Friends of Priorslee Lake Wildlife Site
29 Sep 26
2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
2 Sparrowhawks
24 Swallows
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
Siskin
105 Greenfinches
Swallow
House Martin
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
28 Sep 26
2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Skylarks
3 Meadow Pipits
26 Pied Wagtails
7 Siskins
2 Redpolls
142 Greylag Geese
320 Canada Geese
Common Sandpiper
45 Robins
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Cormorant
A pair of Wigeon
220 Coots
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
2007
RAF Cosford
Juvenile Gannet flew over RAF Cosford
(Martin R Adlam)
2005
Priorslee Lake
3 Redpoll
Siskin
5 Chiffchaffs
Blackcap
Kingfisher
Buzzard
2 Kestrel
Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson)
27 Sep 26
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Teal
3 Wigeon
1 Kingfisher
(John Isherwood)
2011
Priorslee Lake
13 Meadow Pipits
3 Redpoll
Siskin
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Juvenile Common Scoter
3 Little Grebes
Drake Pintail x Mallard
(Ed Wilson/Andy Latham)
26 Sep 26
8.0°C > 14.0°C: Mostly clear with just some thin high cloud to the south-east. A calm start with mist over the water. A light moderate south-westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:01 BST
* = a species photographed today. NB photos will be added later
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
I am taking a few days break from the early starts. I will be back!
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:15
(220th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no Mute Swans until a pair(?) from the north-west at 07:35. Another pair(?) arrived from the West at 08:05. The tow pairs stayed well-apart for a while before one pair started chasing (not sure which) with the chased leaving to the East.
- no Tufted Duck.
- a Little Grebe heard pattering across the surface and then glimpsed just as it dived at the West end.
- gull counts once again impacted by early low-level mist:
- only about 100 Black-headed Gulls noted by 07:00. Just five on the football field c.07:15.
- c.175 Lesser Black-backed Gulls present by 07:00 with, as usual, these all departing by 07:30. No Herring Gulls identified at that time. A steady later arrival saw 79 pass through to bathe and drink before 09:00 with six Herring Gulls at this time.
- at least 110 large gulls, likely mostly Lesser Black-backs, flew South to the far East between 06:45 and 07:00. Later just 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over
- again seven Chiffchaffs were noted with two of these heard singing.
- at least ten Greenfinches flew out of the trees alongside Teece Drive c.07:20, Good to see a small roost of this much declined species. Going back 25 years (pre my easily-accessed computer records) I recall seeing as many as 400 birds leaving the trees at dawn from the south-east part of the area.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- >120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 311 Jackdaws
- 109 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Counts from the lake area:
- 0 > 2 > 4 > 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 9 (6♂) *Mallard only
- no Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 42 Coot
- 1 Little Grebe
- 11 Great Crested Grebes only
- >100 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- >250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 *Cormorants: a trio and three singles arrived; some departed
- 2 Grey Herons
Warblers noted:
- 7 Chiffchaffs: of these two in song again
- 1 Blackcap: calling only
Also noted:
Very little.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- *unidentified ichneumon
True flies:
- cranefly Tipula confusa
Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Other true flies
- *Muscid fly Phaonia signata [was P. tuguriorum]
also several unidentified flies
On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
True flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 1 *unidentified fly
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *unidentified orb spider Araniella sp.
- 2 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat at this time
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
True flies:
- 11 midges of at least three species
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *cranefly Tipula lateralis
Arthropods:
- 5 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 4 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 5 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25
(217th visit of the year)
Definitely a "heron" day with six Grey Herons, three Little Egrets and two Great (White) Egrets on the island.
Bird notes:
- again just the four Canada Geese that never seem to fly anywhere.
- six Mute Swans still.
- no Tufted Duck found.
- 43 brownhead Goosander.
- one full adult Great Crested Grebe was seen with just two juveniles. Much later this a repeated sighting in a different part of the water but were they different birds? There was also an immature noted at the top end.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 29 (17♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 43 (0♂) Goosander
- 3 Moorhens only
- 16 Coot
- 2 (3?) + 2 (4?) (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 21 *Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants
- 6 *Grey Herons
- 2 *Great (White) Egrets
- 3 *Little Egrets
Warblers noted:
- 4 Chiffchaffs: one of these in song
Noted around the area:
A few more things: the sun was out but possibly still too cool for some insects:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >5 *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- >5 *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- 3 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]
- 1 *Syrphus sp.
Other true flies:
- greenbottles
- several other species of fly not identified
Bugs:
- 2 *Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
Beetles:
- 1 7
- 1 *harvestman Opilio canestrini
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
115 Greylag Geese
420+ Canada Geese
Shoveler
Common Sandpiper
Kingfisher
3 Blackcaps
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
25 Sep 26
Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash
12.0°C > 14.0°C > 12.0°C: Early fog lifting to give a few bright intervals. Then after 09:20 drizzle, often heavy. Once again there were light winds early with a moderate north-westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility until drizzle when moderate at best.
Sunrise: 07:00 BST
* = a species photographed today. NB photos will be added later
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:20
(219th visit of the year)
Highlight today was the arrival of two *Great (White) Egrets at 07:45. They stayed about 15 minutes before heading off West
Other bird notes:
- the pair(?) of Mute Swans throughout.
- much flying about by the Mallard. Possible (many?) more that I have logged.
- no Little Grebe seen or heard but with fog early that may not mean much.
- gull counts badly affected by the fog:
- about 200 Black-headed Gulls were still present early when the fog temporarily thinned around 07:00. After 08:30 only 28 seen. I did not bother with the football field.
- I counted 62 Lesser Black-backed Gulls leaving to the East after c.06:45 with at least 75 still on the water. No Herring Gulls identified at that time but with many on the water being first year birds it was difficult to be sure. There was no big arrival / return later with just 29 Lesser Black-backs and a single Herring Gull noted
- just seven Chiffchaffs were noted with two of these heard singing.
- most of the Jackdaws and all of the Rooks on roost dispersal overhead were lost in the mist.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- 38 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens again
- 46 Coot
- no Little Grebe
- 10 *Great Crested Grebes only
- >200 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- >150 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 *Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 *Grey Herons
- 2 *Great (White) Egrets: arrived and departed
Warblers noted:
- 7 Chiffchaffs: of these two in song
Also noted:
Very little.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
True flies:
- cranefly Tipula confusa
Beetles:
- *(dead?) ground-beetle from the Pterostichus genus
Fungus:
- *Brown Rollrim Paxillus involutus
On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
Moths / Butterflies:
- 1 *unidentified caterpillar
True flies:
- 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 small midge
Beetles:
- 1 probable Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Garden Spider Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]
(Ed Wilson)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
True flies:
- 16 midges of at least three species
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 8 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 12 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
(Ed Wilson)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15
(216th visit of the year)
We were all affected by the soaking drizzle
Bird notes:
- just the four Canada Geese that never seem to fly anywhere.
- six Mute Swans again.
- a single duck/immature Tufted Duck noted: four of them certainly drakes.
- 37 brownhead Goosander.
- one full adult Great Crested Grebe was sometimes with the four dependent juveniles one of which is declaring UDI much of the time. No other full adult seen but an immature was at the top end.
- an adult and three immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived.
- two Cormorants were arriving as I was departing. None had been sitting in the trees previously.
Bird(s) noted flying over here: None
Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 33 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 37 (0♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 18 Coot
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: arrived together
- 2 Cormorants: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Egrets remain
Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff in song
Noted around the area:
Almost nothing in the drizzle apart from....
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >10 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
(Ed Wilson)
24 Sep 26
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)