 59 Coots; and 1 Water Rail heard. Almost no Wood Pigeons on passage this morning. I logged just 14 birds flying E / SE to the N. There were 75 birds flying over the lake. And 38 in the trees around the lake - so 127 in total. The Jackdaws more or less all went out together in several low- and fast-flying tight groups both to E and W of my vantage point as well as directly overhead, making counting fraught. With a scatter thereafter I logged 118 [170]. Once again few Rooks - 5 [8] in the log [yesterday's counts in brackets]. 6 Starling seemed to have flown out of N-side reed beds. Another 8 seen flying around seemed to have nothing to do with the lake No Jays seen this morning but I did note that one of the Magpies has a very short tail and when seen in silhouette it is amazing how Jay-like it looks at first glance both in structure and jizz. The weather-affected 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: 3 Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 127 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 7 Pied Wagtails; 21 Wrens; 4 Dunnocks; 14 Robins; 16 Blackbirds; 3 Fieldfare; 6 Song Thrushes, 5 of which were in song; 3 Redwings again; no Mistle Thrush; 2 Chiffchaffs; 1 Goldcrests; 4 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 7 Blue Tits; 6 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; at least 16 Magpies; no Jays; at least 10 Crows; 14 Starlings; 9 Chaffinches; 1 Greenfinch; 1 Goldfinch; 22 Siskins; 6 Linnets; no Redpolls; 2 Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammers. Some interesting-looking yellow dandelion-like flowers evident this morning - but in the dull weather they were closed up: must try and remember to photograph them tomorrow and see what they are (Ed Wilson) 26th March, Sunday - Regular start at Priorslee with the welcome site year-tick of my second-ever Nuthatch there. Later I tried for the Firecrest in Strine Park, Newport. Now I know why I stopped twitching - it was not visible! But it was within easy walking distance of home to that is perhaps not 'twitching'. Consolation with 2 species of butterfly. Another mild morning at the lake: and another day with many interesting logs, though still no 'real' summer visitors. With the start of British Summer Time all times are adjusted accordingly! Big log today on drying roads with little traffic from Newport after the overnight showers was: 1 [1] Wood Pigeons; 8 [0] Wrens; no [0] Dunnocks; 93 [75] Robins; 51 [30] Blackbirds; 10 [12] Song Thrushes; 1 [1] Blue Tits; 2 [2] Great Tit; 1 [0] Magpie; no [1] Rooks; and no [1] Crows [yesterday's figures in brackets] The highlight would have been the Barn Owl seem briefly yet again over the field behind Woodhouse Farm, but for me was eclipsed by my second-ever Nuthatch record - a bird first heard giving the Song Thrush-like calls (or is it Song Thrushes that give Nuthatch-like calls?); and then 'proper' calls before it was seen flying off W along the hedge bordering the M54. Other unusual species on and around the lake were: the drake Shoveler still present (though it went for a fly at one stage); 2 Lapwings over the fields again; 3 Pheasants calling this morning; two different 2 Sky Larks in song to the east; 5 different Meadow Pipits; at least 3 Redwings and 1 Fieldfare seen to the east; the calling Chiffchaff on the N side at dawn, though briefly oday; at least 4 Jay in the NW area; a Linnet flew over going SE, as did a Yellowhammer. No nearer resolving the is it / isn't it a Willow Warbler? Just a single equally distant partial and possible song Gull numbers on the lake much reduced again. None until after 07:00 when a few Black-headed Gulls drifted in. In the absence of settled gulls over 150 other Black-headed Gulls arriving from the N spent a while circling before moving on without stopping. I logged 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls flying W. Results of today's periodic gull counts at the lake: The Water Rails are perhaps getting ready to go. Not seen either of the birds in the NE area for over a week now. Today one bird in the NW area was unusually vocal (they have been very quiet this winter): and then I flushed one that was standing in the open in the middle of the 'cross-roads' of the paths near the bridge over the Wesley. Brook My log of the water birds today: 1 Little Grebe; 5 Great Crested Grebes (I suspect the 6th was hidden on the nest); 1 Heron; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans having to chase off a pair of interlopers, one of which was wearing a grey Darvic ring (hard to read in flight!); 3 Greylag Geese; 20 Canada Geese flew over; a total of 32 Mallard included 4 of which flew off , 4 which flew over and 7 of which were seen circling to the NW (Flash birds?); the drake Shoveler; no Pochard; 30 Tufted Ducks (21 drakes, one of which flew off at 06:23); no Ruddy Ducks; 12 Moorhens again - these are wandering all over the grassy areas at the moment; 76 Coots; and 2 Water Rails seen and heard. Many fewer Wood Pigeons on passage this morning. I logged 224 birds flying E / SE to the N (though they seemed to be flying very low and more may have been 'over the hill'. There were only 60 more birds flying over the lake. As well as 37 in the trees around the lake - so 321 in total. The corvid passage was protracted this morning and again mainly Jackdaws which after the initial flurry passage continued as singles and in small groups for the next hour. I logged 170 [69] Jackdaws and just 8 [3] Rooks. 1 Starling looked as if it had flown out of reed-bed this morning. Just 2 other singles seen flying over. The 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: 54 Feral Pigeons (a flock of 45 to the west); no Stock Doves; 321 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Sky Larks; 5 Meadow Pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 9 Pied Wagtails; 33 Wrens; 13 Dunnocks; 21 Robins; also 21 Blackbirds; 1 Fieldfare; 8 Song Thrushes, 6 of which were in song; 3 Redwings; no Mistle Thrush; 1 possible Willow Warbler; 1 Chiffchaff; 3 Goldcrests; 5 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; 4 Coal Tits; 1Willow Tit; 17 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; at least 17 Magpies again; at least 4 Jays; at least 14 Crows; 3 Starlings; no Bramblings; 13 Chaffinches; 18 Greenfinches; 9 Goldfinches; 8 Siskins; 1 Linnet; no Redpolls; no Bullfinches; 6 Reed Buntings; and 1 Yellowhammer. There were no rabbits this morning, but the 'nature notes' should record that those gulls that were on the lake as well as many of the ducks were feasting on what seemed to a big hatch of insects from the water - about time the hirundines arrived to 'Hoover' them up! As a postscript the drive home bagged a Corn Bunting back on the wires alongside the A518 at the turn for The Humbers - a traditional site for this species. (Ed Wilson) 25th March, Saturday (1:00pm - 2:00pm) - A lot milder today at 15C. Met Martin Grant at the lay-by, which worked out well, as it meant Martin could enjoy the walk around the lake, while I stood on the Dam and did a head count. When we met up later it was obvious there were no migrants around and Ed’s Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were silent. Our account is as follows: There were a few Gulls on the water and there was a lot of coming and going with the largest count of Black-headed Gulls at c.150 seen coming in at 1:40pm. They rushed in from the south-east from over the motorway alighted onto the water and within under 5 minutes they had taken off and were seen heading towards the Flash. Really bizarre. Highlight of the hour was a solitary Yellow-legged Gull in amongst the 47 Lesser Black-backs, 1 Greater Black-back and 5 Herring Gulls. The Duck count was Tufted Duck 26, Mallard 13, a pair of Ruddy Duck and 1 drake Shoveler. There were 5 Great Crested Grebe seen and 1 Dabchick. The 2 resident Mute Swan were at the head of Wesley Brook and there were 2 Canada Geese. Coot numbers were slightly up at 80 and I only logged 5 Moorhen. 5 Jackdaws flew west over the lake and there were 2 Carrion Crow and 10 Magpie around the lake. There were 8 Woodpigeon in the trees on the northbank. From the dam I heard a Chaffinch singing in the NW corner and flying overhead there were 15 Siskin which flew north. Martin came across all the resident passerines Robin, Blackbird, Wren and was pleased to say that the Long-tailed Tits nest is coming along nicely. (Martin R Adlam and Martin Grant) I forgot to mention on Saturday 18th's report that I had come across a dead Black-headed Gull on the South bank, the same one Ed found today. The bird was intact when I found it and its left wing had been badly where it joined the body. The rest of it was in good condition.Photograph below. (MRA) 25th March, Saturday - What a change: almost pleasant and mild at Priorslee Lake this morning. The passing showers mostly had the decency to pass elsewhere and apart from the wind being rather stiffer than I would have liked it was a great morning to be about. Doubly so as there was a lot of interest at the lake. The highlight was the Barn Owl seem briefly over the field behind Woodhouse Farm again - but earlier and briefly at 06:05, though it was well-light enough at that time (today - not tomorrow!).
