Priorslee Lake and The Flash
14.0°C > 24.0°C: Fine and sunny throughout. Calm start: light SE wind later. Very good visibility with a haze layer above.
Sunrise: 05:28 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:14 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:37
(151st visit of the year)
The first bird singing this morning was a Robin. They have been quiet for a few weeks while they moult. Both sexes will start to sing to set up winter feeding territories. The Reed Bunting was next to sing. Then just two Song Thrushes.
Other bird notes:
- The seven Canada Geese arrived on the water, having peeled off from one of the inbound groups.
- The second brood of Great Crested Grebes was unexpected because their nest must have been very close to that of the earlier brood. The bird sitting in the SE corner was off the nest this morning. Three eggs were visible.
- A Hobby flew fast E at 07:50.
- Another small passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving S. Yesterday they passed overhead c.05:45: today to the W after 08:00
- Many small groups of Swifts. Hard to know how many birds involved. Did they return or were they all different. Up to six at any one time.
- The Barn Swallows included a group of four, two of which had short tail streamers suggesting a family party of two adults and two juveniles.
- Five House Martins arrived overhead, apparently from the S at 05:10. Later c.30 were high over the lake / estate. I have often wondered where the early-brood juveniles roost when later broods are in the nest. Perhaps the early arrivals were birds that roosted nearby returning to their home range?
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 78 Greylag Geese (32 in four groups outbound; 46 in ten / singles groups inbound)
- 182 Canada Geese (93 in 15 groups outbound; 89 in nine groups inbound)
- 1 Hobby
- 71 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Feral Pigeons (single and trio)
- 147 Wood Pigeons
- no Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 1 Raven
Hirundines etc. logged:
- c.20 Swifts
- 6 Barn Swallows
- c.30 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat again
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 Canada Geese: arrived
- 18 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately again
- 2 Grey Herons: one flew off
- *13 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes; also eggs seen
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 45 adult and juvenile Coots only
- *>31 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 1 Kingfisher
Gulls on the football and academy playing field c.05:50:
- 31 Black-headed Gulls (20 on the football field; 11 on the academy field)
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths (in systematic order and not recording order)
- 1 yet-to-be identified Tortrix moth
- 1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
- *1 Small Seraphim (Pterapherapteryx sexalata); moth species #76 in 2020
- *1 Phoenix (Eulithis prunata); moth species #75 in 2020
- *1 Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina); moth species #74 in 2020
Other things:
- 2 Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 3 unidentified spiders – all different species?
On the wall of the Holy Trinity Academy beside a security light:
- Dwarf Cream Wave (Idaea fuscovenosa)
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
New species for the year:
*Gypsy Cuckoo Bee (Bombus bohemicus): a new species for me.
The full list of things noted:
Butterflies:
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- *Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- *Peacock (Aglais io)
- Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Moths:
- Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)
Bees / wasps:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- *Gypsy Cuckoo Bee (Bombus bohemicus)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *unidentified bee sp.
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Damsel-/Dragon-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis): at 05:15!
- *Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
Hoverflies:
- Cheilosia illustrata
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Mammals
- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Noctule-type bat
Other things:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
None
Clear, calm mornings do not make for an interesting sunrise. Better than all the recent dull days though.
The other providing breakfast for whoever gets there first.
Meanwhile this pair are still in love but show no sign of nest-building.
This Great Crested Grebe was off the nest and showing three eggs. Is it allowing the sun to warm the eggs? Or are they about to hatch?
An interesting moult effect makes this Black-headed Gull look ring-necked. Another bird in serious wing-moult.
In the warm-light of early morning an immature Herring Gull, also in moult. Both outer secondaries and outer primaries are missing as are most of the tail-feathers – the feet should not stick out beyond the tail like this.
Rooks normally pass early and with the sun behind them. This exception allows the long pointed bill with the bare skin at the base to be seen to good effect. The bare skin is likely for the same reason that some vultures have bare heads. Where they stuck their beaks to eat – in the case of Rooks soft earth - would make feathers a matted mess. Another bird in wing-moult.
A new moth for me in Shropshire is this Small Seraphim (Pterapherapteryx sexalata).
A Dun-bar moth (Cosmia trapezina) and unknown friend. A consistent emergent date – I last recorded this species on 2nd August 2019.
This seems to be my first-ever Gypsy Cuckoo Bee (Bombus bohemicus). Features are the white tail: the very thin white midriff band: and the white collar with the buff centre section.
This bee is a puzzle. It looks much too hairy for an Andrena mining bee. Yet it seems too small and not hairy-enough for any of the Bombus bumblebee-types.
A smart Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta). I am pleased that my newer camera shows this as truly 'red' - my other camera seemed to want to invent an 'Orange Admiral'.
Unless you know then this butterfly at this angle would be a challenge to identify
Easier from top side! A Peacock (Aglais io).
A male Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). This specimen is more mature than the one I photographed a fortnight ago – this one is acquiring the adult red colour.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:00
(137th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- All but two of the Mallard were inside the island. There is only a limited view to see them.
- Likewise some Tufted Duck were also lurking there are hard to see and harder to sex.
- Only one adult Great Crested Grebe found.
- Strangely no Black-headed Gulls.
- The Blackcap with the aberrant song was singing as I arrived but was not heard later.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk again
- 8 Feral Pigeons (three groups)
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 4 Swifts
- 8 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 6 (0) Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (1) Blackcap singing only very briefly
Counts from the water:
- 2 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 Greylag Geese: two flew off
- 5 Canada Geese
- 25 (?♂) Mallard (see notes)
- 20 (7?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 + 5 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 31 adult and juvenile Coots
- no Black-headed Gulls
On different lamp poles:
Moths
- *2 Swallow Prominents (Pheosia tremula): these on the same lamps as yesterday; one of them in a different position.
and
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Also
- 1 Grey Squirrel yet again: still munching haws from the same bush.
It is a pity about the cars cluttering the place. In the early light and with reflections in the calm water it is an eye-catching view. I should be working for an estate agent.
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)