30 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 –09:20
The Flash:  09:25 – 10:25

11.0°C > 14.0°C:  Very strange: clear to N and E; cloud to S and W with dividing line overhead almost throughout. Some distant mist at times. Calm start with light S breeze later. Very good visibility except for the few mist patches.

Sunrise: 07:08 BST

As a postscript to the passage of Meadow Pipits noted yesterday. At Belvide Reservoir, about 12 miles to the E, the birdwatchers made a count of all migration overhead between 08:00 and 09:30. They logged >500 Meadow Pipits. There must have been many thousand birds moving on a wide front, vacating northern hills for more temperate coastal areas to the south.

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 –09:20

(235th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
When I did the 07:15 ‘football’ field count there were already dogs on the grass. It produced 42 Black-headed Gulls, 11 Wood Pigeons, just 1 Magpie, and 16 Pied Wagtails. The Black-headed Gulls quickly vacated to the academy playing fields where there eventually 74 were noted.
At 09:00 another disappointing repeat count produced two Magpies and two Pied Wagtails.

Other notes:
- 11 Tufted Ducks on the water at 06:20: Six of these left to the W at 06:25. Later only three ducks found.
- The early large gulls almost all flew on with just eight birds at the tail-end of the movement pausing on the water. Very few large gulls later.
- Once again c.50 Wood Pigeons put up from fields to E and N, not included in fly-over totals. Higher number flying over today anyway.
- At least three, possibly more, Chiffchaffs were feeding and chasing around at the W end in the Ricoh hedge. At this time none of them was calling. One (of these?) had been singing in the area earlier. Two calling elsewhere, one of which was also in song.
- A single small thrush flew over. It is always rewarding if Redwing can be found in September. Sadly this bird did not call – as Redwings almost always do: it was probably just a Song Thrush.
- The often clear sky made finding small birds flying over, especially the Meadow Pipits, a struggle. Many fewer than yesterday were heard calling in flight.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- c.138 Greylag Geese (18 in one group outbound; c.120 in one group inbound)
- 16 Canada Geese (1 group outbound)
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- c.170 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 169 Wood Pigeons
- 111 Jackdaws
- 116 Rooks
- 5 Starlings
- 1 thrush sp. (see notes)
- 2 Skylarks
- 5 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 5+ (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall only
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 11 (?♂) Tufted Ducks (see notes)
- 1 Cormorant again
- Little Grebe(s) heard only
- 7 adult + 3 immatures + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens yet again
- 113 Coots
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: six of these first-winter birds
- 2 Herring Gulls: both of these first-winter birds
- 8 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 1 Kingfisher

Pre-dawn sightings on the lamp poles:
- 1 Brick Moth (Agrochola circellaris)
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen
- 2 small flies

Later sightings:
- 1 Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa)
- several fruiting bodies of the Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus) fungus
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Very strange clouds at the lake this morning. Brooding and dark to the S; clear to the N. The light on the N shore is a fisherman attending his lines.

The cloud moved very little. Here later as the sun begins to add colour.

Later some good colour as two of the cygnet Mute Swans swim by. Seen it all before!

The long view – perhaps ‘wide view’ is a better description.

The adult Mute Swan is no more impressed than the cygnet was.

Last one. Was rather special this morning.

A handsome creature with a bill not to be messed with. Designed for tearing meat – usually only dead meat. The yellow flesh above the base of the bill (the cere) tells us this Common Buzzard is an adult.

Here it is on its perch – with an annoying shadow across its chest. The barring on the breast confirms it is an adult – one a juvenile the breast is streaked.

Mr. Blackbird among the hawthorn berries eyeing up breakfast.

Meanwhile Mrs. Blackbird is tucking in. Need to be acrobatic to access the berries. Perhaps females are slightly lighter than males and more able to hang on like this?

And another. So soon.

Burp! Pardon.

One fungus I can identify is this Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus). Not able to do any ‘gardening’ as all the small group were inside the academy fence.

This moth is a Brick (Agrochola circellaris). A new moth for me in Shropshire and after a recount this is species #73 that I have identified at the lake this year."
(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:25 – 10:25

(223rd visit of the year)

Six Skylarks overhead were my first here this year: bird species #79 for 2019 at The Flash.