The log today on wet roads from Newport was: 1 [0] Wood Pigeons; 0 [0] Wrens; 0 [0] Dunnock; 75 [85] Robins; 30 [28] Blackbirds; 12 [8] Song Thrushes; 1 [0] Blue Tits; 1 [2] Great Tit; no [0] Magpies; 1 [0] Rook; and 1 [0] Crow [figures in brackets are from Thursday 23rd]. Other unusual species on and around the lake were a fine drake Shoveler; 2 different Buzzards over the lake; 3 Lapwings over the same field used by the Barn Owl; 2 Pheasants calling this morning; two different Great Spotted Woodpeckers - one heard and one flying off; 2 Sky Larks in song to the east; at least 6 Redwings; a Tree Creeper along the north side was my first for over two weeks; a very noisy calling Chiffchaff on the N side at dawn, though it shut up later again; 4 Jays sparring in the NW area; a Brambling flew over going west; and a Linnet flew over going east Potentially even more interesting was a possible singing Willow Warbler: the sound 'broke my consciousness' as a very distant song. I was not really expecting it so I was intrigued. But although I heard the song at least 4 more times it was always very distant and only the last part of the song and that is very similar to part of the song phrases sometimes given by Robins and in the end I will have to let it pass for the day … pity. The milder weather seemed to reduce the number of gulls at the lake, though there was a higher than recent passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving west - I logged 102 birds. Results of today's periodic gull counts at the lake: Also worth recording was (part of) a corpse of a first-summer Black-headed Gull in the grass on the S shore. A few feathers and a pair of legs attached to a lower-belly was all that was evident. Surprised that there were so few feathers and part of the body - would that suggest the work of a Peregrine rather than a Sparrowhawk? My log of the water birds today: 1 Little Grebe; 6 Great Crested Grebes; no Herons; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans having to chase off a cygnet still with some grey feathers again; no Greylag Geese; 5 Canada Geese, 2 of which landed; 20 Mallard, 2 of which flew off and 3 of which flew over; 1 drake Shoveler; no Pochard; 26 Tufted Ducks again (but 17 drakes); no Ruddy Ducks; 12 Moorhens; 62 Coots; and 2 Water Rails scurrying off in the NW reeds. Wood Pigeon passage slightly smaller again this morning and I logged 347 birds flying E / SE to the N. But there was some evidence of a small return passage today with 2 small parties of 26 birds flying N at high level. In addition there were 128 more birds flying over the lake. As well as 30 in the trees around the lake - so 532 in total is another high count. The corvid passage was again difficult to get to grips with, the Jackdaws in small, low-flying groups passing to both E & W as well as overhead. I managed 69 [125]. The Rooks were almost absent and 2 of the 3 logged [32] were flying 'the wrong way' - N rather than S! [Thursday's figures in brackets]. It seems as if 21 Starlings flew out of reed-bed roosts this morning - from three different locations. Another 5 seen flying over. The 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 532 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Sky Larks; no Meadow Pipit; 2 Grey Wagtails; 15 Pied Wagtails; 26 Wrens; 12 Dunnocks; 19 Robins; 34(!) Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 8 Song Thrushes, 5 of which were in song; 6 Redwings; no Mistle Thrush; 1 possible Willow Warbler; 1 Chiffchaff; 2 Goldcrests; 3 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; 0 Coal Tits; 0 Willow Tits; 22 Blue Tits; 12 Great Tits; 1 Tree Creeper; at least 17 Magpies; 4 Jays; at least 7 Crows; 26 Starlings; 1 Brambling; 11 Chaffinches; 13 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches; 4 Siskins; 1 Linnets; no Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; 5 Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammers. There were 3 rabbits as well (Ed Wilson) 23rd March, Thursday - Fine and frosty at Priorslee this morning - even some ice on the lake! But breezy before I left which was much later than usual. First I walked the lanes and fields to the east; then I got diverted by the antics of a pair of Long-tailed Tits nest-building; and then I spent at least 20 minutes with a survey worker doing a study on behalf of the Severn Trent of the lake (and other waters around the area). Was able to 'bend her ear' about some of the special birds and habitats. Unfortunately she had none of the material supplied by Severn Trent so was unable to give me any contacts, but at least she noted all I told her for the report. All of that was much later: managed an earlier start, though I suspect still not early-enough. But changed the count of birds heard on the way from Newport with fewer species about. The log today was: 0 [0] Wood Pigeons; 0 [0] Wrens; 0 [0] Dunnock; 85 [66] Robins; 28 [30] Blackbirds; 8 [11] Song Thrushes; 0 [0] Blue Tits; 2 [2] Great Tit; and no [1] Magpies [figures in brackets are from last Wednesday 22nd] The notable feature of the morning was the thrushes: I logged 27 Redwings leaving the trees around the lake; there were at least 7 Fieldfares seen to the E; and later when I walked around the fields to the E I flushed 9 Song Thrushes none of which had been singing. Sign of return movement? Other unusual species around the lake were a blue morph Feral Pigeon flying high N overhead with a small party of Wood Pigeons - could it be a 'real' Rock Dove on migration? There was a Meadow Pipit on top of one of the trees in the SW area; 3 Jays making a lot of noise and chasing around the N / NW area; and 3 different single Linnet fly-overs There seemed to be 2 roosting Black-headed Gulls as these were present when I arrived. They started trickling in earlier again. Very few large gulls and I logged just 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 Herring Gull flying over all in a single party. A small number of large gulls arrived later. Results of today's periodic gull counts: There were certainly 3 Little Grebes at the lake today: two of the birds were being chased vigorously by one of the Coots, though it ignored the other! My log of the water birds today: 3 Little Grebes; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons again; 1 Cormorant; the 2 resident Swans having to chase off 2 birds - an adult and cygnet still with some grey feathers; 4 Greylag Geese flew over; but unusually no Canada Geese; 20 Mallard, 4 of which flew in; 1 drake Pochard back; only 26 Tufted Ducks (18 drakes); just the drake Ruddy Duck, though it was displaying to something by the reeds; even fewer Moorhens - 6, these have now started to clamber around the bushes so I guess they are establishing breeding territories; 74Coots; but no Water Rails today. Wood Pigeon passage slightly smaller this morning and I logged 394 birds flying E / SE to the N. In addition there were 64 more flying over the lake and 16 flushed from the trees around the lake - giving about 450 birds to the E. But when I walked the lanes and fields to the E later I flushed more than this. Was hard to be certain whether I was flushing the same birds on several occasions, but there was a minimum of 490 and probably 640 birds! The corvid passage with the earlier start was better and I logged 125 [25] Jackdaws; and 32 [3] Rooks [yesterday's figures in brackets] No Starling roost noted. The 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: 1 Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 474 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; 1 Meadow Pipit; 3 Grey Wagtails; 9 Pied Wagtails; 20 Wrens; 8 Dunnocks; 20 Robins; also 20 Blackbirds; 7 Fieldfares; 6 Song Thrushes, again 3 of which were in song; 27 Redwings; 1 Mistle Thrush; no Chiffchaff; 1Goldcrest; 4 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits, with one pair nest-building; 2 Coal Tits; 0 Willow Tits; 14 Blue Tits; 13 Great Tits again; no Tree Creepers; at least 18 Magpies; 3 Jays; at least 8 Crows; 3 Starlings; 9 Chaffinches; 9 Greenfinches; 9 Goldfinches; 7 Siskins; 3 Linnets; 1 Redpoll; 3 Bullfinches; 7 Reed Buntings again; and no Yellowhammers. The lanes and fields were, apart from the exploding parties of Wood Pigeons (so much for the bird-scarers), quiet and apart from the Song Thrushes already noted there were just a few items of note. There was a Buzzard back in the copse to the E - it too seems to have got used to the bangs from the 'guns'. There were a pair of Mallard looking interested in the stream-side. And a pair (I assume) of Stock Doves doing a formation display flight over the fields - not seen that before. My totals from around the fields are noted below. Apart from the Wood Pigeons I have tried to ignore anything that seems likely to be on the lake count - the Magpies for instance The numbers: 1 Buzzard; 4 Pheasants; 2 Mallard; no Feral Pigeons; 2 Stock Doves; 490 (>640?) Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Sky Larks; 1 Meadow Pipit; no Grey Wagtails; 1 Pied Wagtail; 9 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; also 10 Robins; 14 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 10 Song Thrushes, only 1 in song; no Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Chiffchaff; 1Goldcrest; 2 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; 0 Coal Tits; 1 Willow Tit; 13 Blue Tits; 11 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; at least 2 different Magpies; no Jays; at least 2 different Crows; no Starlings; 16 Chaffinches; 1 Greenfinch; 2 Goldfinches; 1 Siskin; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; no Reed Buntings; and just 2 Yellowhammers (Ed Wilson) 22nd March, Wednesday - A fine day! If only it would get a bit warmer! At last: some clear weather and great visibility at the lake. As a result I arrived rather later than I should have for 'dawn' chorus, but I suspect that only the count of the corvids was materially affected. This morning's count of birds heard on the way from Newport in lighter conditions was, surprisingly, lower than yesterday with: 0 [1] calling Wood Pigeon; 0 [2] Wrens; 0 [2] Dunnock; 66 [67] Robins; 30 [28] Blackbirds; 11 [9] Song Thrushes; 0 [0] Blue Tits; 2 [4] Great Tit; and 1 [4] Magpie [figures in brackets are from last Wednesday 15th]. No sign of the Barn Owl this morning, but there were 2 Lapwings displaying over the same field. The following birds that are seen less than daily were noted: a Kestrel hovering to the S and presumed the same later to the W; 2 Greylag Geese flying over; 2 male Pheasants calling again; a Sky Lark seen in song in the distance to the SE; at least 6 Stock Doves flying over; 2 sightings of single Collard Doves flying over; a Great Spotted Woodpecker in flight in the distance; at least 5 Redwings seen or heard; the calling Chiffchaff again; 2 single Yellowhammers heard in flight overhead. No gulls again when I arrived but they started trickling in earlier - at 06:00. In addition to the birds on the lake I logged at least 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 3 Herring Gulls. No Common Gulls noted today. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds today: 2 Little Grebes; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons again; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans having to chase off a sub-adult bird (though the pen seems to be at the nest site much of the time now); 2 Greylag Geese over; just 4 Canada Geese over; 18 Mallard, 2 of which flew off; no Pochard; 49 Tufted Ducks (33 drakes); 2 Ruddy Ducks (1 drake); only 8 Moorhens; 63 Coots; and 1 Water Rail again. A bigger Wood Pigeon passage this morning and I logged 509 flying E / SE to the N. In addition there were 85 more flying over the lake and 19 flushed from the trees around the lake - over 600 birds in total. With the bright morning I probably missed the main corvid passage and I logged 25 Jackdaws; and just 3 Rooks. No Starlings noted flying from any roost position around the lake, with one flock over the fields to the NE. So the 'passerines' totals from around the lake were: 2 Feral Pigeons; 6 Stock Doves; 613 Wood Pigeons; 2 Collared Doves; 1 distant Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 distant Sky Lark; no Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 13 Pied Wagtails; 24 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 19 Robins; 22 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 6 Song Thrushes, only 3 of which were in song again; 5 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 1 calling Chiffchaff; 2 Goldcrests; 5 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits again; 2 Coal Tits; 2 Willow Tits; 20 Blue Tits; 15 Great Tits again; no Tree Creepers; at least 17 Magpies; no Jays; at least 11 Crows; 25 Starlings; 7 Chaffinches; 17 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches again; 4 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 8 Bullfinches; 7 Reed Buntings; 2 Yellowhammers flying over. (Ed Wilson) 21st March, Tuesday - Back earlier than expected with visits to Priorslee Lake and Flash - first migrant? or was the Chiffchaff an over-wintering birds wandering from a Priorslee garden? Not much change in the weather while I have been away - still overcast and dull: still a chill wind! But a migrant - a calling Chiffchaff at the lake. This morning's count of birds heard on the way from Newport was: 1 [1] calling Wood Pigeon; 2 [2] Wrens; 2 [1] Dunnock; 67 [62] Robins; 28 [21] Blackbirds; 9 [13] Song Thrushes; 0 [2] Blue Tits; 4 [2] Great Tit; and 4 [1] Magpies [figures in brackets are from last Wednesday 15th]. In fact the calling Chiffchaff was not my highlight of the morning: that accolade goes to the Barn Owl hunting over the fields to the north-east behind Woodhouse Farm (SJ725101) in the comparative daylight of 06:40 - I even contemplated seeing whether I could digiscope it, but that seemed to prompt it to go to roost! Other highlights were: a low pass by the local Kestrel; an adult Common Gull on the lake briefly; a scurrying Water Rail in the Wesley Brook above the footbridge; 2 calling Pheasants again; 3 Pipits which I assume were all Meadow Pipits though one seemed to fly off the dam and left without calling; at least 7 Redwings seen and heard; and a Linnet fly-over. No gulls again when I arrived but better numbers than at the start of last week. Neither did they seem interested in the bird-scarers or the dog-walkers this morning and all the Black-headed Gulls that arrived seemed to stay put. In addition to the birds on the lake I logged at least 74 Black-headed Gulls flying E without stopping at the lake; as well as the more usual westbound passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (25) and Herring Gulls (1 only today). Results of today's periodic gull counts: Think there may well have been 4 Little Grebes this morning - as I approached the N shore two pairs of birds flew off: the first were certainly Little Grebes, but I was not expecting more and did not see anything other than small birds out of the corner of my eye, pattering fast to get airborne and they could have been Ruddy Ducks. My log of the water birds today: 2 (4?) Little Grebes; 7 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; no Greylag Geese; 16 Canada Geese of which 5 paused briefly; only 15 Mallard, 4 of which flew off; the 7 drake Pochard yet again (still? they were a group of 6 and a lone bird today); 42 Tufted Ducks (26 drakes); 1 Ruddy Duck (1 drake, but 2 later?); 13 Moorhens; 67 Coots; and 1 Water Rail. Wood Pigeon passage was still evident this morning and I logged 289 flying E / SE to the N. In addition there were 51 more flying over the lake and 18 flushed from the trees around the lake. After a week away I suspect I mistimed my arrival and even on this dull morning the corvids had started to leave. I logged 35 Jackdaws (30 of which were in one party just as soon as I got in a position to view them); and just 4 Rooks, all of which were over an hour later! Must set the alarm earlier - roll on Summertime! No Starlings noted flying from any roost position around the lake. My passerines totals from around the lake were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 3 (?) Meadow Pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 29 Pied Wagtails - good count; 23 Wrens; 15 Dunnocks; 15 Robins; 25 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 6 Song Thrushes, only 3 of which were in song; 7 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 4 Goldcrests; 5 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tit; 11 Blue Tits; 15 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; at least 22 Magpies; no Jays; 9 Crows; 2 Starlings; 14 Chaffinches; 16 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches; 11 Siskins; 1 Linnet over; no Redpolls; no Bullfinches; and 3 Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 20th March, Monday, 2:40pm - 4:50pm - A little warmer at 6C, well it is the First Day of Spring. Can't wait for the warmer weather and some of the summer migrants, which seemed to be stuck on the continent at the moment. A few Wheatear and Chiffchaffs at Portland Bill, but migration is really sow. At the lake there were plenty of Gulls again but as I made my way round towards the dam most of them decided to take flight, which made counting the remaining birds easier. In amongst the C.250 Black-headed Gulls, 146 Lesser-black Backs and 15 Herring Gull there were 2 Yellow-legs and 2 Common Gulls. Tried desperately to turn them into Ring-bills but to no avail. Never seen more than one before at the lake and these two seemed to be joined at the hip. Apart from the buoy between them. |
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 Common Gulls either side of the Buoy with two Lesser-black Backed Gulls in the foreground. (Click on image to enlarge) |
