Sunday 23rd 06:11 - 09:39

Weather
12.5C > 15.0C Some clear areas with stars overhead but once again dark and rather misty to the N and NE. The misty bits soon cleared away as it became more generally cloudy though with some brighter spells. Moderate / fresh SW wind. Moderate visibility, good later.

Narrative
Later start after I had to return home to get binoculars (happens to us all!). Straight up the W side to check the lamps and then hiding behind trees along the N side to watch for Canada Geese and corvids. Not really successful with either but instead logging a very significant passage of Swallows (with a few other hirundines) and good numbers of Meadow Pipits on the move. That kept me rooted to the S side longer than usual before I rechecked the lights at the W end and then did the full anti-clockwise lap of the lake.

Overall Highlights
No 'bird of the day award' but the major highlight today was the very significant hirundine passage - almost all Swallow, but a few House Martins later: and what seemed to be a very late Sand Martin: it was small and had a breast-band though it shot over me about 6 feet up while I was in trees and I had very little time to see it. The passage was the largest I have ever recorded with a log of 696 birds when I did the tally. I am sure there were more as these were passing, almost all S / SE, to both the E and W ends of the lake and it was impossible to look in both directions at once. There were 41 partied with the largest containing at least 72 birds; and 2 more with more than 50 birds. So these must have been on their way from an overnight roost rather than a gathering of local birds.

Not just Swallows on the move: I also logged 55 Meadow Pipits in 12 groups (the largest of 24 birds) all heading S apart from 2 birds that seemed to drop in to the SW grass and then fly to the trees at the W end. Did not see them after that other migrants today:
- still a few 3 Chiffchaffs around the lake - 6 at least today

The signs of Autumn
- 2 duck / immature Pochards on the lake today
- 35 Tufted Ducks rather fewer, but still a good count
- 194 Black-headed Gulls: apart from 16 from the N and 3 that flew E far to the N all these arrived from the W. Again they mostly moved through the lake and only 26 were present at 09:10
- 70 Lesser Black-backed Gull-types mostly passing S or W with a respectable number pausing at the lake. The largest count at the lake was 26 at 08:08 when all bar one bird seemed to be juveniles / 1st winters. Later an adult on the lake, but most of the adults flew straight over - among the larger gulls there were at least 4 juvenile / 1st winter Herring Gulls
- only 16 Pied Wagtails logged: 14 leaving their roost and then 2 seen later (one on the dam-top). I find it very frustrating that I cannot find most of these flying birds but can pick up the smaller Meadow Pipits easily
- I guess pipits fly lower than wagtails?
- just 1 Mistle Thrushes on the wires to the E
- the Starlings were made rather little use of the wires this morning and I logged seven groups flying low over lake in various directions: 102 birds in total

Other things to highlight from the lake today
- 1 Heron heard only today - perhaps because I did not do a pre-dawn lap of the lake
- the main party of Greylag Geese contained 33 birds and went outbound at 06:37: 2 more trailed along a minute later
- perhaps because I was delayed en route; perhaps because it was rather dull and misty to the N, but I logged only 42 outbound Canada Geese with the first at 06:29. But at least 120 were seen descending in to The Flash at 08:04 on return from the W
- as noted 2 Pochard and 35 Tufted Duck on the lake at 08:00 with several having flown in or out before 06:00
- just a drake Ruddy Duck this morning
- all 3 common raptors seen today
- 3 sightings of probably the same male (on size) Sparrowhawk to the N / NW from 07:35
- a Buzzard over the NW trees - well alongside Teece Drive actually - at 09:30
- a male Kestrel flew S over the lake at 08:04
- the unreliable Coot number today
- 143 - gulls as noted above
- 1 Stock Dove flew E today
- 22 Feral Pigeons in flight in 8 different groups: there does seem to be a party of 5 birds that fly E to the N that I see most morning - distinctive in that 3 are blue morphs, one is almost white, and the other very blotchy
- lower number of Wood Pigeons than most days last week: there did seem to be fewer
- Kingfisher heard again
- the Green Woodpecker heard along the N side at 06:53 and then seen flying S over the lake
- 2 silent Great Spotted Woodpeckers flushed out of the SE area at 08:50
- 2 or more Grey Wagtails again with a juvenile / 1st winter bird on rocks in the SE corner
- the passage of Pied Wagtails as noted
- the Long-tailed Tit wake-up at 06:41 and these seemed to move away to the SE: thus the party of at least 11 birds in the NW area was a different group in with other tits and a 2 Chiffchaffs, but could not find anything else in the party
- three records of Jay with birds calling in the N / NW area at 06:49; 2 birds seen flying off across the M54 at 07:49; and then 3 silent birds seen flying off along Teece Drive at 08:22
- another dire corvid passage: perhaps the dark clouds and mist to the NE? All I saw was a party of 18 Jackdaws flying very low down the line of the sluice outlet and parallel with the Wesley Brook. But then my attention was distracted my the hirundines!
- 32 Goldfinches logged with 25 together in poplars near the Teece Drive gate in addition to the groups demolishing the remains of the thistles at the W end
- 3 Reed Buntings seen in flight

When I rechecked the lamps there were 2 moths (a Light Brown Apple Moth and a fine Sallow - another sign of Autumn) and a mostly eaten Crane-fly (Tipula sp.)

No bats, butterflies or dragonflies

No mammals seen but yet more evidence the moles are about - now new hills in the SW area

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday 22nd 05:50 - 06:05 // 07:35 - 09:33

Weather
8.5C > 12.0C Started clear and starry until c.06:05 when mist suddenly appeared over the lake and the surrounding area. Stayed very misty until 07:10 when clear areas appeared - at one point I could see the masts on top of The Wrekin, but not the Ricoh factory at the other end of the lake! After 07:30 cloud came across from the W and this lifted the mist. After rather dull. Light S wind. Visibility varied between bad, poor, good and excellent, sometimes within minutes!

Narrative
Started with the first part of the clockwise circuit along the N side of the lake under starry skies and got to the dam checking the presence of the Heron in the NE area. By the time I got half way across the dam the acrid smoke from the fire / incinerator in Stafford Park suddenly gave was to a bank of fog. It looked like low-level fog so I took to the lane to the E to try and get above it: wrong! From there could see very little, but reason it was as good as anywhere and likely to be closer to the departing corvids and wagtails and I might as well see what I could hear! After several false starts the weather finally cleared c.07:35 and I descended back to the dam. Did the water bird counts - with some difficulty as it was rather dull! Then after talking with John Isherwood who had already completed a clockwise lap from the lay-by I retraced my steps along the N side: checked the lamps at the W end; and then the Teece Drive area. And left

All numbers affected by the poor visibility; my absence at the crucial early calling period; and my failure to check the S side at all!

Overall Highlights
Despite the weather most species were seen at some stage - eventually!

Bird of the day award goes to the immature / eclipse Gadwall in with the Mallard near the dam: species #106 for my year-list at the lake [I favour immature as all the 8 drake Gadwall on Ellerton Pool later today were in full plumage]

The migrants today:
- at least 54 Swallows in 2 groups [the party of 6 House Martins seen to the NW were likely local birds rather than migrants]
- 9 Meadow Pipits again [John Isherwood reported c.25 flying over the W end while he was there]
- another early Redwing flushed from lane to the E (my 4th of the year): later a small Thrush sp. flew high E over the Teece Drive gate area which could have been another - or just as easily a Song Thrush. Too far away to hear any calls
- just 3 Chiffchaffs around the lake

The signs of Autumn
- 40 Tufted Ducks on the lake this morning: but again birds in flight - today I heard the whirring wings at 05:58 but I have no idea whether they were coming or going
- just 45 Black-headed Gulls managed to find the lake in the mist
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls all seemed to be passing W with a few pausing for a while
- about 55 Pied Wagtails logged leaving their roost but as many of them were flying over in the mist this is a rather provisional number based on the apparent number of calling birds - I saw 22
- at least 5 Mistle Thrushes on the wires to the E: oddly these were in amongst the flock of Starlings a surprisingly difficult to pick out
- the Starlings were using two separate areas of the wires to the E and NNE and it was rather unclear whether they were separate groups: so there were either c.90 or c.180! (with a few others flying around)

Other things to highlight from the lake today
- 1 Heron only today: it was present in the NE corner by 06:02 and what was presumably the same bird was still there at 08:45
- in the fog and mist the only outbound geese seen or heard were the main group of Greylag Geese that were just visible at 06:46 - I estimated 35 birds
- the Mallard were flying about yet again: there were 39 on the lake when I did the full count at 08:00
- as noted 40 Tufted Duck on the lake at 08:00 with several having flown in or out before 06:00
- what I assume was a pair of Ruddy Ducks this morning: the 'duck' had a rather dark crown and I did wonder about whether it might be an immature drake, but the strength of the face-stripe suggests it is a duck
- no raptors around the lake
- the unreliable Coot number today gave me the highest count of the autumn - 146
- gulls as noted above
- no Stock Doves today
- 2 single Feral Pigeons flew W
- lower number of Wood Pigeons as they were lost in the fog
- no Kingfisher logged but I was around the lanes at the time this bird tends to visit
- the Green Woodpecker heard in the NW area at 09:20
- no Great Spotted Woodpecker heard at the lake today
- 2 or more Grey Wagtails again with the bird from the dam flying off E
- the passage of Pied Wagtails as noted
- not around for the Long-tailed Tits wake-up at the lake: and struggled to contact the flock - eventually found a small party near the Teece Drive gate
- two records of Jay calling at the lake in the N / NW area (and there were probably two different birds heard from the lanes)
- all I recorded of the main corvid passage was the distant calls of a large party of Jackdaws at 06:32. Some 20 minutes later 22 flew over me in clearing skies. Just 2 Rooks noted
- 11 Goldfinches logged with 10 together in the remains of the thistles at the W end: at least 4 juveniles
- 2 male Reed Buntings seen feeding on the ground in the yacht compound this morning

- Did not look at the lamps pre-dawn but after 09:00 there was just one insect
- a Common Wainscot moth. I was especially pleased to see this as I had what seemed to be this species in my Newport trap yesterday morning, but it seemed slightly pale and small and when I looked at the literature that suggested that there is no 'second generation from the Midlands northwards'. So confirmation of a more typical specimen is good news!

