11 Sep 15

Priorslee Lake: 05:34 – 07:10 // 08:10 – 09:32
Location
Telford sunrise: 06:36

10.0°C > 15.0°C clear with a few thin wisps of cloud and rather hazy. Light SE breeze; moderate, even fresh, at times later. Moderate visibility becoming good

More signs of autumn with 3 Shovelers and 3 immature / female Teal at the lake and a Wigeon over. Also 5 Siskins over the lake; and the first Redpoll of the autumn over The Flash

(113th visit of the year)

Other notes
- the geese were all headed N (rather than NE or E) and were too far away to specifically ID and to count accurately. At least 300. Just 2 Canada Geese veered off and paused at the lake
- just 3 Teal this morning, but today with 3 Shoveler. The Shoveler seemed not to be the same as those seen Wednesday as none had the pale crescent mark on the face. Even using a telescope I was unable to sex / age these birds as they stayed as far away from the edges as possible
- no hirundines until 08:20: all birds seemed to just pause and then move on S / SE and were likely migrants
- I managed to locate two different flight lines of Pied Wagtails leaving a roost this morning and amassed a creditable total of 30 birds. Back-projection of the flight lines suggests they may have all started at the far side (from me) of the Ricoh grounds / factory
- 9 Chiffchaffs (2 in song) and 3 Blackcaps again were the warblers located here today
- 4 Siskins together over c.07:00: a single heard at c.09:00
and
- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats
- no dragonflies or butterflies
- as befits the ‘National Moth Night’ when we are all counting and submitting records of moths there were none on the lamps or in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel! I did however flush a single Pleuroptya ruralis (or Mother of Pearl) which then went and hid in a clump of its food-plant: nettles

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- >300 geese (>18 groups)
- 1 Wigeon
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 208 Jackdaws again!
- 202 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 30(!) Pied Wagtails
- 5 Siskins

Count of hirundines etc
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 25 House Martins

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 3 (?♂) Common Teal
- 28 (14+♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Shoveler
- 7 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Grey Herons
- 3 Little Grebes
- 6 + 8 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 11 + 13 Moorhens
- 185 Coots
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again

Rather hazy start to the morning again.

This duck circled overhead and then passed on. A ‘grab shot’ shows it has a largely white underside which means it is a drake Pintail or a Wigeon. Goosander is ruled out as that would show clear demarcation between the dark head and white from the neck down – it would also appear slimmer which also rules out Pintail. The rather pointed rear is OK for Wigeon – a drake Pintail would normally have a much longer point, though that could be missing at this time of year when in moult.

Do you ever get the feeling you are being watched? This Grey Heron seems to be looking at me rather intently.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash:  07:20 – 08:00
Location

(81st visit of the year)

Notes
- a correction / clarification of the Mute Swan situation after discussion with the locals and information from the ‘keeper of the Swan ringing records’ Martin Grant. The resident pair and parents of the cygnets were cob yellow 52F and pen blue 7HJJ. Early this week another two birds arrived. For the first day they all spent their time chasing each other, leaving the cygnets audibly distressed. Exactly which sex all these birds were and who was chasing whom is largely conjecture as they never came close enough to allow the rings to be read. By Tuesday what were probably two pens seemed to have reached some accommodation and were together, with the cygnets, on the island: while the other two (cobs?) continued a less energetic chase. By Wednesday one of the birds had gone – not sure which. Then as from yesterday (Thursday) the resident pen 7HJJ and a new cob Blue 7IDV seem resident. This new bird was ringed as an adult in July 2009 in the West Midlands but in the last two years has frequented Holmer Lake, just down the A442. With mum still being around then the cygnets stand more of a chance of being taught to fly, but today the two adults were having little to do with each other and the cygnets were doing their own thing again
- the House Martins flew through in two groups and seemed not to be birds from the estate area
- 5 Chiffchaffs (1 in song again) and 2 Blackcaps (also 1 in sub-song) were the warblers logged here. It is rather unusual for Blackcaps (and other Sylvia warblers – Whitethroat, Garden Warbler etc.) to sing in autumn though (male) Phylloscopus warblers (Chiffchaff, Willow Warblers etc.) will often do so until the end of October

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Redpoll as highlighted

Hirundines etc
- 12 House Martins

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 28 (18♂) Mallard
- 30 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 17 Coots
- 5 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake

2 Snipe
Wheatear
3 Raven

(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake

 1 Hobby
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Swift
2 Teal
1 Meadow Pipit

(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake

Black Tern
Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)