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The Duck count was Tufted Duck 36 [34], Mallard 14 [13] and 0 Pochard [7], There were 6 Great Crested Grebe but 0 Dabchick [2]. A single Cormorant was drying his wings out on the jetty, until I disturbed it. 1 Grey Heron at the head of Wesley Brook and later on the north bank. Resident Mute Swan (2), no Canada or Greylag Geese. 1 Cock Pheasant between the Wesley Reedbeds and boat slipway no sign of the other in the Celestica Grounds. Coot numbers still dropping 66 [75] and I noticed several nesting in the reedbeds all around the lake. Moorhen logged at 14 again and the two Water Rail were still squealing in the Wesley Reedbeds, just to the right of where the brook runs out into the lake. No Rooks or Jackdaws. Only 3 Magpies seen [17] and 2 Carrion Crow. Woodpigeon in the trees on the northbank totalled 2 birds and then they were joined by 51 around 3:45pm No Pied Wagtail but 1 female Grey Wagtail in Wesley Brook and a male at the dam. 8 Blackbird [13] seen, 2 Song Thrush again, a Mistle Thrush on the southbank and 25 Redwing heading north over the lake. A lot more finches about with 3 male [7] Siskins, 3 [1] Chaffinch, 11 [1] Goldfinch 8 in one party, 1 male [2] Bullfinch, 2 Redpoll, 3 Linnet, no Greenfinch again, but 3 Reed Bunting, one singing in the Wesley Reedbeds Not many Long-tailed Tit with only 2 seen [1], Blue Tit 5 again, Great Tit 3 again but no [3] Goldcrest. Also about were Wren’s 3 [5] and Robin 5 again and 2 Dunnock 1 Rabbit [Saturdays figures in Brackets] (Martin R Adlam) 18th March, Saturday, 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Despite being 4C the biting northeasterly made it very chilly indeed. Plenty of Gulls when I arrived and their numbers remained very much the same for the 2 hours I was at the lakeside. In amongst the C.2500 Black-headed Gulls, 605 Lesser-black backed Gulls and 5 Herring Gulls was an unusual Gull which I believed to be a 3rd Winter Lesser-black backed Gull Larus fuscus race: heuglini (Siberian Gull) as opposed to race: graelsii. I based this on the images found on the BirdGuides BWPi 2006 DVD. Additionally the grey back was not as light as that of a Herring Gull, but it was certainly a little lighter than that of the graelsii. Mystery Solved in part. Click here to see why. Click here to return to top of page |
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The Duck count was Pochard 7 (all drakes), Tufted Duck 34 (18 drake and 16 duck) and Mallard 13. There were 6 Great Crested Grebe and 2 Dabchick in the northwest corner. Just the 1 Cormorant on the lake. 1 Grey Heron on the north bank. Resident Mute Swan (2), no Canada or Greylag Geese. The two cock Pheasants seen fighting in the Celestica grounds a few weeks ago seemed to have sorted out their territories now. One of the birds was by the boat house with the other one calling in the Celestica grounds. Coot numbers dropping rapidly with just 75 logged from the 200 + birds seen here through the winter. Moorhen logged at 14 and there were two Water Rail squealing in the Wesley Reedbeds, just to the right of where the brook runs out into the lake. Just beyond this point, the Mute Swans are rebuilding an old nest and the Pen was busy dragging in new nesting material. No Rooks or Jackdaws seen but plenty of Magpies 17 (10 in one group around the layby) and 3 Carrion Crow. Woodpigeon in the trees on the northbank totalled 4 birds. No Pied Wagtail but 1 Grey Wagtail in Wesley Brook. 13 Blackbird seen and 2 Song Thrush. Not many finches with 7 Siskins, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Goldfinch and 2 Bullfinch. No Greenfinch or Reed Bunting seen or heard. Only 1 Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit 5, Great Tit 3 and 3 Goldcrest. Also about were Wren’s 5 and Robin 5. No Dunnock (Martin R Adlam) 15th March, Wednesday - So wet that I came home from Priorslee early and you get a full diary entry for the day. Well again it was fine when I set off from Newport, and indeed when I arrived at the lake. But it was very misty and then turned out wet later and I left early. The combination of the mist and the rain make all counts suspect for today. Better count this morning on still-dry roads from a misty Newport: I heard: 1 [0] calling Wood Pigeon; 2 [1] Wrens; 1 [0] Dunnock; 62 [45] Robins; 21 [23] Blackbirds; 13 [10] Song Thrushes; 2 [0] Blue Tits; 2 [1] Great Tit; and 1 [0] Magpie [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Not much in the way of highlights: there were at 19 Redwings flying out of the trees around the lake; and a party of 19 Fieldfare flew over. There were at least 2 different Pheasants calling. And in Castle Farm Way there was what looked like a Crow road casualty - not often this species gets caught out (could have been a Rook on what was left of the corpse, but I think not because they never seem to come to the ground around the road here - they used to frequent Motorway roadsides when they could gather the remains of shattered toughened windscreens for their crops but with advent of universal laminated screens this seems to be a think of the past). No gulls again when I arrived and mainly Black-headed Gulls on the lake, in much larger numbers than for some days. A party of 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew low S and another made a brief stop at the time. Then later a small number came in with the second build-up of Black-headed Gulls. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds today: 1 Little Grebe; 5 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; 1 Cormorant; the 2 resident Swans; no Greylag Geese; 5 Canada Geese flying over; only 12 Mallard, 8 of which were feeding on the grass above the dam; 7 Pochard yet again (still all drakes); 36 Tufted Ducks (24 drakes);no Ruddy Ducks seen; 14 Moorhens; just 68 Coots; no Water Rails seen or heard . Wood Pigeons numbers were obviously low today with visibility poor: none over the fields and Wards Rough not visible; just 5 seen fling over the lake; and 14 flushed from the trees around the lake. I walked to the dam to get the best chance of seeing dispersing corvids following the lights of Castle Farm Way in the mist, but they must have found other navigational cues and I logged just 5 Jackdaws and 3 Rooks, one of which was unbelievably scruffy to manage to stay in the air. Whether Starlings roosted in the reeds I was unable to see - they did not fly past me! The weather-affected passerines totals I logged from around the lake were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Meadow Pipits; no Grey Wagtails; 9 Pied Wagtails; 22 Wrens - seem to like the rain! 11 Dunnocks; 20 Robins; just 12 Blackbirds; 19 Fieldfares; 9 Song Thrushes again, 6 of which were again in song; 19 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 4 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tit; 11 Blue Tits; 6 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 12 Magpies; no Jays; 3 Crows (plus 1 corpse); no Starlings; 5 Chaffinches; 7 Greenfinches; no Goldfinches; 1 Siskin; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; 3 Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 14th March, Tuesday - Last full-day report for a while as off to south-west tomorrow for a few days or so. May get a chance to do a 'highlight' at Priorslee first, but thereafter it will be silence for a while. Well it was fine when I set off from Newport before dawn, but not for long. Spent the first hour or so sheltering from the rain and drizzle in the hut on the SW grass: thereafter it dried out somewhat and I was able to complete my normal circuit. Less wind today thankfully. Low count again in the rain and on wet roads from Newport, but slightly better than yesterday in the wind: I heard: 0 [1] calling Wood Pigeon; 1 [0] Wrens; 0 [0] Dunnock; 45 [31] Robins; 23 [11] Blackbirds; 10 [7] Song Thrushes; 1 [0] Great Tit; and 0 [1] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Highlight today were the number of Redwings: after several small groups a party of at least 25 briefly visited the trees along the Teece Drive approach. There was another Meadow Pipit flying over. Cracking view of the Water Rail alongside the fishing platform again - but as soon as I moved to try and get a photograph it scuttled off and vanished. And the Pheasant was again calling from the Celestica grounds. No gulls again when I arrived and mainly Black-headed Gulls on the lake. Very few larger gulls overhead - 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 3 Herring Gulls, though most of these were, unusually, in small mixed groups with 34 Black-headed Gulls flying S to the E of the lake. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds today: 1 Little Grebe; 5 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; 1 Greylag Goose flying over; 2 Canada Geese flying over; 23 Mallard, 5 of which were seen in flight only; 7 Pochard again (all drakes); 43 Tufted Ducks (28 drakes); 2 Ruddy Ducks (1 drake); 15 Moorhens; 86 Coots (with mating observed); 1 Water Rail seen. Wood Pigeons numbers were low today: just 44 over the fields / in Wards Rough to the E and there was no obvious roost dispersal; 47 more flew over the lake; and 24 flushed from the trees around the lake. The corvids were all in small groups over a protracted period this morning. I logged 176 [148] Jackdaws and 0 [52] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. After my comment on the 'white-winged' Jackdaw yesterday there was a very worn and scruffy bird over the lake today, also showing traces of white in the tatty parts of the wing. Again a few Starlings did seem to roost in the reeds: 5 birds appeared to fly off over at 30 minute period! 