Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th
- 1 Shoveler at the lake Monday; 2 Tuesday (all ducks) [this was my 98th
species at / from the lake this year]
- >50 Tufted Duck flying out of the lake before 06:30 each morning
(probably left earlier this morning as it was a light morning): seem to go
to The Flash
- a pair of Blackcaps at the lake on Tuesday in with tit party: the male
looked rather 'blurred' and was presumably a juvenile
- up to 8 Chiffchaffs with several in song
Monday (29th) I went around the lanes to the Eeast of the Lake
- 1 Redwing called and seen in flight
- expected scatter of Meadow Pipits and up to 10 Sky Larks over fields
- single Redpoll and Siskins over
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Wednesday, 24th
Not much to report
The Swans at the lake having a torrid time: after one of the cygnets had
to be rescued from the bottom of the sluice outlet another hit the Ricoh
building yesterday and I am told is now in care. Like 2 of its other 3
siblings it was helping its parents chase away a pair of interlopers and
seems to have crashed through lack of experience - I saw the chase and
wondered where it had gone!
At the lake this morning at least 44 Tufted Ducks flew out between 06:11
and 06:31 (and perhaps another 20 I saw lift-off but lost track of). They
were presumably part of the flock of 142 I counted on The Flash later. 9
more still on the lake
Otherwise at the lake
- Wigeon gone
- 1 Siskin over
- >60 finches on the wires to the NE but only 14 Greenfinches noted
leaving the lake roost this morning
- no hirundines for some days [there are still a few House Martins at
Newport]
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Tuesday, 23rd
Little to report: best might have been 2 small doves flying fast E that
did not look like Collared Doves but were too distant to claim as Turtle
Doves
Otherwise
- Swan family had to deal with a pair of adult interlopers: 3 of the
cygnets can now fly well - and do turns at the end of the lake - and these
joined in the chase. However afterwards I could only located 3 of the 4
cygnets! Has one jumped ship?
- mixed family party of single Greylag and Canada Geese and 2 hybrid
off-spring paid a visit
- drake Wigeon still present
- 68 Tufted Ducks but 56 flew out between 06:10 and 06:26!
- Water Rail calling again
- Buzzard sitting unconcernedly on a tree-top as 21 Magpies jumped about
making a lot of noise
Walked the lanes to the East of the Lake again: rather fewer finches around but logged
- 8 Meadow Pipits
- 3 Sky Larks (high over)
- 14 Mistle Thrushes in typical loose group
- 6 Linnets flying over
- 3 Yellowhammers (in the lane)
Ed Wilson Top
Monday, 22nd
Best bird this morning was a female / juvenile Redstart on a hedgerow
alongside Woodhouse Lane to the E: outside my 'count area' so not the 98th
species for my site year-list!
On the lake
- a pair of Wigeon today
- at least 74 Tufted Duck though 53 flew out before 06:30 and by 09:00
there were just 11 (see The Flash notes)
- the Water Rail heard calling
- 2 Meadow Pipits over
- a Sisking over
Otherwise from the lanes just east of the Lake
- 1 Sky Lark in flight
- c.12 Meadow Pipits
- 10 Mistle Thrushes
- c.120 finches on the wires - seemed to be all Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson) Top
Sunday, 21st Not much - a very pleasant morning with great sunrise and lots of
dew-covered webs, but rather hazy to see too many fly-overs
- drake Wigeon throughout
- 30 Tufted Duck but 19 left before 06:15: did not check The Flash today
- first Water Rail of autumn seen near the Wesley Bridge
- 6 calling (one also singing) Chiffchaffs
- party of 3 Bullfinches included at least 1 juvenile with no sign of
adult plumage - late?
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Saturday, 20th
- calling Tawny Owl in the NW woods at 05:45 became my 97th bird for the
lake area this year
- first Pochard back: a fine drake
Spent some time in the fields to the E of the lake
- 5 Stock Doves on the wires (but rather few Wood Pigeons)
- first passing Sky Lark of the autumn
- c.20 Meadow Pipits
- 7 Mistle Thrushes on the pylons
- c.50 Greenfinches & c.10 Linnets on the wires
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Friday, 19th Friday was back to normal with the lake and then the Flash: of note
- possible Water Rail heard, though sounded rather odd with hint of
strangulated Herring Gull about it: could see nothing but vegetation still
dense
- steady decline in number of Coots - now 135: was 165
- 14 Tufted Duck at least on the lake pre-dawn. 2 seen flying off: only 4
later. But 125 on The Flash!