Other notes from here:
- One Sparrowhawk flew high W. Later two flew W more or less together. So were there three individuals?
- Two Starlings directly over: then 25 seen circling to N.
- As at the lake the often clear sky means that numbers of all species flying over are likely to have been under-recorded.
- At least 10 Goldfinches in trees on the island in addition to the birds flying over.
and
- 1 Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- 1 wasp sp.
- 1 red spider (but no harvestmen) on a lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel yet again

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 (3?) Sparrowhawks
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 11 Feral Pigeons
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Ravens
- 27 Starlings
- 6 Skylarks
- 1 Grey Wagtail
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 9 Meadow Pipits
- 9 Goldfinches

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
- 1 Chiffchaff

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- >48 Greylag Geese
- >196 Canada Geese
- 2 hybrid / feral geese
- 47 (24♂) Mallard
- 52 (8?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 17 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: just one of these a first-winter bird

The light was just right on the Magpie and shows the blue gloss. Now I will have to try a different angle to catch the gloss when it shows more green – there is the merest hint around the edges of the blue.

I can still find no photos on the web of any spider species resembling this very distinctive individual. Is that a cranefly leg I see in front of its left forelegs?

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Flash

This morning an adult Wryneck, popped up on a wall while I was walking along the footpath along the West side of The Flash at c.09:45. I managed a quick record shot and when I looked up from the camera the bird had gone - probably dropped in to the garden the other side. The gardens are higher than the path so looking over the wall is not possible. Hung around for some 10 minutes but nothing appeared. (Ed Wilson)

Wryneck - 2011 (Ed Wilson)

29 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  09:15 – 10:15
The Flash:  08:25 – 09:10

14.0°C:  Broken cloud with some sun and a few spots. Light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:07 BST

After much overnight rain, the forecast of more and the rainfall radar showing heavy rain nearby I eschewed an early start. I went later – to The Flash first – when the rain failed to materialise and a few sunny intervals developed

Priorslee Lake:  09:15 – 10:15

(234th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- The Greylag Goose arrived; left and presumably the same one returned a few minutes later.
- We are now down to just three ‘extra’ Great Crested Grebes. The long-term non-breeding pair remain; and of the seven other birds (one adult and up to six full-grown juveniles) just one juvenile remains. All nine juveniles from the three recent broods here are doing well and all have been seen diving though I doubt they are catching all their own food yet.
- I wonder whether the first-winter Common Gull is the same individual as the immature I saw here at the beginning of the month which could have been lurking with the Black-headed Gulls all the while?
- Once again most of the adult large gulls flew straight over, the first-winters joining those already on the water.
- Two groups of Meadow Pipits over – more seen earlier at The Flash (q.v.) [and over my Newport house even earlier].
- A Skylark heard and then seen singing high over the fields to the E – my first song here since the breeding birds stopped singing in early July. Later a party of eight birds flew S.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
note: different timing means totals not comparable
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two of these first-winter birds
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
- 8 Skylarks
- 2 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 16 Meadow Pipits

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 2 (1♂) Mallard again
- 4 (0♂) Tufted Ducks (see notes)
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 7 adult + 1 immature + 9 juveniles (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens again
- 121 Coots
- >56 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Common Gull: first winter bird
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 11 of these first-winter birds
- 4 Herring Gulls: all four of these first-winter birds

Other sightings:
- >20 fruiting bodies of an unidentified fungus

A really close Greylag Goose. After a couple of exploratory circuits it landed. It departed after just a few minutes only for it, or another, to return shortly after that.

Here is the first-winter Common Gull – back left. Stayed at long range and the accompanying Black-headed Gulls were not behaving to allow direct comparison. Some features to look for are the dark eye, at this age enhanced by streaking around the eye; the rounded head profile; more extensive brown in the folded wing and more extensive black in the folded wing-tips. Just about visible is the bill, slimmer than any large gull and without any red or orange colour that would be seen in any Black-headed Gull.

A small fungus lurking under a big brother. Not certain whether the glossy look is a feature of the species or the result of the overnight rain.