No bats, butterflies or dragonflies

No mammals seen but more evidence the moles are about - now new hills along the S side

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday 21st 05:41 - 09:17

Weather
14.5C The threatened heavy rain had not materialised overnight and I was surprised to find partly starry skies when I arrived. There were areas of cloud at multiple levels (at least 3) and thus it was mainly cloudy with a brief sunrise: and the cloud tended to fill in from the SW. Particularly dark to the N / NE as so often seems to be the case, hampering the sightings of the departing geese and corvids. Main feature of the weather was the rather fresh and often gusty WSW wind. Excellent visibility

Narrative
Again checked the lights at the W end; did a clockwise circuit from Teece Drive in the NW, around the dam where I used a different vantage point in the lee of the trees which I hoped would give a better view of the departing geese. Then moved to get a better view of the corvids etc., but staying in the lee of the wind. Passage continued later today - the hirundines (q.v.) and it was nearly 08:00 before I rechecked the lights and the Teece Drive area before making the usual complete anti-clockwise circuit, stopping off at the dam for the water bird counts The dark clouds first thing hampered the goose identification; and the strong wind re-routed the corvids and combined with the traffic-noise blown in from the M54 made it hard to hear the passerines! But it was a great watch with some interest as usual

Overall Highlights
Yet another 'birds everywhere' morning but although the numbers of most things seemed well down on previous days it was confused further by a passage of Swallows that at various times were noted high to both E and W as well as low over the lake, mostly headed more or less S

My bird of the day award is split again with glimpses of two potentially interesting birds that probably weren't!
- at 07:20 I espied a small Falcon sp. flying fast S and disappearing to the S. It was probably a Kestrel but it seemed far more deliberate and direct than the local Kestrels
- then at 07:50 a rather strange-looking goose flew over, going the same way as all the other geese but 80 minutes late! All I can say was that it wasn't a Canada Goose and it wasn't a Greylag Goose! It was large like a Canada but had a mostly plain face: but it had some pale area on the wing like a Greylag. The plumage feature somewhat match Bar-headed Goose but it was too large for that species - seemed more like a Chinese Goose in some respects. I guess a hybrid

Avian highlight at The Flash was the pair of medium altitude Royal Air Force VC10 tankers in very close formation, seen through a gap in the cloud layers!

The migrants today:
- at least 94 Swallows in 12 groups
- a party of 6 House Martins moving S (no birds seen over the estate either from the lake or The Flash)
- 9 Meadow Pipits as 5 singles / small parties all heading S
- a Blackcap calling after several blank days
- just 4 Chiffchaffs around the lake in the breezy conditions

The signs of Autumn
- 45 Tufted Ducks again this morning: today only 3 of them flew out towards The Flash (at 06:27) and 42 were left on the lake, mainly at the W end
- just 206 Black-headed Gulls logged flying in - again almost all from the W / NW: none roosted and the first bird at 06:31 did not stay and it was 06:47 before they started to dribble in. 53 at 07:15 was the biggest movement noted. There must have been more birds as many were seen leaving to the E yet there were 125 were on the lake at 08:30
- 265 Lesser Black-backed (types) were logged with good numbers pausing at the lake again and 46 noted on the lake at 07:50. Early arrivals were from the S, the N, the W and the E but later most birds were as usual passing W, often well to the N of the lake. In amongst the birds on the lake at 07:50 were at least 4 1st winter Herring Gulls: there were probably more
- 21 Pied Wagtails logged leaving their roost and heading NW this morning, the clouds and wind meant that my tired eyes failed to connect with any that my ears told me were flying over
- the Starlings were jumping on and off the wires all the time, but there seemed to be about 180 today with several small groups seen passing by as well to give me a day total of 193

Other things to highlight from the lake today
- 2 Herons today: 1 'appeared' right in front of me at the S end of the dam at 06:30 - no idea where or when it flew there! Another seen flying in from the E at 07:40 and away to the NW (towards The Flash, though it was not there later)
- again not sure what to make of the geese outbound this morning: from my different vantage position the geese did not look that far away and I think they took a different line anyway. But with the wind I could not hear them and with the dark clouds it was hard to see them. The first 4 were noted at 06:19 and between then and 06:32 I logged 222 birds in 18 separate groups. As far as I could tell 180 were Canada Geese; 2 certainly Greylag Geese; and a party of c.40 birds were probably (mostly?) Greylag Geese
- the Mallard flying about yet again: there were 40 on the lake when I did the full count at 08:40 but 3 had flown off towards The Flash
- as noted 42 Tufted Duck on the lake with 3 having flown off early (as they often do in winter)
- no sign of the Ruddy Duck again this morning
- 3 Sparrowhawk sightings: what seemed to be a pair over the NW trees at 06:51 with a Crow in hot pursuit of the male. Then probably the same female (on size) seen over the NE area at 07:00. Strangely on both occasions there were passing parties of Swallows that made no special calls nor did they seem to take any avoiding action
- 3 Buzzards? 1 seen to the NE at 06:35 and then presumed the same bird at 06:42. Meanwhile a bird was low over the NW trees at 06:43. At 07:08 a bird was hanging against the wind far to the N
- a Kestrel was seen over the S side at 08:18
- what the unidentified small Falcon had been at 07:10 was hard to say!
- the unreliable Coot number today - 137
- gulls as noted above
- no Stock Doves today
- single Feral Pigeons flew E long after the main passage of pigeons
- lower number of Wood Pigeons: not sure why for although hiding from the wind saw me at a slightly different vantage point I should have had an equally good view of the passage. Perhaps they don't like a tail-wind and the thought of going back against the wind with a full belly!
- the Kingfisher was very vocal this morning starting with the regular high-speed fly-by to the SE corner at 06:40
- 1 silent Great Spotted Woodpecker flushed from the SE trees as I did the second lap around the lake at c.08:10
- 2 or more Grey Wagtails - less activity again this morning with one sitting on the rocks on the dam all the while I counted the ducks, coots and gulls without moving more than its tail!
- the passage of Pied Wagtails as noted
- the Long-tailed Tits were waking up at 06:45 along the S-side this morning but once they left I neither heard nor saw anything of this species
- 2 Treecreepers heard and then 1 seen today making it 6 days in a row: today they were not part of any obvious tit party (though in fact there was no obvious tit party to join this morning!)
- three record of Jay both calling and seen in flight. I would judge at least 2 birds involved
- all I saw of the main corvid passage was a large group diving down behind Wards Rough far to the NE at 06:38 never to emerge in my line of sight. As I result I logged just 1 party of 10 Jackdaws and 3 small parties of Rooks subsequently and totalled a dire 12 Jackdaws and meagre 31 Rook - and 2 of those were wayward birds flying NE at 08:48
- of the 22 Goldfinches logged 14 were in the docks, thistles and willow-herb at the W end with at least 5 of these juveniles
- no Reed Buntings seen or heard this morning

The lamps pre-dawn provided me with 2 different small Tortrix moths (1 perhaps a Light Brown Apple Moth - a relatively recent invasion species from Australia!) and 2 flies but no wasps: post-dawn there was a different Tortrix moth on one of the lights; 2 Crane flies (one a spider casualty on a lamp where the light does not work!); and a plumed midge

No bats or butterflies noted: but a hawker dragonfly was around the Teece Drive gate despite the dull conditions at 08:05

No mammals seen but more evidence the moles are about - now new hills along the S side

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday 20th 05:41 - 09:02

Weather
14.0C Fine after late showers. These left dark clouds to the N / NE for the start of the watch. These clouds all gradually cleared away and by 07:30 the sky was more or less clear under some thin high cloud; then more low-level thinner clouds started to gather and it was more or less overcast and rather dull by 08:30. Wind rather variable, at times light but other times rather gusty from the WSW. Excellent visibility throughout

Narrative
Again checked the lights at the W end; did a clockwise circuit from Teece Drive in the NW, around the dam as back to the S side where I stayed in one of my usual vantage points until c.07:35 when passage started to slow. I then rechecked the lights and the Teece Drive area before making the usual complete anti-clockwise circuit, stopping off at the dam for the water bird counts

Overall Highlights
Another 'birds everywhere' morning: at the time it did seem less hectic but in numbers of birds I logged higher totals of gulls and pigeons

My bird of the day award goes to the fine Buzzard that flushed very close to me in the SW trees; and then again in the SE trees. One of at least 4 Buzzards seen this morning

The migrants today:
- at least 11 Swallows in 4 groups
- a party of 36 House Martins moving SE (there were still a few birds high to the NW - presumably local estate birds)
- 11 Meadow Pipits with one party of 7 flying S; and another seen getting up from the SW grass
- 9 Chiffchaffs around the lake - at one stage there were 3 singing birds in audible range at the same time: better than Spring!