- Meadow Pipits over both the lake (at least 8) and The Flash (2)
- 47 Pied Wagtails noted coming from the 'Ricoh roost'
- 129 Greenfinches leaving the roost
and at The Flash (only)
- Nuthatch calling: unusual here, though more often than at the main lake
where I have logged it only once for a period of 3 days one winter
- what sounded like a sizeable party of House Martins high overhead, but
could not find them in the haze
Worth noting is the decline of Wood Pigeons, Jackdaws and Rooks
- the Wood Pigeons are probably just feeding elsewhere as the fields are
harvested (though plenty of finches think the fields are fine)
- the corvids are harder to explain: always fewer in summer but the
outbound movement was sometime >800 birds. Recently the number of Jackdaws has settled to c.25 birds low over the lake; and a party of c.55 high to
the E. While Rooks are just singles. I am sure that their destination
depends upon food supply but the drop has been too consistent. I never
knew the origin of these birds, but I note that the OS Map shows 'The
Rookery' in the area where development work is going on to the E of
Redhill Way and I wonder whether the roosts have been destroyed?
(Ed Wlson)
Top
Thursday, 18th
Thursday morning I spent most of the early part in the lanes and fields to
the E of the lake - without much success!
- an immature Little Grebe on the lake
- a party of at least 28 Meadow Pipits over the fields to the E
- a fine male Blackcap around the lake
- Chiffchaffs still singing: up to 6 birds
- an 80-strong finch-flock assembled on the wires to the NE only after I
was back at the lake: birds looked too small for Greenfinches. To be
investigated
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Wednesday, 17th
Creeping up: a Snipe flushed off the dam at the lake was my 96th species
at the site this year!
Also of note were 3 rather late Common Sandpipers
On a generally quiet morning I decided to concentrate on birds leaving the
Greenfich roost in the SW bushes. The first calls were at 06:54, but the
first I saw leave were at 07:10. The last I noted were at 07:58 when I had
counted 149 birds leaving. Better than lasy years when I failed to top 100
birds - 3 years ago I noted >500 some days!
While watching I managed to track down the source of the outbound Pied
Wagtails to 'somewhere in the Ricoh grounds' and trying to watch this with
one eye whilst looking the other way at the Greenfinches I clocked at
least 89 birds - 78 seen and another 11 heard
Few Tufted Duck on the lake with 6 of the 11 flying off, presumably to The
Flash where I counted 93 later. Probably more as some were hauled out on
the island and the very scattered main flock was actively diving and hard
to keep track of
At The Flash one of their cygnets has gone missing now. Just 3 (7EZX, 7FAB
and an unringed bird) were with the adults; the cygnet that decided it was
a Canada Goose was on the island; the other nowhere to be seen [All 4 at
the lake OK]
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Tuesday, 16th First one I missed on yesterday's write-up: a very unseasonal Great
Black-backed Gull on the lake. A first-winter it arrived being chased by 2
immature Lesser Black-backs and flew on SW
Now from today we start with yet another frustrating was it / wasn't it
records. As I was walking close to the reeds at the W end a bird called
which a month ago I would have logged as a Reed Warbler and moved on. But
in mid-September and 2 weeks after my last one I would have preferred to
see it as well. It refused to show - or call again
Otherwise on a fairly quiet day
- the 4th cygnet, rescued from the sluice by the RSPCA is back with its
family OK but seems thereby to have missed getting a Darvic ring that its
siblings were sporting this morning. Seems the RSPCA gave it a BTO ring
while they were checking it over
- I logged just 16 Tufted Duck at 06:00: I noted 5 flying off, and later
just 8 remaining
- 2 House Martins high over the only hirundines
- 4 Meadow Pipits over
- 38 Pied Wagtails over
- 6 Chiffchaffs: 1 singing
- Willow Tits again
- party of at least 15 Siskins shot low W
Moved on to check Trench
- 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes doing well
- now 3 Pochard
- 21 Tufted Duck
- almost no gulls - 1 Black-head; 5 Lesser Black-backs
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Monday, 15th Some things from a visit to the lake and The Flash this morning
- 51 Tufted Duck on the lake early, but only 6 by 09:10. Perhaps these
flew off to The Flash where there were 86 by 10:00
- c.100 hirundines very high over the lake at 07:05 moving quickly SE. I
think these were House Martins even though the calls were rather
'twittery' - not sure I have ever seen Swallows as high as these birds
- single figures of Meadow Pipits over the lake; over the fields to the E;
and over The Flash
- 31 Pied Wagtails seen over the lake
- a small thrush flew high S over the lake and seemed to have dark
'armpits' making it probably my earliest-ever Redwing: but it did not call
and was rather high for a Redwings - but those comments would apply to the
only likely alternative of Song Thrush
- 14 Chiffchaffs logged: 10 at the lake with 2 in song; 2 alongside the
Wesley Brook to the E; and 2 at The Flash
- 2 Treecreepers at the lake were my first for some while
- party of 7 Siskins NW over The Flash were a surprise: early date for here
Hope we should not read too much in to Redwings and Siskins already!
