13 May 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 7.0°C: Mainly cloudy with some occasional light rain. A few brighter spells developing. Light NE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:14 BST

Priorslee Lake:

(80th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The drake Gadwall was present early only. It was being chased around by territorial Coots when I arrived and probably flew off (or hid).
- The Mallard were very restless. Several seemed to fly off toward The Flash but may have returned. The trio of drakes on the ‘football’ field flew off to the lake.
- I only ever saw four Great Crested Grebes. Most of the time they were keeping close as two pairs. A lone bird might have been a fifth bird – they are very hard to keep track of.
- Gulls on the ‘football’ field early was unexpected. These flew off and did not go toward the lake or The Flash
- A Chiffchaff seen hover-gleaning with a beakful of caterpillars. More calls and less song this morning.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese (pair outbound)
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws again
- 1 Rook

Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]:
- 2 Canada Geese (pair arrived)

Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded here too]:
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: near adult
- 1 Herring Gull: first year
- 16 Starlings
Apart from the Starlings these all left when the first dog-walkers arrived

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- 2 Swifts
- >10 Sand Martins
- >25 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 15 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 19 (16) Blackcaps
- 5 (4) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: departed?
- 8 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: arrived / emerged
- 4 Great Crested Grebes: possibly five
- 2 Moorhens only
- 11 Coots
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one first year; one second year, both briefly
- 1 Herring Gull: second year

On / around the street lights:
- 1 male Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)

No insects etc. noted later:

Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Common Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

A second summer Herring Gull. First summer birds would not show a clean grey mantle. Third summer birds would have pale flight feathers without any dark brown areas.

And here it flies off.

A first summer Lesser Black-backed Gull. The bill is still all-black and the mantle is mottled.

A series of photos proving that if you waste enough pixels (pixels are free!) then you can get some illustrative photos of flying hirundines. This at least shows the unrelieved brown of the upper surface of Sand Martin (the white on the side of the neck is just visible).

A Barn Swallow passes by with tail spread showing the white dots at the base of the tail-feathers.

Another Barn Swallow approaches. It is not uncommon for the tail streamers to break off though I think it is foreshortening that makes them look different here. The female, which I think this is, has the shorter tail streamers.

This looks like a male.

As does this.

A tubby House Martin showing how black-and-white it looks (and is).

The gleaming white rump is noticeable at long range. Note the neat fork in the tail.

Two for the price of one. A Barn Swallow on the left and a House Martin on the right, with tail spread. Note the ‘hooded’ look of House Martin. Clearly lacks the breast band of Sand Martin.

The other way around – the House Martin on the left now and going away.

Typically always bobbing and hard to ‘freeze’. This Pied Wagtail looks rather pale because it is a juvenile – the yellow gape at the base of the bill is just visible. This feature of juvenile birds does not seem have a specific name. I assume it helps adults aim when they are stuffing food into nestlings’ mouths.

So this will be a male Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge) – only males have the plumed antennae

This Common Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). I have also logged Greater (or Large) Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus) here but that has at least six flowers in each cluster. Caution: the hairy leaves belong to a different plant.

A close-up of a flower-cluster. I knew these as “eggs and bacon” when I was small.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noteworthy
- Adult Moorhen heard from the lower pool
- Adult and juvenile(s) Moorhens heard from the upper pool
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker calling by the lower pool. Flew off towards The Flash where they have been absent most of this year
- 1 Song Thrush singing above the upper pool
- 1 Blackcap singing at the lower pool
- Starlings calling from eaves of house in Everglade Road backing on to the footpath.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(67th visit of the year)

The fishermen wasted no time in returning after the easing of lock-down.

Bird notes:
- No broods of Coots noted. Likely some were still being brooded. One nest was noted apparently abandoned.
- Three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived and perched on the roof of houses along the E side (Collett Way?). Cannot recall ever having seen this behaviour here.
- My second Pied Wagtail record of the year here was on 7th May. Today I noted a male bird on the roof of a house in Wordsworth Way. Presumably the same bird was seen later flying towards there from the S end. Nesting nearby?
- A male Bullfinch seen, unusually, feeding on the ground.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Herring Gull: age not determined but not adult
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook: only my second record over here this year

Hirundines etc logged:
- 1 House Martin only

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 6 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (6) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 3 + ? (1 brood) Mute Swans: cygnets still being brooded
- 26 Canada Geese: 18 of these on E-side grass
- 16 (13♂) + 8 (1 brood) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens still
- 14 + ? (? brood) Coots: juveniles still being brooded?
- [3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults – see notes]

Also noted
- 1 male Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) in lamp post in squirrel alley

Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre)
NB: I do not keep a note of all the plant species here: there are too many garden escapes.

Parents with their brood of eight ducklings. Mallard of course.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull #1 on the roof.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull #2 on the roof with a smudgy head – staining I’m sure from something nasty it has been eating.

And adult Lesser Black-backed Gull #3. Adults of this species is supposed to have yellow legs, especially during the breeding season. Do not look very yellow to me.

On the other hand, this is one of the others (can’t remember which) and it certainly does have yellow legs.

Compare and contrast time again. On the left a Collared Dove. On the right a Wood Pigeon. In general ‘doves’ are smaller and sleeker than ‘pigeons’. The Stock Dove is misnamed and should really be a pigeon. Doves typically also have longer tails.

A juvenile Wood Pigeon. These lack the white patch on the neck but do show white at the bend of the wind and along the edges of the flight-feathers.

On a lamp pole in squirrel alley I found this male Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica). My first in Shropshire.

Another view. Normally I would be saying the feathered antennae mean this is a male but with this species it is easier than that – the female is white! Such sexual dimorphism is not that common in butterflies and moths. Surprisingly in Northern Ireland males are creamy white. Most odd.

Thistles can be hard to identify. This multi-headed species if easy – a Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre).

(Ed Wilson)

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And thank you to Neil Cruickshank for the following photos of the Mute Swan and her cygnets, and a Moorhen from The Flash

(Neil Cruickshank)

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If you are on your daily exercise and keeping a safe distance from others, we would love to see any photos or sightings you have, from Priorslee Lake and The Flash, by emailing them to us at priorsleelake@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.😊

(Martin Adlam and Ed Wilson)

Note:
Here are a few Garden Sightings from Ed Wilson Here on our Readers Corner from the past few days

And

A few of Martin Adlam's Sightings from the Isle of Portland Here.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2009
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)