The signs of Autumn
- 45 Tufted Ducks this morning (though 7 of them flew out towards The Flash at 06:34)
- 715 Black-headed Gulls logged flying in - almost all from the W / NW: and for the first time this autumn there were parties arriving very low and presumably from the fields around the Ricoh factory. There were none roosting with the first arrivals at 06:29. Very few of the birds stayed any length of time. Birds more or less stopped arriving after 07:30; and by 08:20 there were a mere 52 on the lake
- 294 Lesser Black-backed (types) were logged with a high proportion of these at least pausing at the lake. There was, especially later the usual W-bound passage of birds to the N, but earlier birds had arrived from the E / NE / NW and W. Some of the parties carried on overhead and only some of the birds dropped to the lake. And at least 75 seemed to be headed for the fields to the E. Just how many of these birds were Herring Gulls is hard to say, but 1 was confirmed among the 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake at 08:20
- 24 Pied Wagtails leaving their roost and heading NW (the only direction I can see clearly). 14 of these birds were seen; others heard only
- fewer Starlings noted on the wire - c.150 the largest count Other things to highlight from the lake today
- 3 Herons seen with the first headed in to the S side at 05:56: the others seen flying over
- not sure what to make of the geese outbound this morning: passage started well to the N at 06:17 when the dark clouds made it very hard to count them (see them!). All these early groups had the plodding flight of the larger Canada Geese and there were at least 174 of them (later flights took a route closer to the lake and were easier to count - and it was light!). Two groups comprising 31 Greylag Geese flew over together at 06:31. But just prior to this three groups of geese totalling 20 birds had flown out and seemed to me to be small enough for Greylags though they were too far away to hear the calls (probably drowned by the main group 'right behind' anyway) or see any plumage details. Were there really a bumper 51 Greylag Geese? or 194 Canada Geese? Just 2 Canada Geese seen flying back and these were rather early at 07:17
- the Mallard flying about yet again: there were 42 on the lake when I did the full count at 08:30 but 5 had been logged flying off towards The Flash; 3 more flew E without stopping; and 1 flew in from The Flash and was probably counted on the lake
- as noted 38 Tufted Duck on the lake with 7 having flown off early (as they often do in winter)
- no sign of the Ruddy Duck this morning
- 4 Sparrowhawk sightings: a male was over the NW trees at 06:46; almost certainly the same bird was over the NE trees at 06:50 and again at 07:14. 1 far to the E / NE over Wards Rough at 07:33 was probably different bird
- 4 Buzzards? 1 seen to the NE at 06:39 as often., but this bird them probably one of 3 circling to the far N at 07:00 (there were still 2 in the area circling at 07:15). Then a different(?) bird flushed at close-range from the SW bushes / trees at 08:08 and a few minutes later from the SE trees
- no Kestrel seen today
- the unreliable Coot number today - 139. One of them was clearly fledged but still very obviously a juvenile: odd as I have not noted this before
- gulls as noted above
- 1 Stock Doves seen flying E with the main movement at 07:50
- no Feral Pigeons seen
- a massive 303 E-bound Wood Pigeons logged in the day's total of 372
- no Kingfisher
- again just 1 calling Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- 2 or more Grey Wagtails - rather less activity this morning
- a small passage of Pied Wagtails, with several small parties seen and a number heard
- the Long-tailed Tits were waking up at 06:37 along the S-side this morning. The big noisy party seemed to be along the W-side today
- single Treecreeper heard today but makes it 6 days in a row for this often elusive species
- single record of calling Jay
- Jackdaws started the corvid movement with a large high-level party well to the E at 06:34 and while I was estimating the numbers involved smaller, closer parties of both Jackdaws and Rooks flew through the scope view confusing matters! Several more smaller parties of distant Jackdaws but rather few Rooks before my attention was diverted elsewhere. Ended with a reasonable count of 211 Jackdaws and an unreasonable count of 56 Rooks!
- an estimate of the Starlings on the wires was c.150 but they were mostly in the fields below and only occasionally ventured on to the wires so this may well be an underestimate. Away from the wires a lone bird flew S
- slightly better day for finches - mainly as a result of a small charm of Goldfinches having taken up residence at the W end eating thistle-heads (and dock seeds?). Many of them juveniles
- 2 Reed Buntings heard

3 wasps on 3 separate lamps pre-dawn: post-dawn there was nothing

No bats, butterflies or dragonflies noted

No mammals either, though more evidence the moles are about - new hills at the E end

(Ed Wilson)

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Wednesday 19th 05:42 - 09:30

Weather
9.5C > 14.0C The forecast overnight rain seemed not to have arrived and there were well-broken skies when I arrived though there were 'curtains' of precipitation from some of the areas of darker clouds. Clouds to the W soon headed over and a very sharp shower at 06:50 had be scurrying for cover after which it was generally more cloudy but with only the lightest of shower thereafter. Moderate SW wind brought a good deal of road noise from the M54. Excellent visibility

Narrative
Again checked the lights at the W end; did a clockwise circuit from Teece Drive in the NW, around the dam as back to the S side where I stayed at my usual vantage point until moved firstly by the splendid sunrise; and then by the sharp shower which required standing up in the hut on the SW shore. When the shower moved on I rechecked the lights and then the Teece Drive area before making the usual complete anti-clockwise circuit, stopping off at the dam for the water bird counts Then on to The Flash with the usual clockwise circuit concentrating on the water birds

Overall Highlights
The whole morning was one of 'birds everywhere' and all totals need to be treated with caution. I needed eyes everywhere today and at one stage I was trying to catch - the corvids flying S to the E; the early E-bound Wood Pigeons passing to both N and S; a large arrival / E-bound passage of both Black-headed and larger gulls that I was struggling to identify; the dispersal of the Pied Wagtail roost that was passing NW overhead; distracted by Jays at the W end; a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker; a perched Kingfisher - all this while I was trying to get some shots of the splendid sunrise to the E and an equally splendid full double-rainbow to the W, the latter suggesting that I ought to dive for cover in the hut! Now how many Wood Pigeons was it? And what did happen to the calling Swallows overhead. Exciting stuff and just what autumn birdwatching here is all about - nothing rare but fabulous being part of it!

I guess the best bird award ought to go to the 2 early Redwings heard flying off from the SW trees at 06:07, but I am going to award it collectively to the large 'tit party' along the N side at c.09:00. It was a very active and noisy party on both side of the path between the poplars and the bushes. It was dominated by Long-tailed Tits but searching and listening produced now fewer than 6 rather less active Chiffchaffs; a family party of Goldcrests with incessantly calling youngsters; and at least 3 Treecreepers probably also a family party with calling youngsters though I never had visual confirmation. Lots of Blue and Great Tits; a single Coal Tit but no Willow Tits in attendance

A few migrants: a party of 11 unidentified hirundines; an unseen calling party of Swallows; 2 Meadow Pipits, one of which I flushed out of the SW grass where I assume it had roosted; 2 Song Thrushes high over were probably migrants; the Redwings flushed; 1 Blackcap calling; at least 9 Chiffchaffs with several in song

Changes I ascribed to the colder weather yesterday continued today
- still 37 Tufted Ducks on the lake (but the Pochard had gone: and was not at The Flash)
- even more Black-headed Gulls with 608 logged flying in from the W / NW. after 3 apparently roosting birds had been put flight by the arrival of a Heron. Today a much higher proportion stayed to wash and bathe before heading on E, but all bar 12 birds had gone by 09:00. Amazingly I had a flock of 141 birds - the same as yesterday or a complete coincidence?
- even more Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls with 117 logged of which, most unusually, 71 were seen arriving from the W / NW (8 more arrived from the E; with the other 38 the usual W-bound fly-overs). Almost all the birds on the lake were 1st winter birds and again I was unable to ascribe many of them to confirmed species with the rather more legitimate excuse that they were mostly against the light. That said there did seem to be a very high proportion of probable Herring Gulls
- in addition to the unidentified large gulls and the confirmed Lesser Black-backed Gulls (both included in the total of 117 above) there were at least another 13 definite Herring Gulls
- numbers of Starlings are building - at least 340 on the wires with another 27 flying low over the N side of the lake - I thought they were about to go to roost in the reeds!

Other things to highlight from the lake today
- 1 Heron beat me to the lake but another sailed over my head as I was crossing the dam at 06:00
- the usual number of Great Crested Grebes: but the family are now very much travelling as 1 + 2 and 1 + 1 when the youngsters are begging for food. The 'lone'(?) adult was calling from its vigil off the N side reeds by 05:50
- the Greylag Geese back to the right strength - 33 in the outbound group at 06:33 (there really were 34 yesterday!)
- good passage of outbound Canada Geese with 144 birds in 11 groups: 2 of these groups, totalling 28 birds, seemed to originate from the Town Park. There was then a single that flew SE at 06:39; with perhaps the same NW at 06:41; and perhaps again E at 07:06
- the Mallard flying about again: there were 37 on the lake when I did the full count at 08:45 but 5 had been logged flying off towards The Flash; and 3 more off towards the Town Park. Another 8 seen in flight but I am not sure whether they left or not. So at least 45
- as noted 37 Tufted Duck
- no Sparrowhawk again
- 1 Buzzard to the NW
- a Kestrel seen flying S to the W at 08:08
- Moorhens very obvious again today - 15 birds. Did not age them all
- the unreliable Coot number today - 143: largest count to date
- as noted, many more Black-headed Gulls both from the NW and on the lake but with almost all moving on - to the E
- not sure what to add about the large gulls: nothing
- both Stock Doves and Feral Pigeons seen amongst the Wood Pigeons flying to the E
- just 175 E-bound Wood Pigeons logged in the day's total of 282: numbers depressed when I had to take shelter from the rain and was at a lower than normal elevation. But they also suffered from trying to identify and count all the arriving gulls as well and I don't think the lower number is significant
- the Kingfisher again noisily flying about and also seen perched on one of the signs - its favourite cross-bar was occupied by 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 calling Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- 3 or more Grey Wagtails
- the time the Pied Wagtails were leaving their roost coincided with the heavy shower. I logged just 12 outbound today: and another 5 birds flying over later, one of which had been on the dam-top
- the Long-tailed Tits were waking up at a more normal time of 06:43 along the S-side this morning. As highlighted a big noisy party along the N-side much later - the same birds?
- the Treecreepers today made it 5 days in a row for this often elusive species
- Jays again starting at later time of 06:53 with 2 in flight
- once again the early Jackdaw dispersal took place at very low level with 25 birds at 06:35 in the channel alongside Castle Farm Way and down the line of the Wesley Brook; but there seemed to be no large party departing - not until everything disappeared in the rain. Not many Rooks either. Odd were 2 Jackdaws that seemed to have flown up from the S shore and then circled around for several minutes before heading N -birds actually at the lake are usually confined to a narrow window of weeks in April. And later another (?) 2 birds were circling overhead
- another poor finch day - though more Goldfinches with some seen feeding on the dock seeds
- 1 Reed Bunting only logged

Nothing on any of the lamps pre- or post- dawn: post-dawn was after the rain so I guess anything was washed away!

