26 Sep 18

Priorslee Lake and Priorslee Flash

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:00
The Flash: 09:05 – 09:50

9°C > 15°C: Some areas of cloud and a few spots of rain in the air at times. Good sunny spells too. Moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:01 BST

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 – 09:00

(115th visit of the year)

A duck Eurasian Wigeon flew in c.08:15. I did not see any here late last Winter or on Spring passage and it became my 96th bird species here this year

But best today was the juvenile / 1st winter Common Gull that came in with Black-headed Gulls leaving the fields to the E c.08:45. Despite its name this species is far from ‘common’ in South Shropshire. My annual bird species count here moves to 97

Other bird notes:
- there are 4 Little Grebes: the group of three that I have logged on several days recently: and a separate juvenile – the bird I photographed yesterday
- very few Black-headed Gulls arrived early, though 22 were noted on the football field at 07:10. Later they flew in from the fields to the NE and SE with at least 175 birds eventually present
- one Jackdaw was seen perched in a tree around the lake. They only usually do this if they become disorientated by fog over the water
- best roost dispersal flight of Rooks for ages
- the 27 Barn Swallows were in a single loose group at 08:20 and yet again were all, rather strangely, flying W
- the 11 House Martins were also in a single group: these paused to hunt over the lake for a few minutes c.08:40 and then moved off SE
- 2 Grey Wagtails seen by the entrance gate in Teece Drive. 2 seen later on the dam may or may not have been different birds as singles were also seen in flight over the water. This species was absent most of the summer
- a party of 11 Pied Wagtails flew high SW c.06:45, presumably a roost dispersal. A few singles over later were probably local birds
- single Meadow Pipit the only obvious other migrant
- many fewer Chiffchaffs: perhaps the clear moonlight night encouraged them to move off

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake: (affected by my late arrival and the poor weather)
- 2 Greylag Geese [pair outbound]
- 3 Common Buzzards again
- 13 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 3 Stock Doves (1 group)
- 14 Wood Pigeons only
- 27 Jackdaws
- 36 Rooks
- 16 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit

Hirundines etc. noted
- 23 Barn Swallows
- 11 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the lake area
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans: a visiting adult, briefly
- 1 (0♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 2 (1♂) Gadwalls remain
- 6 (3♂) Mallards
- 11 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Little Grebes
- 3 + 2 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 Moorhens
- 149 Coots
- >175 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Common Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

And other notes
- my log today consisted of just
- 1 Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverfly)
- >5 wasp sp. (one dead in web)
- 1 White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Away from the heat-haze on the horizon a rather clearer shot of the Harvest Moon. It loses some of its size and colour as a result.

Another portfolio of sunrise photos.

A bit later.

Later still with the rising sun just catching the lower cloud.

And, briefly, really lighting the clouds up.

A swirl of cloud here that threatened to give some rain – there was a small rainbow for a while.

On this view we can see precipitation ‘hanging’ below the cloud. Most of this evaporated before ground-level.

A record shot only of this morning’s very distant duck Eurasian Wigeon. Key features are the rufous tones, the rounded head and the dark surround to the eye. In this view we could not easily separate a duck from an eclipse drake but I saw the bird in flight when the upperwing pattern was apparent. It was a duck.

A series of necessarily poor photos of the juvenile / 1st winter Common Gull. I was shooting in to the light and the bird was rather distant. It left before settling to allow a closer or better angled view. Here we see the pale area on the inner primaries extending on to the coverts. A particular point to note here is the markings on the underwing. At this age a Mediterranean Gull is very similar but has an unmarked underwing apart from the trailing edge.
The coverts are pale grey. Here we see the rather clean wide sub-terminal tail band – on a Mediterranean Gull the band is more diffuse. Oddly the legs look pink – they should not! I suspect this is just strong back-lighting shining through.

Here, under threat from a Black-headed Gull, we note the rather larger size of this bird. We also see the rather staring dark eye – on a Mediterranean Gull it would be more ‘smudgy’. The bill is not ‘stout’ and has a pale base both features that differ from a Mediterranean Gull.
A final look.

Served the wasp right for going near a spider’s web.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:05 – 09:50

(93rd visit of the year)

Notes
- as usual some of the geese were inside the island where I could not count them
- no sign of the remaining juvenile Great Crested Grebe
also
- an unidentified midge sp. on lamp
- >5 wasp sp. around the ivy – not yet open-enough to attract hoverflies

Birds noted flying over or near to The Flash
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook again

Local hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers noted
- 1 Chiffchaff

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans as usual
- >62 Greylag Geese
- >38 Canada Geese
- 28 (17♂) + 4 juvenile Mallard
- 14 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great Crested Grebes only
- 2 Moorhens
- 10 Coots only
- 21 Black-headed Gulls

Midges are present all year. They rarely allow this close a shot, resting at head-height on a lamp post. It might (or might not) be a clear photo but it does not help me identify it!
Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- 2 adult and 1 juvenile Moorhens on grass by upper pool
- 1 a crane fly on lamps, likely Tipula confusa
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Not all crane fly species rest with the wings held open. Here is a case in point. It seems rather larger than I would expect but I think it is a Tipula confusa – no vernacular name.
(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2011
Priorslee Lake
115 Greylag Geese
420+ Canada Geese
Shoveler
Common Sandpiper
Kingfisher
3 Blackcaps
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)