For those that are interested ...
Remember the 4th cygnet was seen by me on Thursday morning but not Friday.
On Saturday I found it peering out of the padlocked exit grille to the
sluice leading to the Wesley Brook on the east side of Castle Farm Way
I contacted the RSPCA and they sent a rescue team. They called me c.16:00
on Saturday to confirm they were on site and the cygnet seemed well-enough
and they were waiting for the Severn-Trent man with a key to the sluice.
They would then assess the state of the bird and if it didn't need to be
taken in to care they would put it back on the lake and watch whether it
would be accepted by the adults
The only update I can give you at the moment is that the bird was NOT back
on the lake this morning (I could not visit yesterday): and it was NOT
still in the sluice!
More if / when I find out!
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Saturday, 13th Update / news from Priorslee
The 'missing' cygnet has gone down the sluice at the dam and it peering
out from the gate at the bottom. The gate is unfortunately locked and the
bird too large to get through the grill! The RSPCA have been informed and
will hopefully be able to get a key from Severn Trent and effect a rescue!
Otherwise an uneventful morning at the lake with c.5 Meadow Pipits over
the fields to the E the only change. Very small numbers of Swallows (<20)
and House Martins (<10) passing. 2 Cormorants over. 57 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
Top
Friday, 12th Brief update: nothing too dramatic
- Swans at the lake have lost 1 cygnet since yesterday - there had been
one obviously smaller than the other three: but no longer [there was the
most strange noise at 05:45 that sounded like a Greylag Goose protesting
loudly, but I never located the source. At that time 2 of the cygnets were
at the other end of the lake and well away from the sleeping adults and
3rd cygnet. May be unconnected]
- 49 Tufted Duck at the lake though 13 flew off at 06:55 and 12 more at
07:16. Later there were 44 on The Flash that probably included some of
those that flew off - after they left to the W the first party was seen
well to the N with birds flying both E & W
- no Swallows after yesterday's movement
- c.75 House Martins: party of c.50 found VERY high over while I was
trying to identify the operator of a Boeing 737 flying over! Too high for
me to hear them (above the traffic noise). Later at least 20 high to the N
were likely different birds. A single bird came to drink at the lake. And
4 were over the estate at 07:00 though not later and none was around The
Flash
- Blackcap heard at the lake this morning
- 7 Chiffchaffs calling at the lake (3 seen as 2 seemed to be juveniles);
none at The Flash
- 6 Linnets seen on the wires to the E of the lake: these quite rare at
the lake, though often found in the lanes to the E
Ed Wilson
Top
Thursday, 11th
Usual early start at Priorslee lake
Best was single Black Tern that flew W at 07:50
Other things of note
- 'outbound' geese this morning included 43 Greylags, 50 Canadas and c.50
unidentified birds
- another high count of Tufted Duck: 53 (though 11 flew off W)
- 'outbound' Wood Pigeons logged at just(!) 116
- 46 Swallows logged in 8 parties heading off S / SE
- c.60 House Martins, though most of these were seen high to the NW
mobbing a Sparrowhawk and only a later party of 12 flying SE seemed to be
migrating
- 19 Pied Wagtails over a sure sign of winter! (well autumn at any rate)
- 5 Chiffchaffs calling
- 96 Greenfinches logged: 82 of them leaving a roost in the SW area
Supporting cast of Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher and Jays
(Ed Wilson) Top
Wednesday, 10th
My first visit for over 2 weeks (been in the SW chasing sea-birds)
Little to report from a rather damp and misty lake and Flash
- The Great Crested Grebe in NW corner of the lake have 2 new juveniles
being fed - they hatched just about 3 weeks ago, but were sheltering
uncounted on the adult's back until after I left
- 48 Greylag Geese over the lake a high count; later 36 on The Flash
- 61 Tufted Duck on the lake an exceptional count, especially for the date:
only 13 on The Flash
- 165 Coots on the lake: one of these an obvious juvenile. Another was seen
flying off over the trees and away to the N. The first time in many hours
(and years) of watching I have ever seen a Coot fly in or out of any pool
/ lake anywhere!
- A party of 12 House Martins S over the lake and 4 more S over The Flash. 9
more seen around The Flash were probably local birds
- 2 Kingfishers at the lake
- 5 Chichaffs heard at the lake and 2 at The Flash. No other warblers
- Willow Tits at the lake
2 weeks away and little had changed on the building / development site.
All the earthworks are well confined to the 'Celestica' grounds and the
trees / fences etc around the lake are untouched - as they should be of
course
(Ed Wilson)
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