No bats or butterflies despite the rather milder conditions; but a hawker dragonfly was along the side More new molehills in the SW area was the only mammal activity recorded

(Ed Wilson)

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Tuesday 18th 05:37 - 09:10

Weather
4.5C > 8.5C Clear and cold with ground frost in areas sheltered from the light / moderate NW wind. Just some thin high cloud to the N; and later for a while some areas of low cloud to the E breaking up on approach

Narrative
Checked the lights at the W end; did a clockwise circuit from Teece Drive in the NW, around the dam as back to the W side as I needed to be out of the wind and standing away from wet (frosted) grass. This position gave a slightly different perspective from where it was harder to see any departing geese. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was able to see the Jackdaws that went very low and would have been hidden from my usual vantage point; and I got a clearer view of the Pied Wagtails leaving their roost area to the SE. When the early morning movement had died away I rechecked the lights and then the Teece Drive area before making the usual complete anti-clockwise circuit, stopping off at the dam for the water bird counts No visit to The Flash today as I wanted to get out on the bike to Wall

Overall Highlights
Best bird, but again hardly meriting a 'bird of the day award' goes to what I believe to be a juvenile Common Gull. This is a plumage variation with which I am totally unfamiliar as most birds have at least begun to moult in to 1st winter plumage by the time I see them. So I was somewhat stumped by this bird with no hint of a grey mantle especially as there were some other confusing aspects to this bird, all alone on the lake when I first noted it. It had the dark eye of this species - or at least one dark-eye, the other seemed to be injured and / or missing and was 'red' as I struggled to get to grips with the plumage detail. I guess the injury may have arrested the moult to 1st winter plumage? The clincher for me was the rather weak bill which was not black but dark horn with a black sun-terminal band (reminiscent of a 2nd winter bird!). It also showed the typical very rounded head-shape and from head-on it was a rather 'wide' head. As I struggled to get in position to get some record shots 2 juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived, one of them flying directly at this bird and 'boffing' it without any reason! It did show just how much smaller this bird was, though Lesser Black-backed Gulls can vary enormously in size anyway. The bird moved away from my position and was hidden by reeds. I endeavoured to get closer from an alternative vantage point without flushing it, but never saw it again

A worthy runner-up was a splendid Kingfisher that came and perched and then fished from less than 5 feet away - it had not seen me! But that also meant that I could hardly see it, behind the vegetation, and as I moved with the camera it saw me and left!

A few migrants:
no hirundines; 3 Meadow Pipits flying W; no Sky Larks over; no Blackcaps; now 5 Chiffchaffs with one in song again (another dived from the trees in to the reeds and then proceeded to move around for all the world like a, rather small, Reed Warbler!)

But the colder weather had some apparent immediate effect
- a drake Pochard new in
- Tufted Duck numbers increased to 37
- many more Black-headed Gulls, though not actually on the lake where there was a maximum of 53 birds, but I logged 336 flying in from the W many to pass over including a memorable and unusual party of 141 birds in several large V-formations
- even more Wood Pigeons involved in the early W-bound feeding movement - I logged 386 birds
- and 56 Pied Wagtails, at least, leaving the roost to the SE Other things to highlight from the lake
- a Heron beat me to the lake and was on a fishing platform in the NE area by 05:45
- the Greylag Geese back to full strength - indeed over-strength - with 34 in the outbound group at 06:39
- no outbound or inbound Canada Geese noted: but 2 on the lake at 08:10 met the full force of the Swans with cygnets pitching in to help Dad get rid of them!
- the Mallard seem to have taken to flying about now they have more or less finished moulting: I noted 3 birds arriving from the E before 07:00; and 4 leaving to the W before 08:00; and another 4 flew straight over. So with the lake count at 08:20 giving 44 birds there were at least 52 logged today
- as noted a drake Pochard and 37 Tufted Duck
- no Sparrowhawk seen this morning though from the noise they made I suspect the tits gripped me off!
- 2 Buzzards with one calling from the copse in the Ricoh grounds at 06:28; and then a bird seen to the W at 06:40 which soon after flew low W across the lake scattering the few gulls present
- a Kestrel was hovering to the E at 06:27 and possibly the same birds over the S side of the lake at 06:38
- the unreliable Coot number today - 137
- as noted, few Black-headed Gulls on the lake but a significant movement E-wards. By 08:30 there were just 5 birds on the lake and these soon left!
- the juvenile-plumaged Common Gull highlighted above
- the movement of Black-headed Gulls was not reflected in the number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls - with 19 logged all heading vaguely W. 5, all 1st winter birds, stopped off at the lake
- no Herring Gulls
- despite the bumper number of 386 E-bound Wood Pigeons logged the total of 449 was not that high - there seemed to be a small return movement (though I may have been trying to get to grips with the Common Gull at the appropriate time)
- 2 Collared Doves shot over - the first for several weeks
- the Kingfisher as noted with several noisy flights earlier
- no Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen or heard today after 2 weeks of multiple sightings / soundings
- 5 Grey Wagtails at least with 3 together on the SW pier followed by 2 singles flying W. What am I to make of the birds seen dropping in to the dam before this? and seen on the dam face later?
- the clear sky to the E silhouetted some of the Pied Wagtails leaving their roost and heading N and parties of 17 and 15 were noted. Apparently more modest numbers heading NW overhead. But with heard only birds a log of 56 as a minimum
- from my different position I probably could not hear the Long-tailed Tits waking up and the first birds were heard at the late time of 07:20
- calling Treecreeper making it 4 days in a row for this species travelling with one of the parties of Long-tailed (and other) tits
- Jays again, with the notable feature being the early start of the calls (06:25) and flight along the W end (06:28) suggesting that they might be roosting in the area
- as noted the Jackdaw dispersal took place at very low level with the 44 birds at 06:24 in the channel alongside Castle Farm Way and down the line of the Wesley Brook; another c.90 strong party at 06:28 was low the other side of Wards Rough. More mixed with the later parties of Rooks gave me a day total of 193, one of which was flying noisily N-bound at the unusually early time of 06:38. The Rooks were in some decent-sized later flocks (before I got confused trying to keep track of the outbound Wood Pigeons and the Black-headed Gull movement!) and I logged 123 Rooks
- up to 28 Starlings noted on the wires with the first of 16 Starlings of the day seen heading that way at 06:53
- another poor finch day - even Goldfinches in short supply
- 2 Reed Buntings logged, both calling

While doing the early inspection of the lamps I surprisingly flushed a sizeable but unidentified moth from the vegetation, but in the cold clear conditions I was not surprised that the lamps were devoid of all insect life

No bats, butterflies or dragonflies in the cold conditions

Only mammal was a calling Grey Squirrel though there were new molehills in the SW area

(Ed Wilson)

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Monday 17th 05:38 - 09:16

Weather
9.5C > 11.0C Clear to start; some cloud to far E & S as the overnight rain cleared away; some cumulus clouds to the N were the first indication that there were showers around and one passed over at 08:00. Light SW winds veered NW after the first shower and increased to moderate. Excellent visibility throughout

Narrative
Checked the lights at the W end; did a clockwise circuit from Teece Drive in the NW, around the dam as far as the W end of the S side; then did the normal watch from an elevated position here. Before the early morning movement had died away I became concerned about three noisy youths / men with c.12 dogs along the W path and around the yacht-club hut and decided to check the car was OK passing the lights at the W end en route; then checking the Teece Drive area followed by a full anti-clockwise loop around the lake After I drove to The Flash again where I did the usual clockwise loop from Derwent Drive and checked mostly the water birds, noting anything else of interest

Overall Highlights
Best bird, but hardly meriting a 'bird of the day award' goes to a probable Sand Martin flying high W at 06:45 - too high and far away to see any confirmatory plumage features but I judged smaller and slimmer than either Swallow or House Martin Potential runner-up award to the party of 9 juvenile / 1st winter gulls on the lake that I was quite unable to identify and separate and could not decide whether they were all Herring Gulls; all Lesser Black-backed Gulls; or a mixture of both species. I am inclined to think that they were (nearly) all Herring Gulls but it seems a strange time of year to see quite so many: and why were they all juveniles? (though that question applies equally to Lesser Black-backed Gull!). Took some pix of these birds but none really shows the spread wings too clearly and thus are of limited value!

