Thursday, 31st (3:00pm - 5:40pm) The Wrekin

I know its not local, but alas nobody has sent in any reports from anywhere close to Priorslee Lake, so I thought I'd let you know what's about up the big hill. What had started out as a fine sunny afternoon at the carpark turned into a bit of drenching. It was pretty damp as I ventured up the first 400 metres, but fortunately after 25 minutes the rain eased off and it wasn't until I got back down at 5:40pm that it started again.

Missed out on the reported Pied Flycatcher before the big bend, but managed to track a male just to the left off the gate (just above the cafe) as I was coming back down. Also managed to pin down a Spotted Flycatcher on the path running along the east side and 2 Wood Warblers. However did miss out on Common Redstart. Also about were 3 Tree Pipits on the summit and down the spine to the south, including one very obliging bird that landed just feet away from me. Unfortunately he spotted me almost immediately, before I could raise the lens of my camera up to him.

The list:
Buzzard 2 - both to the east
Kestrel 1 - Hovering on the summit
Pheasant present
Wood Pigeon present
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Swallow 3 - on the summit
House Martin 2 - on the summit
Tree Pipit 3 - all on the summit
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Jay
Magpie 3
Carrion Crow 5
Wren present
Dunnock present
Garden Warbler - 2
Blackcap present
Common Whitethroat 1 - on the south side
Willow Warbler present mainly on the summit
Chiffchaff 4 singing birds
Wood Warbler 2 - up the main track before it bends to the right
Goldcrest present
Pied Flycatcher 1 - Male just above the cafe
Spotted Flycatcher 2 - Along the east path
Robin present
Blackbird 5
Song Thrush 1 - By the gate on the lane
Blue Tit present
Coal Tit present
Great Tit present
Nuthatch 1
Treecreeper 4
Chaffinch present
Goldfinch present
Greenfinch present
Bullfinch 1 - male
Linnet 2 - On the summit

(Martin Adlam)

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Friday, 18th

Nedge Hill ( 09:23 - 09:39)
A very short visit to Nedge, just to check the field. Little of note
- 2 Mistle Thrushes the only real interest on the field
- Lesser Whitethroat still singing from the hedge at the bottom of the field
- 2 Whitethroats in song
otherwise the warblers noted were
- 1 Blackcap
- 2 Chiffchaffs
- 1 Willow Warbler

Walk from Priorslee Lake to The Flash and return (06:55 - 07:10 // 08:05 - 08:20)
Additional notes from the walk to & from
- duck Mallard on the upper pool with 2 well-grown ducklings - so where were they yesterday? Another duck flew over
- 2 adult Moorhens and 6 juveniles seen on the lower pool today; on the upper pool the adult sitting tight on the nest again
- a Buzzard circling over the wooded area alongside Teece Drive
- 4 Swifts over the same trees on walk out: presumed the same birds on the way back though I am not aware of a close nest-site
- just a scatter of House Martins over the estate
- a Mistle Thrush engaged in food-ferrying
- more Dunnocks than usual - 6: but 4 of these were seen and not in song or calling
- Greenfinches back in usual numbers - 7: why there were so few yesterday is a mystery
- a moth at one of the lights in the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue: still to be checked, but probably a Heart & Dart - a very common species
- molehills alongside the upper pool were unusual

Lanes / fields to E of Priorslee Lake (05:25 - 06:05)
A short visit just up and down the lane to, as noted, check that the Whitethroats had returned safely. The length of the grass at the lake is bad enough and tops the wellies in places, but the fields are no-go areas at the moment, so all the numbers are affected by a lack of stream-side counts
- 6 Mallard noted: 3 drakes and 1 duck near the sluice exit; another drake flew to the pond in the small copse in the field; and another drake seemed to be headed for Ward's Rough
- 3 Pheasants noted with a female causing heart-failure as it exploded from under my feet
- 1 Stock Dove flushed out of the trees
- 4 Sky Larks with 3 in song and I seen hovering over the fields [2 of the songsters could be heard from around the lake]
- 4 Whitethroats in song was about the usual mid-summer number
- 3 Linnets seen - only 1 male for certain
- 3 Yellowhammers was a lower count than previously but I guess they are nesting now and less obvious

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 17th

Walk from Priorslee Lake to The Flash and return (06:35 - 06:50 // 07:40 - 08:00)
Additional notes from the walk to & from
- a pair of Mallard on the upper pool though no ducklings seen and the drake flew off anyway
- just adult Moorhen and 2 juveniles seen on the lower pool today; on the upper pool 2 adults with one sitting tight on the nest while its mate brought ever more reeds to add to the burgeoning nest
- large number of Blackbirds recorded here as well - 21
- 3 Blackcaps in song were all alongside Teece Drive
- 1 Chiffchaff nesting near the Priorslee Avenue bridge
- very few tits today - the party of Long-tailed Tits working its way up from the lake along Teece Drive: but between the lake and The Flash I logged just 3 Blue Tits and no Great Tits!
- 1 Jay shot over
- at least 8 Starlings doing feeding trips to lofts in the main estate - though one could have just been a pursuing juvenile
- Greenfinches, normally singing / calling from houses and trees around the Priorslee Avenue bridge were strangely silent (and apparently absent) with just 1 seen in song
- 2 Bullfinch near the Priorslee Avenue bridge today