Wasn’t able to do too much ‘gardening’ to clear the view for fear of breaking them. Here we see the stem and the gills. You would think that a fungus with more than 20 fruiting bodies in an open grassy area would be common and easy to identify. You would think ... I have been unable to get an ID on these.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  08:25 – 09:10

(222nd visit of the year)

NB: Visited here before the lake

Notes from here:
- Just one Greylag and two Canada Geese when I arrived. 53 Greylags flew in – three groups.
- 1 Grey Wagtail seen here again.
- Big passage of Meadow Pipits with groups of up to nine birds, all heading S/SW. Likely many more missed as the calls are rather quiet. I recall a larger Spring passage a few years ago: this is more than I have previously logged on any one day during Autumn passage.
and
- 1 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) on a different lamp pole
- 1 Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea) with ...
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen on its usual lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel once more

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 12 Feral Pigeons
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 55 Meadow Pipits!

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 54 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada Geese
- no hybrid / feral geese
- 36 (21♂) Mallard
- 40 (9?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes as ever
- 2 Moorhens yet again
- 18 Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls: three of these first-winter birds

Some of the Greylag Geese arrive in a rather neat echelon. One of them, of course, has to announce their arrival.

(Most of) a Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea). The photo deliberately cropped off-set and with missing tips to the legs to avoid the intrusive light that was filtering around the edges of the lamp pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

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 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 –08:50
The Flash:  08:55 – 09:30
Trench Lock Pool:  10:15 – 10:35
Trench Middle Pool:  09:50 – 10:15 // 10:40 – 10:50

12.0°C > 16.0°C:  Broken cloud with showers, heavy at first but fading. Moderate / fresh SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:05 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 –08:50

(233rd visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
The 07:10 ‘football’ field count produced 147 Black-headed Gulls, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; 22 Wood Pigeons, 12 Magpies, and 39 Pied Wagtails.
At 08:45 a disappointing repeat count produced just two Magpies with not a dog in sight.

Other notes:
- There were 16 dabbling ducks (Gadwall / Mallard) in front of the shelter at 06:10 when too dark to identify them. Probably mostly Mallard that flew off.
- Three unsexed Tufted Ducks flew out W at 06:25 leaving just three duck birds on the water. Later a drake flew in.
- A very big arrival of large gulls with c.120 around 06:25. Then a brief lull before >300 arrived, mixed in with Jackdaws and Rooks on roost departure at 06:40. Almost all these birds stopped off at the lake – just 34 noted flying directly onward. All these, bar two first-winter Lesser Black-backs, had gone by 07:30, having arrived from the N / NW. Whether subsequent arrivals, mainly from the W, were returnees or new birds is a moot point – I have treated them as new. One possible adult Yellow-legged Gull noted amongst them.
- One or more House Martins heard overhead at 07:15: not located.
- Nine of the Meadow Pipits flew over together.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 22 Greylag Geese (1 group inbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: six of these a first-winter birds
- 34 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- 89 Jackdaws
- 149 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 10 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 or more House Martins heard only.

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 4 (2) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 2 (1♂) Mallard (see notes)
- 7 (1+♂) Tufted Ducks (see notes)
- 2 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 7 adult + 2 immatures + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 120 Coots
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 95 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: at least 73 of these first-winter birds
- 15 Herring Gulls: 13 of these first-winter birds
- 1 possible Yellow-legged Gull: adult
- >400 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID

No pre-dawn sightings on the lamp poles: too wet

Later sightings:
- 1 wasp sp.
- 1 Grey Squirrel

The very early heavy showers moving away and a rather cheerless start to the day.

Well now: is it or isn’t the bird in the middle an adult Yellow-legged Gull? The mantle colour seems too dark for a Herring Gull and the head is ‘clean’ white unlike the adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls with their winter head-streaks. There are no ‘clinching’ features here. Obviously we cannot see whether it has yellow legs. Are the white spots on the folded wing too large for Yellow-legged Gull? Is the red-spot on the bill too restricted? Is the eye really dark-enough? And then a few minutes later from a different angle ....