Still only a few migrants: apart from the Sand Martin, single-figures of Swallows; no Meadow Pipits or Sky Larks over; another briefly calling Blackcap; and still at least 6 Chiffchaffs with several in song again (and another Chiffchaff at The Flash)

Other things to highlight from the lake
- a Heron again not seen until 06:35; later an immature - different bird?
- 4 Cormorants flew in a tight group SSE at 07:55: at least 1 was an immature but again did not have time to check them all
- the cob Swan had an interloper to deal with and soon dismissed him - with all the cygnets flying in to lend moral support just as the other bird was leaving. Still only straight-line flights at the moment!
- just 12 Greylag Goose in the party outbound at 06:30
- see unidentified geese below
- 2 outbound Canada Goose parties: both rather 'strange'. The first party of c.30 birds was far to the N and flying below the tree-line but clearly large geese. Then 5 more flew SE to the E at 06:26. Birds heard returning at 07:35 - 16 more geese flew out to the N at 06:31: not sure whether these were Canadas or Greylags
- Mallard ducklings seem to be a thing of the past: otherwise just 31 adults on the lake today at 08:10. The 'missing' birds have certainly not gone to The Flash where numbers are also low
- 27 Tufted Ducks logged on the lake at 08:10
- a Sparrowhawk was over the NW area at 06:17 and then was seen off S by the local crows and Magpies at 06:20 so it was perhaps another bird that flew E far to the N at 07:23
- no Buzzard or Kestrel seen today
- the unreliable Coot number today - 136
- the Black-headed Gulls were similar to yesterday with 66 birds seen coming in from the W after 06:27 - but certainly not off the local fields as they were very high. But birds must also have arrived from other directions as counts on the lake gave me 26 at 06:55; 72 at 07:55; and 163 at 08:05 - 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls noted with 10 flying by and 13 seen on the lake as they paused their W-bound passage
- 5 Herring Gulls, all juvenile / 1st winter birds, were certainly seen flying over - as highlighted 9 juvenile / 1st winter gulls that I feel were probably Herring Gulls but would certainly not die in a ditch for the identification!
- fewer Wood Pigeons logged - 274 today [402 yesterday]. Oddest was the bird I flushed at the W end at 05:41!
- the Kingfisher did not make its usual early foray around the lake
- 5 records of Great Spotted Woodpecker today: not entirely clear how many birds involved - at least 2
- 3 Grey Wagtails again today: 1 bird on the SW grass at 06:32 flew off W and was followed by 2 more flying W
- the first of the minimum of 32 Pied Wagtails was, most surprisingly, a bird I flushed from the S side grass at 06:02! At least 29 birds recorded outbound N / NW from the roost (at the Service area?) with the usual proviso that many heard birds logged a singles were probably small parties and the true number likely to be higher
- a calling Treecreeper making it 3 days in a row for this species: no sight or sound of the Nuthatch though
- Jays still be noisy and, relatively, obtrusive
- good looks at the corvid dispersal first thing and able to separate the Jackdaws (c.160) from the Rooks (c.30) in the large party that was the first I had seen of either species at 06:26. I was very surprised when another large flock of c.100 Jackdaws and c.50 Rooks passed the same way 5 minutes later. There was a continuing passage of small numbers of Rooks though I had decided to concentrate on the Pied Wagtail passage which made it hard to check for Rooks as well - wrong direction! With strays and late passage I logged 301 Jackdaws and 129 Rooks
- up to 52 Starlings noted on the wires with the first Starling of the day seen heading that way at 07:06
- a poor finch day today
- 2 Reed Buntings logged, both calling

A noctuid moth flying around one of the street lights pre-dawn this morning but I couldn't identify it in flight and it seemed not to settle. So only a customary wasp sp. Cloudy with rain after 07:30 so no butterflies or dragonflies

No bats this morning: below the apparent 'magic 10C' again no mammals

(Ed Wilson)

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Sunday 16th 05:38 - 09:14

Weather
9.5C > 14.0C A rather strange morning with the clear overnight weather coming to an end with an extensive area of low cloud to the NW and NE. While this continued to move on eastwards it affected visibility to the N for a while. Meanwhile the sun appeared in a clearer area to the E as a ball in a clear but hazy sky - the haze helped by the SW blowing the foul-smelling smoke from the omnipresent fire in Stafford Park across most of the lake. After an hour or more of clear weather and clear skies another larger area of low cloud moved in from the W and was reluctant to thin and / or break up until well after 09:00. Thereafter broken skies and increasing wind. Good visibility throughout

Narrative
Today I started with the clockwise circuit from Teece Drive in the NW, around the dam as far as the W end of the S side. I then did the normal watch from an elevated position here. When the early morning movement was dying away (c.07:40), I did a quick check of lights at the W end and in the Teece Drive area. And then did a full anti-clockwise loop around the lake After I drove to The Flash where I did a clockwise loop from Derwent Drive and checked mostly the water birds, noting anything else of interest

Overall Highlights
Bird of the day award goes to the Nuthatch at the lake again: performed well and gave great views - it was only heard calling before. Again in tit flock that contained a Treecreeper and several (battling) ChiffchaffsRunner-up award to the vocal but elusive Green Woodpecker

Few migrants again today: single-figures of Swallows heard and seen; 8 Meadow Pipits over; 1 Sky Lark over; 1 very briefly calling Blackcap; and at least 6 Chiffchaffs with several in song again and 2 birds seen fighting! (and another 2 Chiffchaffs at The Flash) Other things to highlight from the lake

- 2 Herons again with the 'resident' once again present at the lake before I was. The other a distant fly-by
- 5 Cormorants flew in a tight group W at 07:57: at least 2 were immatures but did not have time to check them all
- the same 33-strong Greylag Goose party outbound at 06:24
- 3 outbound Canada Goose parties contained exactly 80 birds: not seen well but at least 70 birds sneaked in to The Flash from the NE at 07:29 and may or may not have been the same birds
- no Mallard ducklings seen: otherwise just 30 adults on the lake today at 08:30: 3 birds flew in from the S at 06:45; and perhaps the same 2 ducks and 1 drake flew off W at 07:30
- no sign of the drake Pochard again today [perhaps the bird now at The Flash - see below]
- 32 Tufted Ducks logged with all on the lake at 08:40 apart from a drake that flew off W towards The Flash at 06:12
- a Sparrowhawk shot out of the SW bushes at 06:10 across the lake and was gone …
- 1 Buzzard heard in the NW area at 06:23 getting some grief from the Jays!
- no Kestrel seen today
- the unreliable Coot number today - 131
- the Black-headed Gulls were more or less behaving as normal this morning with a steady, albeit small, passage of birds from the W. After 2 at 06:10 I logged a total of 81 birds arriving. These probably made up most of the 69 birds counted on the lake at 08:15. But where the additional birds came from to give a total of 106 at 08:35 I have no idea! My excuse is that I was counting ducks at the time
- 61 Lesser Black-backed Gulls was a better number though nearly all were in singles or groups of fewer than 5 birds. Some of them seemed to come off the fields to the E. 6 birds stopped at the lake briefly, all juveniles (though the majority of the birds seen were adults)
- more Wood Pigeons logged - 402 today [359 yesterday]. The early E-bound movement seemed to take place rather further to the N this morning
- the Kingfisher made its usual early foray around the lake and briefly occupied the 'other' end of the cross-piece of the flag-pole of the fishing hut to a Wood Pigeon
- the Green Woodpecker called in the SW area at 06:34; and what I assume was the same bird called from the NW area at 07:15 though no idea how it got there!
- 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker records this morning, the first seen bounding in from very far to the E - perhaps even as far as Wards Rough. Later 1 or more birds heard calling in the W and NW area
- a Sky Lark heard flying over at 07:38
- 3 Grey Wagtails today: 2 birds on the SW grass again at 08:52 (though first heard well before that): and again these flew off W / NW with another single heard W-bound
- strong Pied Wagtail passage this morning but because they passed over while the sky was clear I was unable to see most of the 18 or more calling birds that were heading NW away from the roost. I did see 1 party of 12 birds flying N to the E. A scatter of other birds gave me an absolute minimum of 34 birds
- slightly fewer Robins logged today - 'just' 45 (after 49; 49 and 50 the previous three days]
- Jays noisy again but slightly less active (and I nearly ran over one as I left - it was in the roadway of Teece Drive!)
- slightly confused about the real number of Jackdaws this morning - great viewing conditions once the flock had cleared the dark cloud to the NE. I estimated the party to contain 260 birds at 06:24 and whilst I noted 10 Rooks in amongst them I logged very few Rooks later and I wonder whether I got the composition correct
- up to 36 Starlings noted on the wires with a few others 'coming or going'
- more Greenfinches today though at 19 a pale shadow of some years when >300 have been in the roost
- 5 Reed Buntings logged with 2 seen leaving the lake and 2 others flying away from the reeds to the surrounding bushes

No moths on the street lights this morning - I only checked well after dawn. What I did find was a wasp sp. (in daylight, unusually); a large ichneumon; and a plumed midge Cloudy after 07:45 so no butterflies or dragonflies

No bats this morning: milder but below the apparent 'magic 10C' - for many insects a threshold temperature 1 Rabbit; and more new molehills at the E end

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday 15th 05:34 - 09:28

Weather
7.5C > 12.0C Mostly clear at low level: areas of high cloud at medium-high and high-level creating great sunrise. Later a few puffy clouds developing. Light winds with mist low over the lake but otherwise great visibility. Heavy dew

Narrative
As seems to be my new habit, after checking the W end lights I made a clockwise circuit back to the S side. I then did the normal watch from an elevated position along the S side (though somewhat distracted by the great sunrise and that will have affected some totals). When the early morning movement was dying away (c.07:30), I did a quick re-check of lights at the W end and then did a full anti-clockwise loop around the lake Then took the car for a look around Nedge where I did not need to stay long as it was VERY quiet

Overall Highlights
Bird of the day award goes to the 2 separate [Bordered Straw] moths on different lights - a sign of autumn but a surprise after a cold and clear night. Runner up award jointly to the splendid pristine Red Admiral butterfly and the rather lethargic and there eminently suitable for the camera Ruddy Darter dragonflies now old enough for the wings to have a distinct golden hue As you can tell there was nothing much of interest new bird-wise

Migrants were scarce again today: 2 single Swallows; [the House Martins were probably from the estate]; 5 different Meadow Pipits over; no Blackcaps but at least 10 Chiffchaffs with several in song

