Monday, 31st

My last visit this morning for a few days. Quick report

- 2, possibly 3, male Blackcaps in NE area with 1 in partial song
- 5 Chiffchaffs singing
- 1 Redwing singing - my first in the UK - from tree-tops at W end; another 6 on the grass alongside Teece Drive
- small influx of Tufted Duck - 33 with 21 drakes still 7 Gadwall
- no hirundines today before 08:30
- 13 Black-headed Gulls this morning - there were, most unusually, none at all yesterday
- Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush and Jay daily at the moment oddly the Reed Buntings, still present, seem to have stopped singing.

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday, 29th

At Priorslee Lake John Isherwood was watching an Oystercatcher while I was watching him from the other end of the lake. He told be it was flying around calling so I am going deaf as well as blind! Luckily I have already seen one in Shropshire this year at a traditional breeding site, but I would have liked it for my site year list.

Also there was a fine male Blackcap: this was feeding avidly around the blackthorn blossom near the Castle Farm Way gate. My 3rd of the year here but seems likely to be my first migrant.

Along with 5 singing Chiffchaffs there were several distant hirundines - Sand Martins I suspect. A Meadow Pipit as well. And 7 Gadwall still here - almost outnumber the Mallard!

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday, 28th

Chiffchaffs in song at all 5 locations yesterday, with 5 birds at the lake and 2 at The Flash. 2 at both locations this morning. One of the birds at the lake was singing with the strange 'double-song' - sounds like 2 birds duetting - that I noted last year. Same bird?

Biggest surprise was a party of c.40 Sand Martins that seemed to leave the NW reeds at the lake at 05:25 yesterday. Looked again today and while I heard a few birds at 05:41 and again at 05:41 I failed to see anything

No other migrants

At the lake after a 2 week absence I noted
- 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Canada Geese seem to be settled in: they escape the Swan by flying to the dam-top!
- Gadwall still around - 3 pairs?
- Pochard gone
- still c.15 Tufted Duck around
- no sight or sound of the Water Rails (nor at The Flash)
- Coots on nest but still c.70 other birds around
- very few gulls now and all(?) the Black-heads are immatures
- the Wood Pigeon flock over the fields to the E seems to have moved on
- no Siskins now [while I was down south Radio Devon reported it a bumper winter for this species due to the failure of the larch crop in Scandinavia - several where I was staying in Devon (but the Brambing were better!])

Highlights of the last 2 days
- Fieldfare over yesterday
- March Moth on the lamps yesterday
- Little Grebe flushed out of the reeds by the Swan today
- 11 Linnets flew over this morning

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 20th

- 2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull and 435 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Peter Wilson)

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Wednesday, 19th (12:20pm)

- 2 Sand Martins

(Martin Adlam)

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Tuesday, 4th

- 1st winter Glaucous Gull

(Paul King).