2 more seen in the distance. No Siskins at all logged today, but the flocks usually fly over early and I was 'confined to the hut' at the time and probably missed them. The passerines totals I logged from around the lake were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Meadow Pipit; 2 Grey Wagtails; 8 Pied Wagtails; 13 Wrens; 9 Dunnocks; 17 Robins; 26 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 9 Song Thrushes, 6 of which were in song; 41 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 2 Goldcrests; 5 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tit; 14 Blue Tits; 16 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 19 Magpies; no Jays; 18 Crows; 7 Starlings; 13 Chaffinches; 20 Greenfinches (with 20 males together in trees at W end); 3 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 4 Bullfinches; 7 Reed Buntings (with 2 flying off from the roost: and 2 more males fighting in the NE area) (Ed Wilson) 13th March, Monday - I think the correct phrase for the weather this morning was 'fine with a penetrating wind'. Even though the wind had veered to the south it was still rather chilly. Amazingly there was a brief red sky in the morning, though it was mainly cloudy and dull. Very low count again on the windy drive from Newport, but slightly better than in the snow yesterday: I heard: 1 [0] calling Wood Pigeon; 0 [0] Wrens; 0 [0] Dunnock; 31 [16] Robins; 11 [7] Blackbirds; 7 [2] Song Thrushes; no [1] Great Tits; and 1 [0] Magpie [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Highlights today included a Buzzard to the NE; a Lapwing briefly overhead; Stock Doves on the wires to the E; a Collared Dove flying over the E end unusually; at least 6 Redwings; a Jay in the NW area. The Pheasant was still calling from the Celestica grounds. No gulls again when I arrived and only Black-headed Gulls on the lake, noticeably fewer in number as spring approaches(?). There were a few larger gulls overhead - 56 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds today: 1 Little Grebe; 4 Great Crested Grebes; no Heron; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; 1 Greylag Goose heard in flight; 16 Canada Geese all of which flew over; 23 Mallard, 8 of which flew off; 7 Pochard (all drakes); 45 Tufted Ducks (31 drakes); 2 Ruddy Ducks (1 drake); 9 Moorhens; 84 Coots again; no Water Rail seen or heard; 1 Lapwing. Wood Pigeons numbers were again hard to gauge with no passage but several flocks in the area. I reckon there were 155 in the flocks; 32 more flew over the lake; and 27 flushed from the trees around the lake. The corvids were again 'different': there was an early sporadic passage of Rooks and later a sporadic passage of Jackdaws with only one party of any size. I logged 148 [92] Jackdaws and 52 [6] Rooks [yesterday's low counts in brackets]. A few Starlings did seem to roost in the reeds: one flew off at 06:20 and then three small parties totalling just 11 birds left 15 minutes later! A few more fly-by birds in the distance. Hard to know how many Siskins there were - a party flew E; a party flew W; and then another party flew E. Each party contained a different number of birds. And there were a few singles as well. The minimum number was 34; the maximum 91. The passerines totals I logged from around the lake were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Grey Wagtail; 12 Pied Wagtails; 8 Wrens; 7 Dunnocks; 14 Robins; 17 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 6 Song Thrushes, 4 of which were in song; 6 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; only 1 party of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tit; 9 Blue Tits; 13 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 23 Magpies; 1 Jay; 13 Crows; 14 Starlings; 7 Chaffinches; 14 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches; up to 91 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 8 Bullfinches; and just 2 Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 12th March, Sunday - Nothing much other than the cold and snowy start at Priorslee. Rest of day spent trying to get a decent photograph of the Bramblings in the garden - a couple OK, but needs more work (or skill I suspect!). What do you know: the forecast was correct and it was snowy this morning! Out with the camera and braving the rather chill SE wind cutting across the lake. Planned to shelter for a while in the car in the lay-by, though in fact I didn't and was tempted out by the sound of the departing Jackdaws! That meant that generally I was in a different part of the lake from normal at any particular time and this fact, combined with the weather, produced some very different numbers of some species. None of the unusual ducks from yesterday remained. A snowy / slushy drive from Newport was predictably poor with a log of no [1] Wood Pigeon; no [1] Wren; no [1] Dunnock; 16 [83] Robins; 7 [22] Blackbirds; 2 [22] Song Thrushes; 1 [0] Great Tit; and no [0] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. It was worth the effort with highlight of a Peregrine seen over giving me a site year-tick. There were 4 separate Meadow Pipits passing over (after those in the fields to the E yesterday), and these seemed to be associated with the roost dispersal(?)of Pied Wagtails with good total of 28 of the latter logged. A not unexpected scatter of Fieldfares and Redwings as well. Once again the gulls were again late arriving with the first three Black-headed Gulls at 06:30. Birds tended to stay this morning and numbers built steadily. Rather few large gulls either on the lake (see below) or overhead - 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Herring Gulls. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds today: 2 Little Grebes; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; 2 separate Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; 1 Greylag Geese flew over; 17 Canada Geese of which 13 landed from the E; 17 Mallard, 2 of which were seen on the roof of the old fishing hut; 7 Pochard (all drakes again); 46 Tufted Ducks (32 drakes); 2 Ruddy Ducks (1 drake); 12 Moorhens; only 87 Coots; and no Water Rail seen or heard. Once again hard to know how many Wood Pigeons there were today with several flighty groups. The largest group was c.150 birds and there were at least 50 more over the fields; another 45 flew over the lake and 32 flushed from the trees around the lake. So at least 275 birds. There were also 2 Stock Doves over the lake. The male Pheasant was calling in the Celestica grounds yet again. The Jackdaws came out very low and below the trees this morning so my counts are more than usually deficient. Apart from the initial departing flocks there was a steady stream of singles and pairs more or less throughout and I ended up with 92 [159] Jackdaws and 6 [1] Rooks [yesterday's figures in brackets]. No Starlings logged again. Not sure what was due to timing and what was the impact of the snow but I logged no Chaffinches, Bullfinches or Reed Buntings - birds that have been actively singing for some days now and which I mostly ought to have been able to hear wherever I was. In contrast Wren and Blue Tit numbers seemed unaffected. Somewhat surprisingly in the cold and snow a Goldcrest was singing. The Siskins were back in some numbers. The passerines totals I logged from around the lake were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks heard; 4 Meadow Pipits overhead; 1 Grey Wagtail; 28 Pied Wagtails; 20 Wrens; 5 Dunnocks; 9 Robins; 17 Blackbirds; 3 Fieldfares; 7 Song Thrushes, 3 of which were in song; 7 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 1 Goldcrest; 2 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tit; no Willow Tit; 15 Blue Tits; 8 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 14 Magpies; no Jays; 6 Crows; no Starlings; no Chaffinches; 11 Greenfinches; 6 Goldfinches again; 30 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; no Bullfinches; and no Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 11th March, Saturday update 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Only had an hour or so. So it was a bit of a rush to get round but well worth it with 4 Yellow-legged Gulls and a female Goldeneye which was in the northwest corner of the lake. Gulls on the water were 221 Lesser-black Backed Gulls, C.500 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Herring Gull and 4 Yellow-legged Gulls. The Duck count was Pochard 6 (all drakes), Tufted Duck 36, Mallard 15 and 1 female Goldeneye. There were 6 Great Crested Grebe but no sign of any Dabchick. There were 2 Cormorant patrolling the lake around the boat slipway. Resident Mute Swan (2), no Canada Geese or Greylag Goose. There were two cock Pheasants fighting in the Celestica grounds just north of the bridge on the northbank. Coot numbers logged at 114 and Moorhen 16. No Water Rail seen or heard. No Rooks or Jackdaws seen but plenty of Magpies 15 and 3 Carrion Crow. Woodpigeon in the trees on the northbank totalled 15. No Pied or Grey Wagtail 3 Blackbird seen but no Song Thrush. Not many finches with 3 Siskins, 4 Chaffinches and 3 Goldfinches. No Bullfinch, Greenfinch or Reed Bunting seen or heard. There were 2 parties of Long-tailed Tit seen totalling 5 birds. Also about were Blue Tit 6 and Great Tit 2 no Coal Tit, Willow Tit or Goldcrest. Also about were Wren’s 3 and Robin 5. No Dunnock (Martin R Adlam) 11th March, Saturday - A fine start with another red sunrise at Priorslee Lake, but soon clouded up and there were even some snow grains before I left after a splendid haul this morning. Without the weekday traffic and with better weather I logged more birds on the drive from Newport: I heard: 1 [0] calling Wood Pigeon; 1 [1] Wren; 1 [1] Dunnock; 83 [49] Robins; 22 [26] Blackbirds; 22 [10] Song Thrushes; no [1] Great Tits; and no [0] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Where do I start this morning: I guess in order of appearance. When the gulls eventually dropped in there was a 2nd summer Common Gull in with the Black-headed Gulls - my first Common Gull here this year. As I was searching for a singing Sky Lark to the E a Shelduck flew through the binoculars and proceeded to circle the lake at high-level, but never dropped in. After I had walked the lanes and fields to the E I was surprised to see a duck Goldeneye feeding on the lake - I am sure it must have flown in. Then on the S side grass I noted a large sleeping mostly while duck that I assumed was the Shelduck - except it wasn't when I checked: it was a fine drake Goosander. Finally I almost fell over one of the Water Rails, this feeding alongside one of the new N-shore fishing platforms: would have been an even better view had my attention not been initially attracted by displaying Moorhens right alongside! As noted the gulls were again late arriving with the first birds in after 06:15. Apart from the Common Gull nothing other than Black-headed Gulls until after 08:30 when there was a rapid build-up of larger gulls, unusually at the W end from where they were soon flushed by dog-walkers and all left. Did not pay as much attention as normal to over-flying gulls, but there did not seem to be many - I logged just 17. In fact there were more Black-headed Gulls flying straight over - 35 I counted. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds today: no Little Grebes; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans were joined by another just as I was leaving; 2 Greylag Geese flew in from the E unusually; 24 Canada Geese of which 17 landed; 1 Shelduck over; 24 Mallard, 5 of which were seen in the fields to the E; 6 Pochard (all drakes); 40 Tufted Ducks (27 drakes); 1 Goldeneye (a duck); 1 Goosander (a drake); 1 Ruddy Duck only (1 drake); 14 Moorhens; 109 Coots again; 1 Water Rail seen. Hard to know how many Wood Pigeons there were today: the haze made seeing the passage rather hard. Birds were seen to the E on several occasions but may have been some of the same flocks. When I walked the lanes and fields there were at least 220, with only 50 of these in the Wards Rough trees. Despite the bird scarers going off all around it was only my approach that flushed these parties of birds - and 44 more in singles / small groups. I logged just 8 birds flying over the lake: and there were only 24 in the trees around the lake (though the fishermen may have flushed them before I did). It is not only the Wood Pigeons that seem impervious to the bird-scarers: I flushed 6 Pheasants (1 male) from one of the fields (another male was calling in the Celestica grounds again). The bird scarers are effective against thrushes though and I always check after the first salvo - today 12 Redwings and c.80 Fieldfares was the log. Rooks seem to have vanished! The Jackdaws almost all went out in one large group over the lake this morning, though there were several small parties later to the E. I logged 159 [245] Jackdaws and just 1 [6] Rook [yesterday's counts in brackets]. The only 2 Starling logged were 'passing' and did not seem to be roosting birds. The passerines totals I logged from around the lake were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Grey Wagtail; 7 Pied Wagtails; 19 Wrens; 12 Dunnocks; 17 Robins; 16 Blackbirds; c.80 Fieldfares; 6 Song Thrushes, 4 of which were in song; 12 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 3 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tit; 13 Blue Tits; 11 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 11 Magpies; no Jays; 6 Crows; 2 Starlings; 6 Chaffinches; 10 Greenfinches; 6 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; 3 separate Redpoll fly-overs; 6 Bullfinches; and 4 Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 10th March, Friday - A very 'fresh' start to the day with strong winds, low humidity and occasional light showery rain making it rather unpleasant at Priorslee Lake this morning. On the windy drive from Newport I heard fewer birds of most species than yesterday: 1 [1] Wren; 0 [1] Dunnock; 49 [72] Robins; 26 [20] Blackbirds; and 10 [15] Song Thrushes; 1 [2] Great Tit; and 1 [2] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Best this morning was the 2 Lapwing flying in from the E as I left. The Pheasant was calling again as well. Mallard are now getting hard to count: they are flying about a lot, both around the lake and between the lake and other local waters / pool. So numbers will be rather difficult to interpret for a few weeks if previous years are any guide I have become used to the Coot sparring and making a lot of noise for some weeks now: this morning there were also 2 Moorhens clawing and slashing at each other, though they seemed to be silent while doing so: neither did they attract the same 'audience' of others of the species that often accompany the Coot battles. The gulls were even later arriving today with the first birds in at 06:30, with over 300 logged arriving from the west, some of the groups flying in very high and 'whiffling' in, while others came across the Ricoh factory at 'zero feet' - usually at the same time. Left earlier than previously (too cold!), but gulls had not started returning by 08:35 and apart from 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen battling W against the wind there were very few larger gulls. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds was affected by the wind - both me and the birds were sheltering! I logged 1 Little Grebe; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; 4 separate Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; no Greylag Geese; 2 Canada Geese flew over; 25 Mallard,5 of which seemed to fly off; 2 Pochard (both drakes); 35 Tufted Ducks (21 drakes); 2 Ruddy Ducks again (1 drake); 7 Moorhens; 109 Coots; 1 Water Rail heard; and 2 Lapwings. I logged 295 Wood Pigeons on passage to the N today. I also noted another 44 flying over the lake; and a massive 60 flushed out of the trees around the lake suggests that some other birds were pausing their flight in the conditions - most were along the sheltered N side. Corvid passage was again mainly parties of Jackdaws, some very low and others high up and with a strong tailwind component were circling around to slow their progress: Rooks in very short supply. I logged 245 [178] Jackdaws and just 6 [44] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. 1 Starling was logged and it did seem to come out of the NW reed-bed, but … I also saw at least 1 Reed Bunting fly off from the reeds. The passerines totals I logged this wind-affected morning were: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Grey Wagtail; 4 Pied Wagtails; 16 Wrens; 4 Dunnocks; 15 Robins; just 11 Blackbirds; no Fieldfares; 7 Song Thrushes, 4 of which were in song; no Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 3 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tit; only 6 Blue Tits; 8 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 17 Magpies; no Jays; 8 Crows; 1 Starling; 8 Chaffinches; 12 Greenfinches; 6 Goldfinches; 11 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch heard only; and 6 Reed Buntings. The moles had busy overnight - constructing drains I would suggest: but no mammals seen (Ed Wilson) 9th March. Thursday - A great start to the day with the cloud clearing away and a fiery sunrise to distract me with the camera before it clouded up again and thwarted more photographic opportunities in the calm conditions - not that there was that much to photograph! On the drive from Newport I heard 1 [1] Wren; 1 [0] Dunnock; 72 [75] Robins; 20 [24] Blackbirds; 16 [14] Song Thrushes; 2 [1] Great Tits; and 2 [1] Magpies [yesterday's figures in brackets]. My best record this morning was a party of 6 Redpolls that flew in to the W end alders and then dropped down to the ground giving great views until harassed off by 3 squabbling Dunnocks, all wing-waving and chasing about. Other notable records today included the Pheasant calling from the Celestica grounds again; the Kestrel on the wires again; a party of 12 Redwings flying south (wrong way!); at least 25 Fieldfare to the NE; the mild weather tempting two Goldfinches to sing; and my first Jay for a while in the NW area. Did not manage to see any of the Water Rails this morning but another birder reported seeing one scuttling between reed-patches on the N shore while he was watching from the dam - in the area that I heard one yesterday. No Black-headed Gulls when I arrived and it was 06:15 before any arrived. At least 250 birds flew in from the W at c.06:35 but unusually most of them kept on flying and out to the E. Reasonable passage of large gulls over with 95 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged. Before 08:45 birds were arriving to bathe and loaf after feeding. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds was: no Little Grebes; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans not affected by the adult flying N; no Greylag Geese; 31 Canada Geese, 12 of which landed for a while; 27 Mallard, 3 of which were seen flying to the N; 6 Pochard (all drakes again); 33 Tufted Ducks (23 drakes); 2 Ruddy Ducks again (1 drake); 14 Moorhens; 115 Coots; no Water Rails seen or heard by me. There was a Wood Pigeon passage to the N again: I logged 226 birds c.65 of which stopped for a while in a large oak to the far N. I also noted another 29 flying over the lake; and no fewer than 42 flushed out of the trees around the lake. Corvid passage was again mainly low-level parties of Jackdaws: not sure where all the Rooks have gone …. I logged 178 [142] Jackdaws and 44 [46] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. The gathering of Crows on the pylons and the adjoining wires to the NE was restricted to just 10 birds today, but there were plenty of others flying around. No Starlings roosting in the reed-beds again this morning. The passerines totals I logged this morning: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Grey Wagtails; 5 Pied Wagtails again; 17 Wrens again; 12 Dunnocks; 17 Robins; 21 Blackbirds; c.25 Fieldfares; 7 Song Thrushes, 5 of which were in song; 12 Redwings; 1 distant singing Mistle Thrushes; 2 Goldcrests; 4 'parties' of Long-tailed Tits (though 3 were single birds!); no Coal Tits; 1 Willow Tit; 10 Blue Tits; 12 Great Tits yet again; no Tree Creepers; 14 Magpies; 1 Jay; 17 Crows; 2 Starlings in the distance; 10 Chaffinches; 9 Greenfinches; 2 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; 6 Redpolls; 2 male Bullfinches; and 7 Reed Buntings. Rabbit seen this morning again (Ed Wilson) 8th March, Wednesday Late Report - The County Recorder received a report of a second winter Ring-billed Gull at the Lake (for 10 minutes only) Observer Unknown. 8th March, Wednesday - The forecast for this morning was wet, windy and cold. When I arrived at Priorslee it was none of those and while there were some spells of mainly light drizzle and the wind did increase to ruffle the initially calm waters it remained a mild and not unpleasant morning, though with poor visibility at times. Wet roads again on the drive from Newport but the milder weather encouraged more activity and I managed 1 [0] Wren; 0 [1] Dunnocks; 75 [57] Robins; 24 [11] Blackbirds; and 14 [9] Song Thrushes; 1 [0] Great Tit; and 1 [0] Magpie [yesterday's figures in brackets]. No real highlight today. One or more calling Pheasants - it was either running about a lot or two birds were involved! The Ruddy Duck was present again but had acquired a mate. A soggy-looking female Kestrel was drying after one of the drizzly spells on the wires. A Redwing called. The male Grey Wagtail still acquiring summer plumage was calling incessantly on the dam-face. And a Water Rail was heard in some dense reeds along the N shore - a new location for it. Just 35 Black-headed Gulls when I arrived: eventually a good number flew in from the W before the bird-scarers got going and sent most of them away again. No large gulls on the lake, though one Lesser Black-backed Gull flew a low circuit. 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged flying over; as were 2 Herring Gulls. Results of today's periodic gull counts: Not sure where all the Great Crested Grebes have gone - perhaps they have started to sit on nests already A passing motorist brought me an injured Coot that had been hit on Castle Farm Way. Had no idea this species wandered off - perhaps why you don't see them in flight? Seriously though, I have seen Moorhens wandering from the lake, but not this species ever before. The Coot seemed to have broken both legs and its neck (at least). My log of the water birds was: 1 Little Grebe; 4 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; 1 Cormorant flew over; the 2 resident Swans; 4 Greylag Geese flew over; 20 Canada Geese, 18 of which landed; 30 Mallard, 3 of which flew off; 6 Pochard (all drakes again); 42 Tufted Ducks (26 drakes), though 5 of these flew off just after 06:00; 2 Ruddy Ducks (1 drake); 13 Moorhens; 103 Coots; 1 Water Rail heard. No Wood Pigeon passage was evident, though there were at least 75 birds in the trees to the N. There were also a high count of 35 in the trees around the lake as well as 31 flying over. Wards Rough trees were devoid of Wood Pigeon flocks today. Corvid passage was better with several low-level parties of, especially Jackdaws, followed by a protracted passage of higher-level birds, many further west than usual. The big flock that often is seen to NE was not evident. I logged 142 [99] Jackdaws and 46 [38] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. Rather unusual was a gathering of 20 Crows on a pylon and the adjoining wires to the NE. No Starlings seemed to leave the NW reed-bed this morning. It is some days since I saw Reed Buntings leaving the roost: several birds are singing at the W end: and today one was singing along the N side as well. I also flushed a bird along the S side. The passerines totals I logged this morning, affected by the weather again: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 2 Grey Wagtail; 5 Pied Wagtails; 17 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks again; 19 Robins; 23 Blackbirds again; no Fieldfare; 11 Song Thrushes, 10 of which were in song; 1 Redwing; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 2 parties of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 17 Blue Tits again; 12 Great Tits again; no Tree Creepers; 20 Magpies; 23 Crows; no Starlings; 6 Chaffinches; 14 Greenfinches; 4 Goldfinches; no Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 1 Bullfinch; and 6 Reed Buntings. No mammals today (Ed Wilson) 7th March, Tuesday - The usual Priorslee start seemed to have the best of the weather! Not a pleasant morning at Priorslee Lake today, though better than I feared and ended up with a reasonable total of most things. Light rain most of the time kept me in the hut on the SW shore for some of the time; and poor visibility made overflying birds hard to see. Wet roads on the drive from Newport restricted my ability to hear the birds somewhat but I managed 1 [2] Dunnock; 57 [64] Robins; 11 [12] Blackbirds; and 9 [13] Song Thrushes [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Highlight today was my first Curlew of the year calling and circling at 06:20: what was presumably the same bird flew off W at 07:10 when the regular supply of bird food arrived at the E end courtesy of one of the local taxi-drivers. Also unusual was a calling Pheasant. The Ruddy Duck was present again. And the Water Rail in the NE area again. No gulls when I arrived and rather fewer than recently flew in. In the poor visibility I logged just 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying over. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds was: 2 Little Grebe; 6 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans; 2 Greylag Geese arrived; 21 Canada Geese, 15 of which landed; 34 Mallard; just 4 Pochard (all drakes); 52 Tufted Ducks (31 drakes); 1 drake Ruddy Duck; 15 Moorhens; 106 Coots - same as yesterday: 1 Water Rail seen. No Wood Pigeon passage was visible today with just 15 seen overflying the lake and another 18 in the trees around the lake. Could not see Wards Rough to tell whether this was in use today. Corvid passage was acceptable in the conditions with several groups passing over the lake. I logged 99 [178] Jackdaws and 38 [21] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. I saw no Starlings leave the NW reed-bed this morning - or any elsewhere come to that. The passerines totals I logged this morning, definitely affected by the weather: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Grey Wagtail; just 2 Pied Wagtails; 7 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 15 Robins; 23 Blackbirds; no Fieldfare; 6 Song Thrushes, 5 of which were in song; no Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; 2 Goldcrests; 2 parties of Long-tailed Tits; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 17 Blue Tits; 12 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 17 Magpies; 5 Crows; no Starlings; 7 Chaffinches; 11 Greenfinches; no Goldfinches; just 2 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 6 Bullfinches; and 3 Reed Buntings again. 1 Rabbit in the Celestica grounds was the only mammal. (Ed Wilson) 6th March, Monday - Suddenly the days are lengthening rapidly and rather caught out by the daylight this morning, with very frosty roads in places to worry about. Only ice at Priorslee lake was on the dam where the 'waves' had left an ice-covering. Lying snow in the shade. Frosty drive from Newport on almost empty weekday roads netted me 2 [1] Dunnocks; 64 [39] Robins; 12 [13] Blackbirds; 13 [12] Song Thrushes; 1 [0] Mistle Thrush; 1 [1] Blue Tit; 1 [2] Magpies; and 1 [0] Crow [yesterday's figures in brackets]. Another great sunrise this morning though rather clouded up for a while afterwards and fewer photographs! Highlights were the drake Teal and drake Ruddy Duck though both seemed to disappear while I was changing the camera battery - batteries seem to like the cold weather even less than I do! Other notable records were the Water Rail in the NE area again; my first Kingfisher here for a few weeks; two separate Stock Doves; and a few Redwings both in the trees around the lake and to the east. There may have been a lone Black-headed Gull on the grass when I arrived - I had not expected one there and did not look until later: I think the bird was unwell. Reasonable numbers in the end, but I had to wait until a quick visit on the way back from town to get big numbers of larger gulls on the lake. There was a larger passage of gulls over and to the north earlier when I logged 128 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 Herring Gull - the proportion of Herring Gulls seems to have dropped right off for the moment at least. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds was: 1 Little Grebe; 9 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; no Cormorants; the 2 resident Swans had 2 other adults to chase; 4 Greylag Geese (1 flew over early and 3 on lake by 10:40); 29 Canada Geese, 21 of which landed (6 from E was unusual); 1 drake Teal; 28 Mallard (2 of which flew off); 6 Pochard (5 drakes); 44 Tufted Ducks (28 drakes); 1 drake Ruddy Duck; 11 Moorhens; 106 Coots: 1 Water Rail seen. I logged 216 Wood Pigeons flying E to the N of the lake; another 44 flying over the lake; and 15 in the trees around the lake. None was seen to land in the fields to the E or Wards Rough. Corvid passage had perhaps started before I arrived and apart from 1 large party well to the east that seemed to be mainly Jackdaws there were just scattered small groups, also mainly Jackdaws. I logged 178 [99] Jackdaws and just 21 [63] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. I saw 27 Starlings leave the NW reed-bed this morning. The passerines totals I logged this morning, again affected by the frozen ground: no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 1 Grey Wagtail; 8 Pied Wagtails; 10 Wrens yet again; 11 noisy Dunnocks; 12 Robins; 12 Blackbirds; no Fieldfare; 5 Song Thrushes, all in song; 4 Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 5 parties of Long-tailed Tits; 1 Coal Tit; no Willow Tits; 12 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 12 Magpies; 7 Crows; 27 Starlings; 9 Chaffinches; 16 Greenfinches; 4 Goldfinches; 19 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 4 Bullfinches; and just 3 Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 5th March, Sunday - Back in harness bright and early this chilly, frosty morning with fresh snow on the ground overnight and the lake about two-thirds iced-over. Earlier drive from Newport on snow-speckled roads netted me 1 [0] Dunnock; 39 [37] Robins; 13 [16] Blackbirds; 12 [3] Song Thrushes; 1 [0] Blue Tit and 2 [0] Magpies [last Wednesday's figures in brackets - also was a snowy / frosty morning] A great sunrise this morning and then splendid light to allow a few more photographs - singing Greenfinches; and a rather unusual Yellowhammer singing from the W end trees. This was probably my highlight of the visit - indeed while they are frequent over the fields to the east and I've logged them flying over as far as I can recall this is my first record from the trees around the lake itself. Other highlights for me were the Water Rail - the Wesley Brook bird today and above the bridge today; a Sky Lark heard in song to the E; and a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker. The cold weather and ice seemed to have moved Tufted Duck in some numbers, but not Coot whose numbers are continuing to decline. There were no gulls when I arrived and only a scatter of early arrivals: rather more later when they tended to stand around on the ice until spooked by a jogger. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds was: 1 Little Grebe; 7 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; 1 Cormorant looked at the ice and flew on; the 2 resident Swans; 1 Greylag Goose flew over; 43 Canada Geese, 19 of which landed; 27 Mallard (2 flew off); 11 Pochard (8 drakes); 90 Tufted Ducks (54 drakes); 6 Moorhens; 91 Coots: 1 Water Rail seen. Again did not see a Wood Pigeon flight as such, with just 37 passing to the N. But there were at least 40 over the fields to the E; at least 100 in the trees in Ward's Rough; and then at least 400 in trees to the N, though whether these were all different was hard to say. Another 30 over the lake and a larger than usual 39 flushed from the trees / bushes around the lake. Corvid passage seemed to consist of one moderate-sized mixed group and a scatter of 1s and 2s. I logged 99 [334] Jackdaws and 63 [156] Rooks [last Wednesday's counts in brackets]. I saw only 21 Starlings leave the NW reed-bed. The passerines totals I logged this morning, no doubt affected by the frozen ground: 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker heard; 1 Grey Wagtail; just 6 Pied Wagtails; 10 Wrens again; 6 Dunnocks; only 10 Robins; only 9 Blackbirds; no Fieldfare; 6 Song Thrushes, with 5 of these in song; no Redwings; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 3 parties of Long-tailed Tits; 1 Coal Tit heard; no Willow Tits; 16 Blue Tits; 13 Great Tits; 1 Tree Creeper; 15 Magpies; 8 Crows; 21 Starlings; 12 Chaffinches; 11 Greenfinches; 8 Goldfinches; 23 Siskins; no Linnets; no Redpolls; 5 Bullfinches; and 5 Reed Buntings (Ed Wilson) 4th March, Saturday - 1:00pm - 3:00pm. Still cold even though the sun was out and the thermometer said 7C, with the westerly wind blowing it felt more like -7C. The lake was ice bound with just two areas ice free, which made it easy to do a water bird count. |
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Highlight was a Snipe seen at 2:00pm when I had inadvertantly flushed from the waters edge on the northbank. It took off, circled a couple of times before coming down into the wood in the Northeast corner. Just before hand there was a Water Rail squeeling in the reed beds by the new anglers jetty in the same area. No sign of Goosander seen in the morning. On the ice when I arrived were 180 Lesser-black Backed Gulls, 300 Black-headed Gulls, a 1st Winter Herring Gull and a 2nd Winter Herring Gull. By 1:50pm they had all left. The Duck count was Pochard 8 (6 Drake, 2 Duck), Tufted Duck 81 (43 Drake, 38 Duck), Mallard 30 and Shoveler 3 (2 Drake, 1 Duck). There were 6 Great Crested Grebe but no sign of any Dabchick. 1 Cormorant sunbathing on the grass bank by the boat shed. Resident Mute Swan (2), Canada Geese 17 and 1 Greylag Goose with them. Coot numbers logged at 117 and Moorhen 14. 1 Water Rail heard squeeling in reed beds on Northbank. No Rooks or Jackdaws seen but plenty of Magpies 15 and 7 Carrion Crow. Woodpigeon totalled 25 and 2 Collared Dove flew east. 1 Grey Wagtail heard in Wesley Brook. Only 1 female Blackbird seen and 2 Song Thrush. Very few finches and bunting about. 8 Siskin in the Alders in the NE wood, 4 Goldfinches and 2 Bullfinches. No Greenfinch or Chaffinch seen or heard. 1 Reed Bunting calling in the Wesley Reedbeds. There were 3 parties of Long-tailed Tit seen totalling 8 birds. Also about were Blue Tit 6, Great Tit 8, Coal Tit 3, Willow Tit 2, Goldcrest 2 (both of which were feeding on and around the Wesley bridge. At times they were hovering over the water and were within an arms length of me. They were totally unphased by my presence and brilliant to watch), Wren’s 4, Dunnock 2 and Robin 4. (Martin R Adlam) 4th March, Saturday - 11:30am A female Goosander was seen on the water alongside 3 Shoveler. Overhead a Common Buzzard pass by. (Peter Parton) 1st March, Wednesday - A very quick, unchecked report for Priorslee this morning. Cold and frosty with a light dusting of snow grains at Priorslee: ground frozen hard but almost no ice on the water. A slightly earlier drive from Newport on snow-speckled roads netted me just 37 [61] Robins; 16 [18] Blackbirds; and 3 [9] Song Thrushes [yesterday's figures in brackets]. More great moments around the lake with a fiery sunrise; splendid view of 2 Water Rails together; and great view of one of the Herons - not sure how many there were today as I saw 2 fly off E only to flush 2 from the N-side later. Mixed party of very noisy and excited Siskins with a Redpoll and a charm(?) of Goldfinches, one of which was tempted to do a display flight. Other less-than-daily birds were a party of 21 Fieldfare over fields to the E; a Redwing along the N side; and a Feral Pigeon flying over. About 600 Black-headed Gulls seemed to have roosted: higher numbers than recently, perhaps brought in by the snow and cold winds. Results of today's periodic gull counts: My log of the water birds was: no Little Grebes; 10 Great Crested Grebes; 4? Heron; 3 Cormorants - 2 on the lake and one distant fly-by; the 2 resident Swans; 1 Greylag Goose heard in flight; 17 Canada Geese, 9 present at 06:20, the others flying in; still no sign of the Gadwall; 21 Mallard; 5 Pochard (all 5 drakes); 26 Tufted Ducks (16 drakes); just 5 Moorhens; 107 Coots: 2 Water Rails seen. Wood Pigeon flight may have coincided with my attempts to photograph the sunrise: I logged just 141 flying SE, but at least 400 went up from fields to the E. 37 flying over and 18 flushed from trees around the lake. Better corvid passage today, mainly to the E and I logged 334 [30] Jackdaws and 156 [55] Rooks [yesterday's counts in brackets]. I saw only 25 Starlings leave the NW reed-bed before 06:45. Saw just 1 flying N later. So, quickly, the passerines totals I logged this morning, no doubt affected by the frozen ground: no Great Spotted Woodpecker; 2 Grey Wagtails; 11 Pied Wagtails; 10 Wrens; 7 Dunnocks; only 8 Robins; only 7 Blackbirds; 21 Fieldfare; just 3 Song Thrushes, with only 2 in song; 1 Redwing; no Mistle Thrushes; no Goldcrests; 3 parties of Long-tailed Tits; no Coal Tit; 1 Willow Tit; 15 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 11 Magpies; 11 Crows; 26 Starlings; 13 Chaffinches; 10 Greenfinches; 9 Goldfinches; 69 Siskins; no Linnets; 3 Redpolls; 9 Bullfinches; and 9 Reed Buntings. Off south NOW (Ed Wilson) |
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