Other things to highlight from the lake
- 2 Herons again with the 'resident' (once again present at the lake before I was) later taking to the air to see off an interloper
- the lone(?) adult Great Crested Grebes off the N side reeds is getting quite vocal now as well as spending most of its time there
- 2 Cormorants appeared high from the E at 06:40 circled high over, did not like what they saw, and continued on SW
- the Greylag Goose party contained the usual 33 birds
- 2 Canada Goose parties but only 19 birds
- no Mallard ducklings seen: otherwise 42 adults today
- no sign of the drake Pochard today
- 21 Tufted Ducks - 1 more than the last 2 days
- all 3 raptors seen again -
a Sparrowhawk to the E at 06:32
- 1 Buzzard low over the W side trees at 06:31
- a Kestrel flying S over the lake at 06:16 - before the usual time it pops up on the wires
- the juvenile Moorhens are all full-grown and largely independent now and hence all the birds are much more out in the open - 19 birds today with 9 adults and 10 juveniles
- Coot number today - 132
- slightly better and more 'normal' number of Black-headed Gulls at least: several small parties came in from the W and while 66 is hardly exceptional it is a big increase on recent days - an immediate response to the colder weather? 10 were seen headed in from the N. And 3 more seen to pass-by flying SW to the N. The highest spots count at the lake was 45 birds, but many of those that arrived were seen flying away NE
- 38 Lesser Black-backed was poor: 14 of these in one loose party
- much the same number of Wood Pigeons logged despite being distracted by the sunrise - 359 today [367 yesterday]
- 4 Great Spotted Woodpecker records again this morning but widely separated in time and location: could possibly have been the same bird, but unlikely
- seem to have been 4 Grey Wagtails today: 2 birds on the SW grass flew off W and within a few minutes 2 singles heard W-bound as well. Several other sightings of these birds moving down and up the Wesley Brook flyway towards The Flash
- very few Pied Wagtails at all in the clear weather: one on the Ricoh factory roof was hardly unique but the first I have logged for a while. Smaller parties seen elsewhere around the lake
- bumper number of Robins for the third day: when I did the tally it was the same as I logged yesterday: 49. The first I noted in song at 05:39 was probably being kept awake by the floodlight on the Ricoh Car Park: it was otherwise quiet along the W side and along the N side until 05:52 when another bird probably being kept awake by the traffic and lights in Castle Farm Way was in song. Does this 'all-night' singing affect breeding success?
- better number of Wrens - 26 [12]
- the Long-tailed Tits awake early again as usual - 06:28. This big flock that gathers along the S side is a bit of an enigma as they seem to move off noisily to the W but that is the last I hear of them - perhaps they go all the way along the M54 road-side shrubs
- Jays very noisy and obvious flying about and calling: concurrent calling birds from the W end and N side so there were at least 2 birds! But I suspect 4 or more
- managed to see the Jackdaw passage today: after a small party of 10 birds passed low across the dam at 06:20 leaving me rather confused as to where to look there was the 'usual' large high-level party far to the W at 06:23 with at least 140 birds. A straggle of 19 birds and that was more or less the total!
- a steady passage of Rooks with the numbers more affected by the diversionary sunrise, but almost a 100 birds was above average for recent weeks
- 61 Starlings noted on the wires, again with a steady build-up after the first seen flying in that direction at 07:07
- rather better numbers of finches today: a Chaffinch even burst in to song in the sun, briefly! a party of 10 Goldfinches near the Teece Drive gate
- 4 Reed Buntings logged with one of these seeming to fly in to the reeds from the far S - most odd

As highlighted 2 moths on the street lights when I rechecked after daylight. Pre-dawn on the cold clear morning there was a single Caddis Fly sp. - it seems this is my first of the year here which is most odd as I get them in my Newport moth trap most nights and I am not especially near water!

Also as highlighted a Red Admiral and several Ruddy Darters: there was also a Speckled Wood butterfly tempted to fly by the warm sun before I left

No bats this morning - not at all surprising with the temperature just 7C pre-dawn (probably dipped further in fact) 1 Rabbit; and a calling Grey Squirrel

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday 14th 05:38 - 09:11

Weather
13.0C > 12.5C Started clear the S & SE but with areas of mostly medium-high cloud to N / NW which soon spread across the sky after a brief restricted red sunrise and by 08:30 there was some light drizzle; an area of more persistent light rain at 09:00 but did not last and seemed to be very local. Light W wind veered N and increased to moderate. Excellent visibility

Narrative
As yesterday, after checking the W end lights I made a clockwise circuit back to the S side, and again it was very quiet pre-dawn along the N side. I then did the normal watch from an elevated position along the S side until the early morning movement was dying away (c.07:30), made a quick re-check of lights at the W end and then did a full anti-clockwise loop around the lake. By the time I got back to the NW area it was drizzling and I called it a day well-pleased at adding two species to my lake year-list

Overall Highlights
Split bird of the day award today goes to the Green Sandpiper seen flying away to the NW at 06:57; and the Nuthatch calling from the NW trees in the rain at 09:03 (where I had seen a Treecreeper a few minutes earlier). I do not have detailed logs that would tell me but as I recall these are both second-records ever for me at the lake, though I am far from clear that the Green Sandpiper was ever at the lake - all I saw was a wader sp. heading away NW well beyond the trees to the N. My initial thought was a Snipe as it twisted and turned rapidly gaining height, but it was clear that this was a very contrasting 'black-and-white' bird and while I was searching the memory-banks it had the decency to bank and allow the white rump to be seen

Migrants were extremely scarce again today: just a single party of 8 Swallows; the single House Martin mobbing (can a lone bird mob anything?) a Buzzard was probably from the estate later. The Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs show little sign of moving on
- indeed 3 Blackcaps today was the highest number for a week and one of these birds - an adult male - was giving a rather slow and quiet version of the song. I cannot recall having heard such a song-type before

Other things to highlight from the lake
- 2 Herons again though one flew on after taking a look at the bird already present (it was there when I arrived this morning)
- the steady complement of Great Crested Grebes continues: the juveniles in the NW area are still begging for breakfast before first light - by 05:40 this morning - but thereafter and much quieter and often away from the parents and diving for food. The 'other' adult seems to be keeping vigil alongside the N shore reeds and I wonder whether he has a mate on a nest here and we will see a late brood
- the Greylag Goose party contained the usual 33 birds
- 1 Canada Goose party of just 17 birds preceded the Greylags as usual
- no Mallard ducklings seen: otherwise just 38 adults
- a drake Pochard here for the 5th day
- 20 Tufted Ducks again
- plenty of raptor sightings today starting with 2 Sparrowhawks talon-grappling over the N side at 06:19; then both heading S over the E end of the lake and then presumably 1 of these high to the NE at 06:42. All seemed to be males on size
- a Buzzard flew N over the E end at 06:22. Much later a very pale bird was well to the NW (being chased by the lone House Martin)
- a Kestrel appeared hovering to the N at 06:30: later records of bird(s) flying S to the E; low N over the lake; and then on the wires to the NE
- Coot numbers - or at least my counts - continue to increase. Now 137
- another low numbers of gulls
- it is clear that there are no Black-headed Gulls roosting to the W on the fields at the moment and just 9 were seen drifting over from the W and these were probably part of both the group of 19 birds seen over the fields to the E at 07:07; and the 23 birds on the lake at 08:00. Another 7 birds were seen flying W to the N
- apart from a group of 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls circling to the NE at 07:33 all the other 22 birds were singles heading W
- the only other group of gulls contained 4 immature Herring Gulls!
- back to a high count of Wood Pigeons in the better visibility: A total of 367 logged this morning with 291 of these flying E
- 4 Great Spotted Woodpecker records this morning: at least 2 birds involved
- again any Pied Wagtail roost dispersal wasn't particularly obvious. I logged 10 'singles / small parties' seen / heard flying NW but as the three I was able to connect with were all single birds perhaps there were only 10! Later 1 was on the dam
- another bumper number of Robins: after 50 yesterday I logged 49 today! But rather few Wrens at just 12
- 3 widely-spaced sightings of single Jays in different areas may, or may not, have been 3 different birds
- again seem to have missed the Jackdaws - assuming there was a big flock this morning. Once again the darkest part of the sky was where I expected to see these birds. I did log a number of small groups but only 40 birds in total and 2 of those were, unusually, flying N over the lake
- better success with the Rooks and 5 double-figured flocks, the largest a loose group of 46 birds. At 148 the best total for some days
- 27 Starlings noted - 26 of these on the wires with a steady build-up after the first at 06:53
- dire numbers of finches at the moment: no Chaffinches and more Goldfinches (7) than Greenfinches (5)
- a Reed Bunting seen to fly away from the reeds at the W end: first record of a 'roosting' bird for me here this season

One moth on the street lights when I rechecked after daylight, probably Acleris emargana which has a distinctive 'notched' wing - too small and too dull to get a decent photograph to confirm. Pre-dawn a (regular) wasp sp. and a small ichneumon at the lamps - apart from a veritable swarm of plumed midges

All 3 species of the usual bat sps. on the 'wing' (arm?) this morning with one of the smaller of two fast flying bats staying out until the street lights went out no Rabbits; a panicking Grey Squirrel concerned that as it roamed one of the fishing platforms I had got between it and its retreat up the near-by trees

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday 13th 05:36 - 09:19

Weather
11.0C > 14.0C Started with broken cloud and mist patches, but soon became more or less overcast at low level; after 08:00 cloud began to lift and some brighter spells. No sun as such. Light N / NW winds. Moderate and at times poor visibility, but became quite good later

Narrative
A weather affected morning with the low cloud / mist hampering sightings of both the corvid passage and the early movement of Wood Pigeons - indeed for a time it was not possible to see all the lake from any one spot, and then when it cleared it was too gloomy to see some of the birds hidden amongst the growth of weed. I started with a different approach and after checking the W end lights made a clockwise circuit back to the S side - it was very quiet pre-dawn along the N side. Then failing to be able to log much in the way of fly-overs I spent more time checking the wooded areas - without much result! Then a ride to The Flash and a walk around in much better weather, checking the water birds only

Overall Highlights
Split bird of the day award today goes to the duck Shoveler on the lake; and my earliest-ever Redwing over the lake at 06:10 The Swan ringers did both the lake and The Flash on Wednesday and I managed to read the rings of the 3 cygnets that were caught at the lake - 7ETL; 7ETN and 7ETP; and the rings of 2 of the cygnets caught at The Flash - 7ETE and 7ETI where the unringed adult is now sporting 7ETJ. The cygnets seemed none the worse for the experience and were celebrating with straight-line flights along the lake: turns will come later!