 ... this looks just the right tone for an adult Herring Gull. But is it the same bird? I cannot be sure. I did not see any suspect bird fly in or out, though there were large gulls flying around all the while. Perhaps just the angle of the light? On the list as a ‘possible’ Yellow-legged Gull. All the other birds in this photo are Lesser Black-backed Gulls – four adults; two second years and the rest all first-winters.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  08:55 – 09:30

(221st visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- More geese arriving throughout my stay: likely more already inside the island when I arrived.
- A ‘bouncing’ party of 20 Goldfinches seen to perch in trees on the island. I usually record a few but this is my first sizeable group of the Autumn here.
and
- 1 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) on a lamp pole
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen on the usual lamp pole yet again with ...
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman on the same pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Raven

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- >46 Greylag Geese
- >137 Canada Geese
- 1 hybrid / feral goose
- 50 (26♂) Mallard
- 40 (6?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens again
- 14 Coots
- 19 Black-headed Gulls: four of these a first-winter bird

A naff photo through overhanging vegetation to the very top of a lamp pole. There is just about enough showing here to confirm it as another Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) – I photographed one here on 17th September.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:15 – 10:35

(42nd visit of the year)

The road to the Blue Pig is currently closed, at least during work-times on weekdays, though the signs remain in place. Not entirely clear what is going on. Perhaps constructing passing places ahead of the occupation of the newly built houses? Perhaps just infrastructure work for same?

Whatever: the bird numbers here remain depressing.

Other notes from here:
- An ‘extra’ fully-grown juvenile Great Crested Grebe was new(?)
- 1 Grey Wagtail

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws].
None

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 35 Canada Geese
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 6 Coots only
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: none of these first winter birds
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: a first winter birds

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  09:50 – 10:15 // 10:40 – 10:50

(42nd visit of the year)

I parked here and walked the ‘other way’ between here and Trench Lock, so two visits here.

Work continues to stabilise the N side embankment. New signs have been erected stating that the work will last 8 weeks from 12 August with the footpath closed throughout. This rather ignores the fact that work started on 05 August when the work was scheduled to take three weeks with the footpath to be reopened at weekends. So should be completed by next weekend. We shall see.

One of the dog-walkers here noted that with the contractors day’s work completed the water was still being used as a gull roost. Historically up to 2000 gulls have roosted here in winter, all but a very few Black-headed Gulls. Will have to check.

Notes from here:
- Where did the all-white Mallard-type appear from? Not noted elsewhere in the area by me.
- The brownhead Goosander seemed to depart.
also
- 2 Terrapin sp. (presumed Yellow-bellied Slider)

Birds noted flying over / near here.
None

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 84 Canada Geese
- 33 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white feral Mallard-type Duck
- 8 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: none of these first winter birds

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Sky Larks
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 at about 100ft
(Martin R Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
3 Redpoll
Siskin
5 Chiffchaffs
Blackcap
Kingfisher
Buzzard
2 Kestrel
Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson).

27 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:50 –09:15
The Flash:  09:20 – 10:05

12.0°C > 13.0°C:  Broken cloud and light showers: later more persistent showers. Light / moderate S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:03 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:50 – 09:15

(232nd visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
The 07:10 ‘football’ field count produced 37 Black-headed Gulls, just five Wood Pigeons, also just five Magpies, two Carrion Crows and 36 Pied Wagtails. Counts are now compromised by the first arrival of dogs prior to many of the birds settling.
At 09:05 a repeat count after the school-run chaos and ahead of the next shift of dog-walkers produced 20 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Stock Dove, 14 Wood Pigeons (seven of these juveniles), 11 Magpies and three Jackdaws – very unusual on the ground here. There were no Pied Wagtails

Other notes:
- Two Greylag Geese flew inbound when they are normally outbound. Then two flew outbound when they are normally inbound. Finally six flew inbound when they should have done.
- Just the pair of Gadwall.
- Five Mallard flew off when too dark to sex.
- All four juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the pair in the NE area were present, with yesterday’s absentee with its parents and siblings as normal.
- The now usual early arrival of unidentified large gulls. These all gone by 07:15. Subsequent arrivals were mainly first-winter birds. A few flew over later – all but one of these were adults disinterested in the lake.
- At least 60 Wood Pigeons again put up from fields / trees to N and not included in the fly-over count.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 10 Greylag Geese (see notes)
- 3 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: just one of these a first-winter bird
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 5 Stock Doves
- 82 Wood Pigeons
- 73 Jackdaws
- 235 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap yet again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans as usual
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (1+?♂) Mallard
- 4 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 8 adult + 2 immatures + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 116 Coots
- >80 Black-headed Gulls
- 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 32 of these first-winter birds
- 5 Herring Gulls: four of these first-winter birds
- 116 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID

