31 Oct 19

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

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 –09:10
The Flash:  09:15 – 10:10
Trench Lock Pool:  10:20 – 10:30 // 11:20 – 11:40
Trench Middle Pool:  10:35 –11:15

5.0°C > 9.0°C:  Broken medium-level cloud. A few spits of rain later. Light / moderate ESE wind. Moderate visibility in haze.

Sunrise: 07:04 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  05:45 –09:10

(258th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- Drake (Eurasian) Wigeon a new arrival.
- Now four Pochard.
- As yesterday a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from the W preceding the Black-headed Gulls.
- Starling numbers particularly hard to judge this morning. At least 400 left in a big rush together at 06:45. They broke in to two main groups which proceeded to do murmuration flights, including over the water – unusual on exit from roost? During this time they were bisected by a group of 60 Jackdaws which diverted my attention. Were there more birds emerging? Or were the original birds still orientating? Whatever: another 42 birds left in singles or small groups over the next 15 minutes.
- Well after roost-dispersal c.20 Starlings were in trees alongside Castle Farm Way. Most unusual.
- A small arrival of Blackbirds with 22 recorded – about double the number seen on recent days. Eight of these birds were flushed as they fed on the ground in the N side copse.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 59 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mainly adults
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 370 Wood Pigeons: 343 of these in 13 migrant groups heading ‘SW’
- 97 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook again
- 1 Raven
- 53 Starlings (4 groups)
- 1 Fieldfare
- 75 Redwings (8 groups)
- >11 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Linnet

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- >>450 Starlings (see notes)
- 5 Redwings
- 17 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) (Eurasian) Wigeon
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Pochard
- 31 (20♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant yet again
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 10 Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 Moorhens
- 139 Coots
- c.70 Black-headed Gulls
- 24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: all first-winter birds

Lamp poles pre-dawn revealed:
- 3 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.) again: differing locations from yesterday
- 1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- 3 Nursery Web Spiders (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 rather small stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 7 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
- 1 unidentified gnat sp.

Later sightings:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Eventually we got a rather hazy sunrise on a rather murky morning. You may be able to spot a Carrion Crow in the tree tops.

Well it is still quite dark at 06:45. This at least gives an impression of one of the big groups of Starlings just after they left the roost and while they were still deciding which way to go. I am not sad-enough to try and count these blurred images but >250 seems a good approximation.

The ‘other’ group.

This I did not expect – wheeling around at low-level over the water. I am not sure whether this is one of the earlier groups or group #3.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:15 – 10:10

(244th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- 2 Collared Doves flying in to the island were my first here for some weeks. During summer I saw them daily, often as many as six birds with several calling from roofs. Where have they gone?
- At least 20 Goldfinches flitting about. Presumed feeding in the Alders on the island.

Bird noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 19 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 38 Canada Geese
- 1 Feral / hybrid-type goose again
- 35 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard once more
- 55 (>23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (0♂) Goosander
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 Moorhens
- 16 Coots
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Other things:
- on the usual lamp pole
        - 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman again
- nothing on lamp poles in squirrel alley
- elsewhere on lamp poles
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
- on the bank of Ivy: almost no sun and chill wind so low count
        - 7 wasps
        - [no flies noted]
- and
        Two species of fungus on a different fallen and decaying tree trunk.

The Canada Goose at the back shows white over the bill and a touch below the eye. Not noticed this bird before and no idea why – probably just a touch of albinism. The strange thing was that later when all the geese were apparently much closer I could not re-find it.

All four Goosanders today were ‘brownheads’ and I think all were ducks (rather than immatures). Here one sorts its wing-feathers out after a spell of preening.

Here are the other two, one still preening.

Enlarged to show some plumage detail. The lack of any white stripe running between the bill-base to below the eye suggests these are adult ducks.

Appears to be two different fungus here. The lower one a typical bracket fungus though I was not able to get underneath it to check. The two smaller fruiting bodies seem to be the same as ....

.. these alongside. They have gills so these at least are not bracket fungus. As usual I have failed to identify either species.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:20 – 10:30 // 11:20 – 11:40

(47th visit of the year)

All roadworks on the approach to the Blue Pig now complete. The small development of houses behind the Blue Pig is at long last more or less complete though the site is still locked up.

Notes from here. It is becoming increasingly difficult to think of anything given the continuing dearth of birds:
- The adult Mute Swan perhaps the bird last seen at Middle Pool. Would not come close-enough to see whether it was ringed.

No birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws].

Counts from the water:
- 1 Mute Swan
- 13 Canada Geese
- 15 (9♂) Mallard
- 6 Great Crested Grebes: 2 adults, 2 juveniles, 2 undetermined
- 2 Moorhens
- 8 Coots
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: departed

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:35 –11:15

(47th visit of the year)

Work continues to stabilise the N side embankment .....

Notes from here:
- The all-white bird that I have previously logged as feral duck is I am sure a goose. It was with the very similar-sized Greylags and was calling very like them. It shares their all-orange bill.
- Two of the Mallard were ostensibly in duck plumage but showed unmarked pale-yellow bills suggesting late-brood drakes yet to undergo moult.
- A party of at least 20 Goldfinches flitting about the trees
and
- 2 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.) on a lamp-pole: moth species #8 here in 2019
- 1 Green-brindled Crescent moth (Allophyes oxyacanthae) on another lamp pole: moth species #9 here in 2019 and new for me here.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
None

Counts from the water:
- 35 Greylag Geese
- 45 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 1 all-white feral Goose-type (see notes)
- 35 (22♂) Mallard
- 9 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (3♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: 1 adult + ?
- 16 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 2 Black-headed Gulls

The Greylag x Canada Goose here looks rather familiar. It has been at The Flash recently.

Drake Goosanders dominated here.

This moth was a long way up a lamp pole in a dingy corner and with spider webs all around that the camera insisted on focussing on. It is a Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae): my second of the year and only my second ever in Shropshire. Unlike the grey morph seen at the lake on 2nd October this at least shows a tinge of green.

(Ed Wilson)

Note

Here are a few images from Venus Pool on Sunday 27 Oct. Click here.

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Candles Landfill Site
2nd winter Caspian Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Chiffchaff
Mistle Thrush
29 Fieldfares
32 Redwings
13 Siskins
3 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
5 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2005
Trench Pool
2 Goosander
10 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)