12 Sep 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 15.0°C: Hooray! Mainly clear skies. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:40 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:11 – 09:20

(190th visit of the year)

Highlight was my first *Spotted Flycatcher of the year. Bird species #99 here on 2020.

Other bird notes:

- All the Great Crested Grebes present and correct.

- A Common Kestrel was hovering over fields to E at 06:30. Only my second sighting since July.

- 43 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew SE between 06:10 and 06:35 with 20 of them stopping off at the lake to drink and bathe. That begs the question of where they had come from and what time they had started to be in need of a drink at 06:15. Later arrivals were birds moving W to both N and S of the lake that diverted in for a while.

- Just a lone calling juvenile House Martin logged.

- In addition to the 20 Jackdaws noted flying over a group of c.20 flew in and landed in trees behind the new houses on the old Celestica site. Did not see what happened with these birds.

- Probably more than five Meadow Pipits. The first few calls came from birds unseen in the early light and may well have been small groups. All birds again noted flying W

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 15 Greylag Geese (outbound in one group and a singleton)
- 36 Canada Geese (31 outbound in five groups; 3 inbound as a singleton and a duo)

Many more geese heard but they took a different flight line and my view was blocked.

- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeons (one group)
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 20 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails again
- 5+ Meadow Pipits
- 1 Siskin

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 House Martin only

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 13 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: one when I arrived soon departed; another later
- 16 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: a duck when I arrived; a drake later
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived separately; one departed
- 16 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 9 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 76 adult and juvenile Coots
- 45 Black-headed Gulls
- *46 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Birds on the football and academy playing fields c.06:40:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- 12 Black-headed Gulls on the football field
- 77 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing fields
A later count of 52 on the football field was almost certainly comprised of birds flown across from the academy field.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Moths:

None

Other things:

- 1 male Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge) again
- 1 unidentified caddis fly
- 2 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- 2 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata)

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Butterflies / moths:

- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- unidentifiable worn grass moth
Strangely after the plethora a few days ago no Small Whites at all

Bees / wasps:

- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:

- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- Syrphus ribesii

Dragonflies:

- Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)

Also:

7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

Mammals

- 5 Pipistrelle-type bats
I have to keep my nerve when checking these and trust their radar. They often fly straight at me and veer away so close I can hear the wing/membrane and feel the draught.

- 1 fast and direct flying small bat sp. - same place, same time as yesterday
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Sleeping Beauties. The Mute Swans ignore the impending sunrise.

Not spectacular but makes a change from all the grey days. Two early-arriving Black-headed Gulls man the buoys.

Always strike me as almost prehistoric – a trio of Cormorants over.

Buoys are always at a premium and I am never sure how the pecking order is arrived at. #2 is just landing having usurped #1. Both first winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

A few minutes later #3 usurps #2.

Did someone say first winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls? A very dark individual.

Another dark individual with a glint in its eye.

A 'safety shot' of the Spotted Flycatcher. Rather misnamed as the crown and breast are streaked not spotted.

Luckily it stayed around and here a better view. Note the broad white edges to the primary coverts. A sure sign this bird has completed a post-breeding moult and has new feathers to use on its trip to sub-Saharan Africa. I usually manage one record of this species each year, usually on Autumn migration. Numbers much reduced in recent years and it is increasingly hard to find breeding birds in Shropshire.

Any other year I would be really chuffed to get this photo of a juvenile Bullfinch. I am still pretty chuffed though it doesn't eclipse last week's effort.

A splendid fresh-looking Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria).

A Syrphus sp. hoverfly heads toward the nectar in the Field Bindweed flower (Convolvulus arvensis). Note sticking up are the halteres or vestigial second pair of wings that flies use to maintain their balance (and which allow them to land on ceilings). I think I can see that the top of the hind femur is yellow making this S. ribesii but I cannot see what sex it is.

This is different specimen and is a female and so certainly S. ribesii.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:23 – 10:27

(174th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Four Mute Swan cygnets undertook a short self-guided flying lesson. One followed it up with another attempt taking two of the others with it. The seventh was left paddling behind calling meekly.

- I was part way through counting a big group of Tufted Duck when it took off and landed down the opposite end. I am confident about the total. Less so about the number of obvious drakes.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Grey Wagtail

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Barn Swallow
- 7 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 52 Canada Geese
- 22 (13♂) Mallard
- 65 (>11♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 81 adult and juvenile Coots
- 10 Black-headed Gulls

On different lamp poles:

- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus type harvestman

Also, elsewhere:

Butterflies:

- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Bees / wasps:

- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
- *Ectemnius cephalotes (a digger wasp)

Go-go-go. One of the cygnets strives for lift off.

Are both feet off the water?

Another one gives it a go. I think the left foot is still paddling hard and it has not quite lifted off.

Trying hard. 

This one seems to have a BTO-style metal ring on its left leg. Need to check these out.

A Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) showing the white mark on the underwing that gives this species both its vernacular and scientific names. Very ragged wing-edges help to camouflage it when at rest.

I have never seen this before. It seems to the digger wasp Ectemnius cephalotes (no vernacular name). Its flight was very different from the Common Wasp, more like a hoverfly. The yellow was especially bright and striking, with the legs very obvious.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

9 Ravens

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 immature Peregrine Falcon

Common Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

3 Wheatear

Yellow Wagtail

(John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool

1 Arctic Tern

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Albino Wood Pigeon

3 Swifts

1 Sedge Warbler

Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)