9 Sep 15

Priorslee Lake: 05:36 – 07:00 // 07:55 – 09:18
Location

Telford sunrise: 06:33

10.5°C > 12.0°C. Mainly medium overcast with a few blue cracks. Light SSE wind. Good visibility

Best this morning were
- Shoveler at both the lake and The Flash
- my first Meadow Pipit of the Autumn over The Flash

The new Holy Trinity Academy in Teece Drive will have pupils from tomorrow. In the grand tradition of “lastminute.com” there was frantic activity this morning to remove all the temporary fences used during the construction; to add top soil to beautify the verges flattened during the work; plant the last of the shrubs; and realign the lamps in the car park that did not need a plumb-line to see were at wayward angles

(111th visit of the year)

Other notes
- no geese on the lake early this morning with the lone Canada Goose arriving after 09:00. All the geese were late outbound this morning with none seen passing prior to 06:25. Just 25 were seen later inbound
- during the breeding season the Magpies desert the roost in the NW trees. Recently they have been in low numbers – single figures most days. Today I noted at least 8 jumping about around the roost trees: possibly prospecting it as I did not see or hear any around the area first thing
- the Rooks passed high over as usual: many of the Jackdaws decided to hedge-hop almost below my sight-line and are therefore possibly under-recorded
- a few early House Martins over before 07:00: no more hirundines until 08:55 when a mixed group of c.55 birds arrived with at least 1 Sand Martin with them
- 11 Chiffchaffs (3 in song) and 5 Blackcaps were the warblers located today: no Reed Warbler noted
- at least 60 Goldfinches feeding on the thistle-heads

and
- 2 Pipistrelle bats
- no dragonflies or butterflies
- no moths on the lamps
- 3 moths in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel: the same a Riband Wave and Centre-barred Sallow had been joined by what is probably a Bright-line Brown-eye

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 47 Greylag Geese (5 groups)
- 204 Canada Geese (19 groups)
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 149 Jackdaws
- 147 Rooks
- 1 Raven
- 1 Pied Wagtail only

Count of hirundines etc
- 1+ Sand Martin
- 5 Barn Swallows yet again
- >50 House Martins

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Canada Goose
- 28 (14♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Shoveler
- 9 (3♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 5 + 8 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 9 + 22 Moorhens
- 192 Coots
- 89 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Here is a Shoveler: this bird is a drake in eclipse plumage when it shows the pale crescent mark on the face behind the bill. This feature is also present in the adult drake of the closely-related Blue-winged Teal of the New World but is only shown by drake Shoveler at this time of year.

On the water I had these identified as an eclipse drake and two ducks but this flying shot shows that there are two drakes and only one duck – the width of the white strip behind the pale blue forewing is diagnostic. The duck with the thinner white strip also shows a duller and more grey-blue forewing.

The difference in the forewing of drake, on the left, and duck is more clearly shown in this different edited view.

Not quite sharp even after editing but clear confirmation of two drakes.

Two and a part of a 3rd harvestman here: are the two main insects male and female of the same species?

This moth is likely too worn to positively ID but I suspect it is a Bright-line Brown-eye, the bright line having been worn off – it certainly has a brown eye. Doubts arise because only in “the south” does this species have a 2nd brood at this time of year: global warming notwithstanding I am not sure we qualify as the “the south”. Frustrating because had it been confirmed it would have been my first record of this common species for Shropshire. A spider sp. is lurking for an easy meal on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel.

The Centre-barred Sallow had repositioned since yesterday and presented a much better angle to show its ‘centre bar’ properly.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 07:10 – 07:45
Location

(79th visit of the year)

Notes
- just 1 additional Mute Swan this morning being chased: seemed to leave as not seen later. Did not read any rings so not sure who was chasing whom. Meanwhile the pen was sitting on the island and the children minding their own business at the other end of the water
- duck Shoveler was welcome
- Kingfisher seen: turns out it is my first this year here
- 2 Chiffchaffs (no song) the only warbler seen / heard

Birds noted flying over
- 1 male Sparrowhawk
- 1 Meadow Pipit as highlighted

Hirundines etc

None

The counts from the water
- 3 + 3 Mute Swans
- 6 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 37 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Shoveler
- 26 (12♂) Tufted Duck- 1 all-white feral duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 + 1 Moorhens
- 16 Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull

Here is the duck Shoveler this morning. When I first noticed the bird the bill was not contrasting with the water and it was the rather large and pale-edged flank feathers that drew my attention to it being something different.

Here comes breakfast ...

............there goes breakfast! Great Crested Grebes of course.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014

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

2013

Priorslee Lake

3 Shovelers
(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
Possible Yellow-legged Gull
Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake
 3 Teal
4 Swifts
1 Sedge Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)