Priorslee Lake: 05:50 – 09:01
Location
Telford sunrise: 06:55
9.0°C > 9.5°C. Very low cloud and drizzly rain: rain more or less ceased by 06:15 but stayed very cloudy and dull. Calm start with moderate NNW later. Moderate / poor visibility
(123rd visit of the year)
Other notes
- the whole lake was packed with geese when I arrived. The count below comprises 372 Canada Geese that were counted leaving between 06:40 and 07:30 with another 18 that had flown in after 06:00. Then 2 more Canada Geese arrived after 08:30. With all these Canada Geese there were 10 Greylag Geese as singles / twos in the departing groups. And the small Cackling-type Canada Goose
- in addition to the fly-over Feral Pigeon two other birds were seen leaving the grounds of the new academy. It is most unusual to see these on the ground in the area
- 6 Chiffchaffs (2 in song) and 1 Blackcap noted
- in addition another warbler was heard calling: like a Blackcap but less ‘harsh’ than that species. I suspect it was a Lesser Whitethroat but I am insufficiently familiar with the call to make a positive ID. And it was not coming out of its shelter deep in a thick bush to let me have a look!
- the 3 Mistle Thrushes flew high overhead as part of one of the groups of Jackdaws (!)
And
- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats
- no moths on the lamps: just a Caddis fly sp.
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet and 1 Barred Sallow moths in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
Another low-cloud affected day
- 1 Peregrine
- 47 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeons
- 78 Jackdaws
- 58 Rooks
- 13 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 3 Mistle Thrushes
Hirundines etc
None
The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 392 Canada Geese (see notes)
- 1 Cackling Goose (small Canada Goose)
- 21 (10♂) Mallard
- 24 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 3 Little Grebes again
- 8 + 9 Great Crested Grebes again
- 11 + 21 Moorhens
- 189 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
This is an exceptionally well-marked and presumably therefore very fresh specimen of a Barred Sallow moth in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.
This specimen of Common Marbled Carpet is rather easier to identify than several others I have photographed recently: the form here with the brown area in the middle of the wing is very common. The brown form is not known to occur in the otherwise similar Dark Marbled Carpet.
Superficially similar to several species of grass moth the long antennae point to this being a Caddis fly sp. Note that it lacks the ‘staring’ eye with the surprised look shown by grass moths. Nearly 200 species of Caddis fly are known from the UK. To start identification you need to look at the arrangement of small spurs on each pair of legs ... I’ll pass at the moment [the black mark also on the lamp is detritus].
Not a great shot but a record of a distant speeding Peregrine on a dull morning. Streaking on the breast is just visible which indicates it is a juvenile which possibly explains why there is no obvious black moustachial stripe. The most likely confusion species is Hobby but that would show longer, narrower wings which would be typically held more angled at the ‘elbow’. It would also show a ‘thinner’ profile with less of a ‘belly’.
Location
Telford sunrise: 06:55
9.0°C > 9.5°C. Very low cloud and drizzly rain: rain more or less ceased by 06:15 but stayed very cloudy and dull. Calm start with moderate NNW later. Moderate / poor visibility
(123rd visit of the year)
Other notes
- the whole lake was packed with geese when I arrived. The count below comprises 372 Canada Geese that were counted leaving between 06:40 and 07:30 with another 18 that had flown in after 06:00. Then 2 more Canada Geese arrived after 08:30. With all these Canada Geese there were 10 Greylag Geese as singles / twos in the departing groups. And the small Cackling-type Canada Goose
- in addition to the fly-over Feral Pigeon two other birds were seen leaving the grounds of the new academy. It is most unusual to see these on the ground in the area
- 6 Chiffchaffs (2 in song) and 1 Blackcap noted
- in addition another warbler was heard calling: like a Blackcap but less ‘harsh’ than that species. I suspect it was a Lesser Whitethroat but I am insufficiently familiar with the call to make a positive ID. And it was not coming out of its shelter deep in a thick bush to let me have a look!
- the 3 Mistle Thrushes flew high overhead as part of one of the groups of Jackdaws (!)
And
- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats
- no moths on the lamps: just a Caddis fly sp.
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet and 1 Barred Sallow moths in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
Another low-cloud affected day
- 1 Peregrine
- 47 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeons
- 78 Jackdaws
- 58 Rooks
- 13 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 3 Mistle Thrushes
Hirundines etc
None
The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 392 Canada Geese (see notes)
- 1 Cackling Goose (small Canada Goose)
- 21 (10♂) Mallard
- 24 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 3 Little Grebes again
- 8 + 9 Great Crested Grebes again
- 11 + 21 Moorhens
- 189 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)
Other notes
- 1 Chiffchaff only (no song)
Birds noted flying over
- 1 Raven
Hirundines etc.
None
The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 14 Greylag Geese
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 40 (23♂) Mallard
- 48 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- 2 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- no gulls
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other notes
- 1 Chiffchaff only (no song)
Birds noted flying over
- 1 Raven
Hirundines etc.
None
The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 14 Greylag Geese
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 40 (23♂) Mallard
- 48 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- 2 Moorhens
- 14 Coots
- no gulls
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in 2007 and 2008
2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Common Redstart
Common Redstart
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
The Flash
The drake Mallard x Pintail has returned for the 5th year at least
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Gadwall
Redwing
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)