Migrants were extremely scarce today:
apart from the Redwing and Shoveler I noted a single Swallow; a single House Martin (with a couple from the estate later); and 2 singe Meadow Pipits. The Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs show little sign of moving on

Other things to highlight from the lake (including the very few fly-overs)
- 2 Herons
- the Greylag Goose party contained the usual 33 birds
- no Canada Geese seen outbound - lost in the mist?
- just 2 of the new Mallard ducklings remain extant: otherwise 45 adults - a lower count here (and an even lower count at The Flash)
- a drake Pochard here for the 4th day
- only 20 Tufted Ducks today, so 13 have moved on - but not on to The Flash where numbers were down on my previous visit
- no raptors seen: not even the Kestrel on the wires - what wires?
- another low numbers of gulls. 17 Black-headed Gulls (8 on the lake and again more at The Flash); 15 Lesser Black-headed Gulls with just 1 juvenile stopping at the lake; and an immature Herring Gull
- a very lower count of Wood Pigeons with most of the overflying birds either not visible or to have concentrated on the narrow window would have prevented me seeing anything else
- 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers yet again
- Pied Wagtail roost dispersal not particularly obvious with the flight-path I checked yesterday not visible. There were at least 10 birds flying NW over the lake, probably on dispersal, and since most of these were heard only the real number was likely much higher as many records would relate to parties of c.6 - c.10 birds
- bumper number of Robins - they have found their voice for the autumn song and I logged 50 at the lake!
- the scatter of warblers still around with 2 Blackcaps and 7 Chiffchaffs recorded
- saw not a single Jackdaw or Rook today. While the main flight-line was well out of range in the mist it was rather unusual that there seemed to be no smaller parties over the lake at some stage
- no Starlings noted - no wires visible! - was near the erstwhile Greenfinch roost for much of the time and saw just 5 birds that might have come from the roost. And only 3 others

There were no moths on the street lights again despite what seemed to have been a cloudy and hence warm night. Did not even manage a wasp this morning - a single spider; and a small fly 5 Rabbits and 2 different Grey Squirrels; also fresh molehills at the E end

(Ed Wilson)

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Wednesday 12th 05:35 - 05:55 // 08:25 - 09:41

Weather
14.5C > 16.0C The Telford 'hat' of low cloud again this morning though clearer initially to S & E, but tended to fill in. Some light drizzle at 08:20 but did not last and soon clouds began to lift and a few breaks appeared. Light N / NW wind. Moderate visibility and rather hazy at times

Narrative
A very different morning: the clearer weather to the E prompted me up the lane to the E to check the fly-overs from there. After the early movement stopped I did the 'lap' of the lanes and the fields to the E / SE before returning to the dam for a one-and-half laps of the lake. Not entirely successful in that the gaps to the E filled in and the low cloud made it hard to see some of the fly-overs and of course I am less familiar with the flight paths from this different vantage point. As a result I think I probably missed the main corvid dispersal - indeed I rather think that it was not visible from my position being blocked by the Wards Rough trees. But I made some progress with the Pied Wagtail dispersal - they are not coming from Stafford Park as I thought but I now suspect the M54 Service area as the source of the birds

Overall Highlights
Birds of the day award today goes to the 2 eclipse drake Wigeon - species #103 for my Priorslee lake area year-list Non bird of the day award goes to what seemed to be a Red Underwing moth flying around the W end path in broad daylight. I have not seen this apparently common species of moth previously except at rest but on size and colouration it is rather hard to confuse with anything Runner up the fine Fox looking at me as I arrived along Teece Drive - no doubt he had been scavenging among the debris left by the now thankfully departed travellers here

Miss of the day award - at least for the lake - goes to two species recorded in the lanes that I would like to get on the main lake list
- a Tawny Owl calling from the direction of Wards Rough
- 2 Ravens tumbling in to a field way to the S across the M54 Other things to highlight from the lake (including fly-overs)
- 2 Herons but both fly-overs
- the Greylag Goose party contained 33 birds again this morning
- just 10 Canada Geese seen outbound
- with the Greylags
- again no sign of the new Mallard ducklings [though 4 were seen at 18:30 last night]: for some reason an increase to 56 adults
- a drake Pochard still present
- 33 Tufted Ducks now - arriving in force!
- Kestrel the only raptor seen this morning - on the wires as usual
- still low numbers of gulls. I logged very few arriving but at 07:10 there was a 'panic' in the field I was standing next to and at least 72 Black-headed Gulls and 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew up - and I have no idea where most of them came from as I had logged just 8 birds by that time!
- a slightly lower count of Wood Pigeons - 492 [598] - but whether that was a real reduction or just my different vantage position is hard to say
- 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen at the lake [with another to the E of the lanes]
- small hirundine movement with a single party of 7 Swallow high and E-bound
- no House Martins over the estate
- big Pied Wagtail roost dispersal today with 54 logged flying N - and some of these were heard only and most parties, once located, contained many more birds than the calls suggested. I traced the flight-line of these birds and then logged 8 more flying E to the S - as highlighted I now suspect these may be roosting in the M54 Service Station. There were then a few stragglers flying in different directions [and 8 in the ploughed fields as well]
- not sure when the main party of Jackdaws left - I did not hear them; and as highlighted I think they may have been far to the E and behind Ward's Rough from my position. There were 4 small parties visible and also a loose party of c.45 Rooks
- fewer Starlings noted on the wires to the NE / NNE There were no moths on the street lights again [the moth seen later as highlighted] but there were no fewer than 7 wasps on 5 different lights; also a freshly-dismembered Crane Fly sp. in a spider-web

(Ed Wilson)

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Tuesday 11th 05:32 - 09:13

Weather
9.5C > 13.0C Areas of mainly thin low cloud gave way to extensive puffy clouds with very little actual sun though bright most of the while. Light W wind falling away calm. Good visibility through to The Wrekin

Narrative
The regular 'autumn' beat at the lake with early watching for fly-overs from the raised part of the S side; then a complete circuit starting again in the NW area after rechecking all the street lights at the W end and spending time on the dam with the count of the water birds. Business in Telford so no other visits today

Overall Highlights
No bird of the day award today which was busy but with nothing exceptional Major highlight was the number of warblers and tits
- Blackcaps put in an appearance after 2 blanks days with 3 birds heard and one of these, a male, seen
- hard to discern how many Chiffchaffs there were as they moving around in the tit flocks: I logged 11 birds but this could contain some duplication - or, equally, be missing some! 3 of these birds were singing at times
- the tit parties comprised Long-tails, Blue and Great Tits: I logged 5 Coal Tits but these seemed not to be with the parties but 'on territory'. No sight or sound of Willow Tits though

Other things to highlight
- only 1 Heron noted
- a Cormorant flying high over was the first here for a while
- the Greylag Goose party contained 33 birds this morning with photographic evidence again - the easiest way to count these!
- 28 Canada Geese seen outbound: again none from the Town Park area. Later 3 flew W
- no sign of the new Mallard ducklings again: and just 40 adults - [late note: a brief stop in passing at 18:30 located 4 ducklings with a pair of adults]
- the drake Pochard still present at 06:00 but when I did the full water bird count from the dam at 08:30 I did not see it - though I did not appreciate that at the time and search again
- now 18 Tufted Ducks
- Sparrowhawk, Buzzards and Kestrel all seen again. The Sparrowhawk was odd - it flew NE at mid-level in stready flight and I was initially convinced it must be a falcon sp. Sparrowhawks normally hunt low or prospect and display from a great height and except when dashing after prey have a flap-flap-flap-glide style of flight. This birds was neither hunting nor prospecting and as a result flying in a way to confuse me. And interestingly it elicited none of the usual outcry from the tit party that was all around me at the time
- unexceptional (low!) number of gulls. An immature Herring Gull one of them
- another higher count of Wood Pigeons - 598
- Kingfisher again on its noew regular beat
- 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen
- no hirundine movement with a lone Swallow N-bound; and a few House Martins over the estate
- few Pied Wagtails logged today
- the Jackdaws went out early - before the street lights went out - and rather took me surprise and I may have only caught the end of the flock. The Rooks straggled out later
- parties of Starlings on the wires to the NE / NNE again
- few Greenfinches in the roost in the SW area; and not many others either

With the rather chilly night I was not surprised to draw a blank with moths on the street lights (there was a wasp at one of the lit lamps pre-dawn): but to see all the regular three species of bat in such circumstances was a surprise even if it was single sightings of single individuals of each species! Not warmed up enough by the time I left for butterflies to be on the wing but I did see a Darter sp. dash over - presuambly a Common Darter?

The most bizarre morning record was a frog in the boot of my car! How did it get there? Well I was doing a bit of tidying of the rubbish that gets dropped by the bikers who use the pallets in the NW area as jumping ramps and picked up a very old and rusty beer can that seemed rather heavy and rattled. I peered in and concluded it was either the 'widget' or a snail and that I would deal with it at home. When I got home there was a frog sitting looking at me and the beer-can was now empty! Quite how it managed to get in or out of the can is a bit of a mystery!

(Ed Wilson)

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Monday 10th 05:34 - 08:52

Weather
14.5C > 16.0C After a cloudy run from Newport unexpected breaks over the lake and to the S & E, but very dark to the N & E. The clearance spread in but was punctuated by some light showers during which time the visibility was rather poor, otherwise good. Moderate, even fresh, NW wind

Narrative
My regular 'autumn' beat at the lake with early watching for fly-overs from the raised part of the S side; then a complete circuit starting again in the NW area after rechecking all the street lights at the W end and spending time on the dam with the count of the water birds. Completing the lap I drove to The Flash for a walk around primarily counting the water birds but logging anything else of interest

Overall Highlights
My bird of the day award split today between the drake Pochard on the lake - the first of the Autumn; and the juvenile / 1st winter Common Gull also at the lake - a species that is decidedly NOT Common here though lone birds can be usually be found lurking in the bigger winter gull-roosts

Other things to highlight
- 3 or 4 Herons at the Herons yet another high count; another in flight at The Flash
- the outbound Greylag Goose party contained 32 birds this morning with photographic evidence that there were this number and that none of them was a lurking Canada Goose!
- 24 Canada Geese seen outbound but none of these came from the direction of the Town Park
- no sign of yesterday's late party of 8 Mallard ducklings
- just 16 Tufted Ducks
- Sparrowhawk and Kestrel seen again: another 2 sightings of Sparrowhawks
- low number of gulls with a lone immature Herring Gull again. Once again more Black-headed Gulls at The Flash than on the lake
- the weather seemed to dampen the Wood Pigeon feeding movement (or damped my enthusiasm to log them!) and I noted just 346 over the lake
- 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen / heard at the lake; another at The Flash
- 25 Swallows passing the lake in small groups
- party of c.12 House Martins over The Flash may have been migrants or, just perhaps, a gathering of local breeding birds
- 11 Pied Wagtails logged - many fewer than yesterday
- at the lake no Blackcaps but now 8 Chiffchaffs seen or heard calling with brief bursts of song from some of the birds: another Chiffchaff at The Flash
- even in the dull weather I could hardly miss the 150+ Jackdaws as they left in a high and scattered party on the edge of visible range to the E. Another party of c.40 Jackdaws on the same line some 5 minutes later in combination made up nearly all the corvids seen
- there was a small dispersal of Rooks later
- up to 60 Starlings on the wires to the N / NE
- another good count of Goldfinches totalling 29 birds, the largest party containing 13 birds Single Pipistrelle-type bat was the only bats seen

No moths on the lamps: but 3 wasps at 3 different lights pre-dawn; and then when I rechecked the lamps after dawn I logged a splendid-looking small picture-winged fly with striped legs; and a rather wayward chrysalis

(Ed Wilson)

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Sunday 9th 05:34 - 08:40 // 09:00 - 09:35

Weather
14.0C > 15.5C After a cloudy run from Newport some good breaks in the low-level cloud to reveal the moon and stars. Stayed clear over and the surrounding cloud tended to lift. Rather moderate visibility, especially to the E. Moderate N / NW wind

Narrative
Mostly around the lake, concentrating on the fly-overs as there seemed to be some movement with more gulls passing; some Swallows; a scatter of Meadow Pipits. Also a good roost dispersal of Pied Wagtails. Made a short visit to the lane to the E to check out the newly ploughed fields there: apart from a small group of resting Lesser Black-backed Gulls they were devoid of birds and I quickly left

Overall Highlights
My bird of the day award to the Kingfisher - not that unusual here but today it sat on the cross-bar of the flag-pole of the disused fishing hut whereas it usually speeds across the lake and perches hidden inside the sallows

Things to highlight
- 3 Herons another high count
- the Greylag Goose party contained only 28 birds this morning: worryingly a trailing trio of 3 Canada Geese were present - so were there really 31 the previous 2 days
- 37 Canada Geese seen outbound (and others possibly heard): perhaps the same 21 from the Town Park area though in 3 groups over 14 minutes today. These others in 4 small groups. Later 5 flew W
- a very late party of 8 Mallard new ducklings with one of the ducks: otherwise rather fewer Mallard today
- now 17 Tufted Ducks
- Sparrowhawk, Buzzards and Kestrel all seen again: 2 sightings of Sparrowhawk with what I assume was a female (on size) flapping with slow flexible wing-beats over the N side trees and causing almost no reaction from the local birds
- one of the Wood Pigeons seemed to go in to the air to get a better look and / or chase it away! I do worry that a male Goshawk in display would look similar, but I am sure it wasn't a Goshawk
- a steady movement of 62 Black-headed Gulls, mainly E; and 110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, mainly W - many of these juveniles / immatures. Only used the ploughed fields for resting today. A lone immature Herring Gull with them
- an even higher count of Wood Pigeons, mostly over - 485
- 1 Green and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers seen / heard
- I logged 67 Swallows passing in groups, one of which contained at least 38 birds so migration is well underway
- 4 Meadow Pipits seen over was another sign of Autumn
- 29 Pied Wagtails logged mainly flying N to the E. Reminded me that on my last visit before the break in the SW I spent some while in the lanes to the E and tracked the 'small bouncing-finch parties' that I had logged in previous days - they were in fact Pied Wagtails leaving a roost which appeared to be at the E end of Stafford Park - perhaps the recently refurbished International House which has an enclosed quadrangle of the type these birds often use?
- no Blackcaps but still 6 Chiffchaffs seen and heard calling with a brief burst of song
- a loose party of 52 Jackdaws was soon overhauled by a tight group of at least 150 more to give me another good total. A steady passage of Rooks improved on the low numbers of the last 2 days - but not much
- even fewer Greenfinches in the roost in the SW area
- a party of 17 Goldfinches over the Teece Drive gate may have been recorded only because I flushed a male Sparrowhawk out of the trees here!

Several Pipistrelle-type bats were the only bats seen

No moths on the lamps - indeed nothing on the lamps at all A Red Admiral and a probable Southern Hawker were the only insects of note

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday 8th 5:34 - 09:10

Weather
13.5C > 14.5C Low cloud with a few early brighter breaks but these soon disappeared and after 06:30 some persistent light drizzle in the north wind and only moderate visibility

Narrative
A rather dispiriting day at the lake with the dull weather and the light drizzle in a rather chill N wind - was that summer?

Overall Highlights
Nothing to nominate as bird of the day

Things to highlight
- 4 Herons was a high count
- the Greylag Goose party contained 31 birds this morning
- the only Canada Geese were the (same?) 21 from the Town Park area [when I was driving home Canada Geese were headed back over Donnington Wood and obviously the feeding area for these birds at the moment takes the birds from The Flash and Trench area 'over the hill' from the lake]
- 11 Tufted Ducks still here
- Sparrowhawk, Buzzards and Kestrel all seen
- at 117 [106] even more Coots though whether there were more or I counted more is hard to say
- very few gulls again until something flushed them all off the ploughed field to the NE when at least 133 Black-headed Gulls and a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls appeared briefly. Many Black-headed Gulls were in wing-moult and this had now reached the outer primaries making them look rather short and blunt-winged
- panicked several times that I might have a Little Gull!
- another high count of Wood Pigeons over: at 396 just 3 more than logged yesterday
- Kingfisher heard
- at least 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers again
- 2 small groups of distant hirundines seemed to be passing through
- 2 Blackcaps and 6 Chiffchaffs all heard calling only: no other warblers recorded
- big party of >250 Jackdaws left at 06:19 - distant but the party was large-enough to be visible against the dark clouds to the ENE: made up almost all the corvids logged on departure
- plenty of Starlings on the wires to the NE again - in the stubbles there?
- very few Greenfinches in the roost in the SW area - stayed for over an hour and logged just 10 birds leaving!

A bat with a rather strange almost gull-like flight seen over the SE / E area: otherwise just a glimpse of one of the usual bats

No moths on the lamps: but another wasp around a lit lamp pre-06:00. Only a plumed midge otherwise More blackberries to eat!

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday, 7th (05:36 - 09:07) followed by visit to Priorslee Flash: 09:10 - 09:53

Weather
13.5C > 15.5C Areas of low/medium cloud especially dark before 07:00 and again after 08:30; some sun between; light N winds, starting almost calm; good visibility below the cloud - The Wrekin NOT visible!

Narrative
Back in the Midlands after 2 weeks away in the SW with a full explore of the lake; and then a quick visit to The Flash to see the water birds

Highlights
Bird of the day was species #102 on my Priorslee Lake year list when I flushed a Snipe from the SW grass - rather odd open position for this species

Runner up the noisy Green Woodpecker vying for attention with 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers at the lake (with another Great Spotted Woodpecker calling at The Flash)

A few changes since I was last around though not what I expected: there are still rather few gulls; and there are still a few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs around (with a late Willow Warbler at The Flash). And rather few ducks moved in - only Tufted Duck in unexceptional number

Coot numbers at the lake have increased though

Not many hirundines about: I heard 1 high over the lake and later 2 flew through The Flash with a party of House Martins. There seemed to be no local House Martins over the lake (or the estate), but c.10 birds were over the SW area of The Flash and this included calling juveniles. Later a party of birds (with the Swallows) seemed to be moving through

The stubble fields to the E still attracting the attentions of the Wood Pigeons with the usual influx of birds from their roosts to the W at first light; and later back again. With them on the wires today was a good-sized (for here) party of c.70 Starlings, but rather flew finches. Indeed there were rather few finches at the lake with the Greenfinch roost in the SW area very quiet. A small party of juvenile Goldfinches at the W end. Further away the stubbles did not seemed to be attracting the Canada Geese which were seen in rather low numbers today. A big party of 33 Greylags over were headed off E though

A few insects about though not enough to tempt the bats out pre-dawn. A Brown Hawker dragonfly buzzed me at the unusually early time of 06:35; several other unidentified Hawker sps. seen later. The street lamps at the lake produced 2 Square-spot Rustic moths (and a midge!)

Still some good blackberries to eat!

(Ed Wilson)