Pre-dawn sightings on the lamp poles:
- 5 of the small flies noted recently
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 2 other unidentified spiders
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
- 1 probable Glossy Glass Snail (Oxychilus navarricus)

Later sightings:
- 2 unidentified bumblebees in flight
- 1 wasp sp.
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Between the showers this morning there was some colour. Two of the Mute Swans asleep in the foreground.

After I left the lake for the ‘football’ field the sunrise briefly coloured up. Here is the best I could manage.

Here are two Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen in typically close company.

This seems to be a Glossy Glass Snail (Oxychilus navarricus).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:20 – 10:05

(220th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- One of the drake Mallard showed a fully adult pale green bill but in plumage resembled a duck. Presumably one of the ducklings still to acquire its adult plumage.
- A Grey Wagtail again.
and
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen on the usual lamp pole again
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Wood Pigeons again
- 6 Jackdaws
- 1 Meadow Pipit

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 19 Greylag Geese
- 2 Hybrid / feral geese
- 84 Canada Geese
- 47 (26♂) Mallard
- 30 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Moorhens
- 16 Coots
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: two of these a first-winter bird

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

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 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:50 –09:10
The Flash:  09:15 – 09:55

14.0°C > 13.0°C:  Heavy rain cleared after 06:15: then sunny for while before heavy showers threatened. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility, moderate in rain.

Sunrise: 07:01 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:50 – 09:10

(231st visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
An 07:00 ‘football’ field count gave me >120 Black-headed Gulls, 13 Wood Pigeons again, 18 Magpies and 44 Pied Wagtails. The Black-headed Gulls were flushed off by the first arriving dogs as I was part-way through my count. Unusually some of the gulls returned later with 23 here at 09:00.

Other notes:
- After yesterday’s taxiing efforts from the Mute Swan cygnets there was plenty of wing waving this morning but no serious attempt at flight.
- A pair of Gadwall to add to yesterday’s drake.
- Three Mallard flew off when too dark to sex.
- One of the four juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the pair in the NE area was not seen, though its three siblings were tucked up against the reeds and it could easily have been just out of sight. There seemed to be an extra full-grown juvenile today.
- A Moorhen seen with two small juveniles – a rather late brood. Most of the other juveniles are virtually indistinguishable from adults except at close range.
- A substantial arrival of large gulls started at 06:15 – much too dark to identify. Most seemed like immatures with one adult Herring Gull standing out like a beacon.
- At least 60 Wood Pigeons put up from fields / trees to N: not included in the fly-over counts.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Canada Geese (1 group outbound)
- 26 unidentified geese
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Sparrowhawks (same bird twice?)
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 74 Wood Pigeons
- 68 Jackdaws
- 147 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted
- 1 House Martin seen over 07:10: same as heard earlier?

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 7 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (>4♂) Mallard
- 5 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 8 adult + 3 immatures + 8 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 126 Coots
- >120 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: eight of these first-winter birds
- 6 Herring Gulls: five of these first-winter birds
- >200 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID

Lamp poles not checked pre-dawn in the pouring rain!

Later sightings:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- first seeds of the Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea) this year

An unusual catch with the camera this morning. This Little Grebe flew to land in front of me as I stood along the N side. I had just enough time to get the camera in to action as the bird took off and pattered away across the surface. We see the marks the feet make on the water as well as the difficult to see wing pattern – the wings are usually whirring too fast to get more than a blur.

The upperwing in more detail.

The typical belly-first landing – the feet are too far back to act as brakes.

And as it slides along on its belly we again see the upper and underwing pattern.

An illustration on how the angle of the light can affect identification. Here is what is quite obviously a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull settling on the water next to a first-winter Herring Gull. The Lesser shows no pale to the inner primaries and the secondary coverts are as dark as the secondaries themselves.