The Flash (06:50 - 07:40)
Additional notes from here
- only 1 adult Great Crested Grebe seen today and being chased by the begging juvenile
- the Swans do indeed have 6 small cygnets
- 54 adult Canada Geese again with 30 juveniles from at least 5 broods
- 9 ducklings in two very new broods with the Mallards today. 27 drakes and 5 ducks today
- at least 1 well-grown juvenile Moorhen seen with 2 adults on the island, though it seemed too small to be from the brood that 'disappeared' in the middle of last month
- 3 parties of juvenile Coots but lower numbers today, possibly because in the wet weather they were still being brooded by the adults
- 3 Swifts seen to the N
- no Swallows or House Martins seen
- a Collared Dove in song on a roof in Derwent Drive, though it then did a display flight and flew off
- big surprise was the Sedge Warbler that started singing from along the W side as I was making my way back down the E side. Took me some while to realise it wasn't some bizarre combination of distant Wren, Song Thrush and Dunnock making the typically haphazard song of this species. Where it had come from I have no idea other than to note that while I was away from the lake the 'extra' bird there might just have moved off
- still no Reed Warbler at the S end
- 6 Blackcaps in song today - twice the number I logged yesterday and all in different locations! [with 3 in Teece Drive and 11 around the lake this is proving to be a bumper year for this species]
- 2 singing Chiffchaffs again this morning
- only 4 Willow Warblers heard in song today
- a Jackdaw seen doing a display flight over the houses to the N was unusual
- as usual at this time of year a steady passage of single Rooks overhead: only seems to happen at this time of year when they are scarce over the lake on roost dispersal
- it was the turn of the Starlings in Derwent Drive to scold the lurking Magpies
- no Reed Bunting heard

(Ed Wilson)

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Wednesday, 16th

Nedge Hill (08:49 - 09:24)
Notes:
Just a quick visit up and down the edge of the horse field to check for migrants. While the grass is still very short an explosion of buttercups might look attractive it rather gets in the way of finding birds feeding - not that there seemed to be any [though Wheatear was reported as present yesterday by a regular who I later met in Asda!]
- the male Great Spotted Woodpecker still drumming on the metal part of one of the power poles
- 1 Pied Wagtail on the horse field
- 1 Skylark in song: none seen in horse field
- a Swallow passing through
- 2 Lesser Whitethroats in song - one at each end of the horse field
- 3 Common Whitethroats in song
- 1 Garden Warbler in song - more along Naird Lane I would suspect
- 1 Blackcap in song
- 1 Chiffchaff in song
- no Linnets noted
- at least 7 Yellowhammers with a pair on the horse field
- other than as noted above the horse field boasted just 5 Wood Pigeons, 2 Robins, 1 Blackbird, 2 Magpies, 1 Crow and 2 Starlings

Walk from Priorslee Lake to The Flash and return (06:05 - 06:20 // 07:15 - 07:35)
Additional notes from the walk to & from
- a pair of Mallard with 2 small ducklings on the upper pool
- 2 adult Moorhens on the lower pool still with 8 juveniles and one of the adults started nest-building on a different location; on the upper pool an adult sitting tight on the nest
- large number of Blackbirds recorded here as well - 21
- 3 Song Thrushes in song was also as many as I have had all year for this stretch
- 2 Mistle Thrushes at very different locations suggest that there are 2 breeding sites
- 4 Blackcaps in song reflects the higher than usual number at the main lake
- at least 7 Starlings doing feeding trips to lofts in the main estate
- the only Goldfinch logged today flew over
- a Bullfinch in the hedges around the upper pool was in a slightly unusual location