One frame later and the tone looks quite different, showing somewhat paler inner primaries and with the secondary coverts not looking especially dark. However the tone of the paler inner primaries is still rather too dark for a first-winter Herring Gull but it does not make life easy.

Not my best shot ever but Coal Tits are hard to find let alone photograph – Spring when they are singing from tall tree tops is not ideal either and this is not Spring. Many bird guides tell you that Coal Tits can be recognised by their white nape without telling you that many Great Tits show this feature too – never as cleanly as shown on this typical Coal Tit.

Recently all the Chiffchaffs have been calling from cover or energetically working their way through the canopy feeding up ahead of moving south for the winter (it will mostly be different birds that we see a few of during the winter months). This bird behaved only slightly better. The all-dark bill and lack of any real supercilium immediately rule out Willow Warbler even though the feet do not look dark on this individual. One other way to separate these species is that the Chiffchaff always moves its tail up and down as it works through the vegetation – this photo at a slow shutter speed in shade illustrates the tail movement.

Here the seeds cases and a single orange seed are visible on this Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea). The seeds are a violent purgative to us humans but a favourite of and harmless to Blackbirds.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:15 – 09:55

(219th visit of the year)

Notes from here:.
- Tufted Duck numbers somewhat recovered. As I was about to leave 15 birds (2♂) appeared in front of me. Were these new arrivals or birds flown down from the top end?
- No Goosanders.
- A Grey Wagtails on the sluice exit for a while.
- The two Meadow Pipits were unusually low as if they had been flushed from very close by the Sparrowhawk that had just passed over. Nowhere obvious that they might have been though.
and
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman on the usual lamp pole with ...

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Feral Pigeon again
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws yet again
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted.
None

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 13 Greylag Geese
- 1 Feral Goose
- 59 Canada Geese
- 43 (22♂) Mallard
- 30 (8♂) Tufted Duck: possibly 45 (10♂) see notes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 19 Coots
- 8 Black-headed Gulls: one of these a first-winter bird

One of the harvestmen on their usual lamp pole was so well-camouflaged against the moss and lichen that I could not see enough features with my eye to identify it. So ‘take a photo, enlarge it and change the contrast’. Here is a close-up of the diagnostic shape of the long palps of Dicranopalpus ramosus. Look closely and two legs have been ‘unplugged’!

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

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)

25 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:50 –09:05
The Flash:  09:10 – 10:00

13.0°C > 14.0°C:  Very low cloud with mist and drizzle. Lifted somewhat and even a few bright spells. Initially calm; light NW breeze later. Moderate visibility, poor in drizzle.

Sunrise: 07:00 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:50 – 09:00

(230th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
An 07:10 ‘football’ field count gave me 86 Black-headed Gulls, 13 Wood Pigeons, nine Magpies and 63 Pied Wagtails. Darker mornings means more disturbance from dog-walkers while I am doing the count. Many Pied Wagtails were moving about more than usual and some seemed to be already flying off. There may have been rather more than I have logged.

Other notes:
- Encouraged by their parents, most (all?) of the Mute Swan cygnets were trying their wings today and propelling themselves across the water with much splashing about. I am sure it won’t be long now before they achieve lift-off.
- A drake Gadwall was my first of the season here.
- A few immature large gulls stopped off early before a small group of 25, mainly adult, large gulls arrived at c.08:45. There was no obvious movement overhead as there had been all last week.
- A Tawny Owl was giving its wavering call inside the Teece Drive gate at 06:00. Judging by the commotion from Jays and Blackbirds later they had found its roost site.
- What is probably the same lost Racing Pigeon was seen on the roof of the academy again today.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
***for most of the time only birds flying directly overhead were visible due to mist and low cloud***
- 9 Canada Geese (2 groups outbound)
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 8 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 65 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 17 Jackdaws
- 31 Rooks
- 3 Starlings

Hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 10 (3♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 8 adult + 2 immatures + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 Moorhens (ages?)
- 112 Coots
- >85 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: just four of these first-winter birds
- 3 Herring Gulls: only one of these first-winter birds
- unidentified large gull: too dark to ID
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 ground beetle species, perhaps Pterostichus nigrita
- 1 unidentified spider.