The Flash (06:20 - 07:15)
Additional notes from here
- 5 adult Great Crested Grebes: the pair with the surviving juvenile at the S end; a pair mainly asleep but sometimes doing rather lethargic display in the middle of the lake; and another adult asleep in the NE area (partner on hidden nest nearby?)
- the Swans with at least 5 small cygnets: one of the regulars said there had been and still were 6 - perhaps one on the adult's back and I missed it
- 60 adult Canada Geese and 30 juveniles from at least 5 broods - 4 of these in a crèche of 23 goslings attended by 23 adults; but 7 very new goslings with a very defensive pair. Whoever has pricked the eggs in the last few years did not make such a good job of it this year!
- no ducklings with the Mallards today though I only logged 2 ducks (but 33 drakes), so perhaps they are hiding
- no Tufted Duck here either
- no Moorhen juveniles noted
- at least 3 parties of juveniles Coots: the 2 along the E side that were present last month are now well-grown and pale-chested; a single juvenile with a pair of adults in the NW area; and 2 small juveniles being fed in the NE area
- Swifts returned to the breeding area to the N and 4 seen over
- Swallows also around the usual breeding site to the N as well as a lone bird flying through
- House Martins around traditional nest areas to SW, N and NE
- large number of Blackbirds recorded - 26
- 2 Song Thrushes in song was as many as I have heard all year from here
- no Reed Warbler at the S end yet: but it was well into June when it appeared last year - when all the territories at the lake are full?
- 3 Blackcaps in song
- struggled to hear a distant second singing Chiffchaff this morning
- 6 Willow Warblers in song
- Goldcrest singing at S end
- 12 Magpies was more than recently
- Starlings around the estate: in Wordsworth Way an agitated adult was scolding a lurking Magpie and at least 2 juveniles could be seen peering out from under the eaves
- reserve judgement on Reed Bunting: thought I heard it in the distance, but did not hear it later

(Ed Wilson)

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Saturday, 12th (8:00am - 8:25) Nedge Hill

Species
Pheasant 1
Wood Pigeon 3 - Feeding in the bottom paddock
Swallow 6 - Two lots of 3 flying around the paddocks.
Skylark 2 - Singing overhead
Pied Wagtail 2 - Feeding in the top and middle paddock
Wren present
Dunnock present
Robin present
Blackbird 5
Song Thrush 1 - By the gate on the lane
Blackcap 2 - a male singing from the bushes by the road.
Garden Warbler - A pair by the main gate
Common Whitethroat - 3
Willow Warbler 1 - One in the hedgerow that runs to the north of the paddocks.
Chiffchaff 2 - One by the paddock and the other in the hedgerow that runs to the north of the paddocks.
Blue Tit present
Great Tit present
Magpie 3
Carrion Crow 5
Rook present
Yellowhammer 2 - A pair in the hedgerow alongside the paddocks.
Chaffinch present
Goldfinch present
Greenfinch present
Bullfinch 1 - in the lane
Linnet 2 - Just a pair seen today

(Martin Adlam)

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Monday, 7th (8:49am - 10:05) Nedge Hill

Weather
Cloudy 13C. Drizzle moved in by 10:00am

Species number narrative
Heron - Flew north over the fields
Wood Pigeon 6 - Feeding in the bottom paddock
Swift - At least 2 didn't see them but could hear them overhead
Swallow 4 - Two pairs
Skylark 5 - Singing overhead and a pair in the bottom paddock
Pied Wagtail 2 - Feeding in the top and middle paddock
Wren 4 - mainly along the hedgerow alongside the paddock
Dunnock 3
Robin 5 -
Blackbird 5 - a pair were collecting food in the bottom paddock
Song Thrush 1 - Singing from the lane
Mistle Thrush 2 - In the tall trees below the paddocks
Blackcap 2 - a male singing from the bushes by the road.
Garden Warbler - A pair by the main gate
Common Whitethroat - 3
Lesser Whitethroat - one in the hedgerow just north of the paddocks
Willow Warbler 1 - One in the hedgerow that runs to the north of the paddocks.
Chiffchaff 2 - One by the paddock and the other in the hedgerow that runs to the north of the paddocks.
Blue Tit 1 -
Great Tit 3
Magpie 3
Carrion Crow 2
Yellowhammer 4 - Two pairs one feeding in the paddock and the other in the hedgerow below the paddocks.
Chaffinch 4
Goldfinch 2
Greenfinch 2
Linnet 6 - Three pairs. In the hedgerows, top and bottom paddocks.

Also:
Missed out on a possible Spotted Flycatcher in the corner of the bottom paddock. It was being hounded by a pair of Chaffinches and almost driven off into the hedgerow!

Mammals:
Fox 1 - In the fields below the paddocks

(Martin Adlam / Arthur Harper)

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Sunday, 6th (9:45am) Nedge Hill

Ring Ouzel 1 - female still present in the paddocks
Wheatear 4 - In the paddocks this morning

(Arthur Harper)

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Saturday, 5th (12:00pm - 1:00pm)

Nedge Hill
Two Wheatears

(John Isherwood)

Not very local I know, but still of interest:

Ercall Woods
Wood Warbler 2 - Single birds in the woods on your left going towards the Wrekin.

Alscott
Yellow Wagtail - 3 Sitting on the telegraph wires just north of the settling pools at Alscott Sugar Beet Factory.

(Martin Adlam)