Even fewer later sightings:
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Despite being six feet up a lamp pole this is a species of ground beetle – perhaps that is why it fell off. I think it is Pterostichus nigrita, or perhaps another species in that genus.

Today’s unidentified spider.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:10 – 10:00

(218th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Just 3 Canada Geese and the noisy feral goose present when I arrived: very big groups of geese arriving thereafter with almost all the 180+ Greylag Geese arriving together.
- In addition to the family party of Greylag x Canada Geese there were three other ‘mixed’ geese.
- Low number of Tufted Duck.
- The 10 brownhead Goosanders were all resting on or preening alongside the island and refused to be dislodged by the arriving geese.
and
- 1 cranefly, possibly Rhipidia maculata, high up a lamp pole
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman on the usual lamp pole with ...
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman on the same pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws again
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- >180 Greylag Geese
- 8 Greylag x Canada / Feral Geese
- >170 Canada Geese
- 39 (22♂) Mallard
- 16 (6♂) Tufted Duck only
- 10 (0♂) Goosanders
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 5 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: none of these first-winter birds
- 1 Kingfisher

Three of the group of 10 brownhead Goosanders here. Seems to be a conversation going on. The bird on the left has no white streak on the face suggesting this is an adult duck whereas the others are immatures. These cannot be sexed at this age – well not by sight anyway.

And here are another four brownhead Goosanders, all preening. The outer two birds, at least, also show white on the face suggesting they too are immature birds. A duck Mallard gets in the photo.

Rather too high up a lamp pole to get a decent shot, this is one of the Limonid Craneflies – craneflies that habitually rest with the wings folded over their back. The common craneflies of the Tipula genera rest with wings held more or less at right angles to their body. This may be the species Rhipidia maculata – almost all the other Limonids fly only in Spring. There are, however, over 300 species of cranefly in the UK and most of them are not illustrated in any of my literature or on the web.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

24 Sep 19

No Report Today.

Note:
On Readers Corner Here a few photos from RSPB Burton Mere on 23 Sep 19

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)

23 Sep 19

Priorslee Lake only

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 –07:50

12.0°C > 13.0°C:  Clear intervals. Light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:56 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 – 07:50

(229th visit of the year)

An abbreviated visit this morning affected some counts.

Bird notes from today:
The 06:55 ‘football’ field count gave me 113 Black-headed Gulls, 11 Wood Pigeons, 21 Magpies, the usual single Carrion Crow, 56 Pied Wagtails and 1 Starling.

Other notes:
- The now almost regular Common Kestrel seen hovering over the fields to the E.
- Very few of the large gulls in the early movement from the N stopped off this morning.
- House Martin(s) heard overhead at 06:45 and again at 07:00. None seen.
- No Blackcaps seen or heard.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese: both singles outbound
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: a first-winter bird
- 185 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 35 Wood Pigeons
- 40 Jackdaws
- 181 Rooks
- 7 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. noted:
- ‘several’ House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 8 adult + 2 immatures + 9 juvenile (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens (ages?)
- 122 Coots
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: a first-winter bird
- 6 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 3 different spiders, all unidentified.
- 1 small fly sp.

Only other sightings:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- 1 (Great) Black Slug type (Arion ater agg.)

Not an inspiring sunrise!

This despite the obvious discrepancy in the name is from the (Great) Black Slug group (Arion ater agg.). Three species are recognised one of which has the scientific name Arion rufus: it is sadly too simplistic to say that if the slug is red-brown, as here, then it is this species.

Spider species #1 this morning. The sparkle is dew droplets catching the camera flash and somewhat obscuring the markings that might (but probably not) allow me to identify it.

Spider species #2. Likely to be one of the Tetragnatha genus.

The spider and the fly – and some bits and pieces of dead things. These small flies, as previously noted, have been a feature of the last few weeks that I cannot recall from earlier years. Might be because the relatively new LED street lights give light with a different colour spectrum which may be more attractive for some species.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Whinchat
3 Snipe
1 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Kingfisher
696 Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martin
55 Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson)