15 Apr 21

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

0.0°C > 9.0°C: Clear and frosty start: later a few puffy clouds. Calm start with light ESE wind later. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:13 BST

* = a photo today

Martin Adlam who works hard to convert my text and photos to the format you see on the web site has also helped me, via his contacts, to provide some updates from yesterday:

- The moth at the lake is confirmed as a Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta).

- The two bees on the same Dandelion flower at Nedge Hill were, despite their size difference, both Andrena mining bees - Buffish Mining Bee (A. nigroaenea) and Gwynne's Mining Bee (A. bicolor), the male of which is small.

I am amazed that anyone, as expert as they must be, could ID those bees. In my Field Guide they all look much the same and none like those I see! Thanks to all concerned

Priorslee Lake: 05:15 - 06:45 // 07:55 - 09:55

(65th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The lone visible Canada Goose saw off a pair of arriving Canada Geese. Later another pair arrived and the cob Mute Swan and a third pair of Canada Geese chased these away. This third pair then also left, apparently leaving none behind. So were they the 'residents'? And if so where has the second bird in this pair been for the last few days?
- The four Great Crested Grebes were presented as a pair and two singles. Perhaps the partners of the singles were in the reeds somewhere?
- Two Sand Martins arrived c.08:15 but had gone by 08:30. After 09:00 two seen again - same?

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 5 Canada Geese: pair outbound; single and pair inbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: two pairs outbound
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- 46 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Siskin

Count of hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins at least

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- *8 (7) Willow Warblers
- *17 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 15 (10) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler

Counts from the water:
- at least six Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans: pen sitting throughout
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 25 Coots again
- 2 Little Grebe: both heard only again
- *4 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Grey Heron still
- 1 Common Sandpiper again

Also noted:
- 1 plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus) the only thing on the lamp poles pre-dawn.
- 1 Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombilius major)
- *3 Tapered Drone Flies (Eristalis pertinax)
- *1 Syrphus sp. hoverfly
- *many Alder Flies (Sialis lutaria). I have never recorded these in April previously.

Not too much cloud to give any highlights to the sunrise today.

Just a few wisps of mist rising from the lake - unlike the fog yesterday.

Sun just about to break the horizon.

This is a bit unfortunate. The camera was on the wrong setting when this pair of Great Crested Grebes started to do their weed dance. On my camera it is not easy to switch to video (I did later as we will see). So here are a few stills of the weed dance. And yes: here are two birds here.

#2.

 #3.

After I got my act together ... a short video. They seem to have got rid of the weed except around the base of one of their necks.

A Willow Warbler for a change. You can sort of see the reasonably well-marked eye-stripe, the pink legs and long wings.

Well hello there. Another Chiffchaff.

The Starlings nesting around the estate can be found dropping from one of the hedges in to the academy playing field to feed first thing. Here one is lit by the early sun. In summer plumage, as they are now, the females are much 'spottier' than the males - as here. They also have a pink base to the bill whereas the males have a blue base. I kid you not - blue for boy and pink for a girl!

A short video of a male Reed Bunting destroying last year's Great Reedmace (Typha latifoli).

This is one of the two almost identical Syrphus hoverflies. Only females of S. ribesii can be separated from females of S. vitripennis by the colour of the femur on their hind legs - not a lot of use here, though it is a female (the eyes do not meet). Males cannot be visually separated.

This is a male Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) which shows how it gets its name. As shown yesterday females do not have an obviously tapered body.

This is an Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria). Structurally rather like many caddis flies but the dark and shiny wings with obvious veins identify it.

Much of the Blackthorn blossom is past its best. This huge bush at the W end is still in full flower. It was c.09:30 and still rather chilly but I could not find a single insect at the flowers.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- Now a pair of Mallard under the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.
- The Moorhen at the upper pool yet again
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff by the lower pool again
also noted
- The Herald moth (Scoliopteryx libatrix) still in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
I received a report that a male Reed Bunting was seen at the upper pool yesterday (14th)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 - 07:50

(53rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The third adult Mute Swan not seen - hiding around the back of the island?
- The two Great Crested Grebes seen displaying again
- *A second Herring Gull dropped in briefly and then both departed more or less together.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Stock Doves
- 8 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted.

None

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 3 (3) Willow Warblers
- *7 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (3) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 25 Canada Geese; of these four departed and two arrived
- 4 Greylag Geese; two of these arrived
- 2 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 31 (26♂) Mallard
- 27 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *2 Herring Gulls: the 'usual' second year and a third year briefly.

Nothing else of note.

This is what I think is a third year Herring Gull. Slightly dark sub-terminal area on the secondaries and a faint dark smudge in the tail.

This is 'our' second year with dark trailing edge to the secondaries and obvious pale inner primaries and more dark on the tail.

Chiff-chaff- (repeat as nauseam). So they don't all have black legs then?

Was it something I said? All puffed up.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 10:05 - 10:10 // 11:00 - 11:20

(8th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Remaining quiet here.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
[The local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws not included]
- 1 Common Buzzard

Count of hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Sand Martin - passing

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 2 (2) Blackcap

Counts from the water:
- 6 Canada Geese: three pairs; one pair flew off
- 2 Mute Swan: one bird sitting on the nest throughout
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 7 Coots only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only

My 2021 bird species list for moves on to 42 with two additions today:
- Goldcrest
- Greenfinch

Also noted:
- *Red Deadnettle in flower (Lamium purpureum)

They are cute. A Wren of course.

A noisy one at that - but they mostly are.

Doing the splits.

Red Deadnettle in flower (Lamium purpureum).

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:15 – 10:55

(8th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Mute Swans will yet again not raise a family here. The nest site contained broken eggs and several beer cans. The work of the local brainless youth no doubt.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- 1 (1) Willow Warblers
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 5 (4) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 36 Canada Geese
- 24 Greylag Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose: the usual
- 2 Mute Swans
- 17 (15♂) Mallard
- 14 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens only
- 16 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: both first year birds
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first year

My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 40 with nothing new today:

This first year Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in, had a drink, and left.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2017

Priorslee lake

Today's Sightings Here

2016

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

3 Great Crested Grebes

3 Grey Herons

2 Greylag Geese over

9 Tufted Duck

1 Little Ringed Plover

2 Common Sandpipers

10 Blackcaps

6 Chiffchaffs

5 Willow Warbler

117 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cackling-type Goose

29 Tufted Ducks

3 Blackcap

4 Chiffchaffs

4 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

4 Great Crested Grebes

5 Tufted Ducks

4 Blackcaps

3 Chiffchaffs

7 Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool

3 Great Crested Grebes

8 Greylag Geese

13 Tufted Duck

3 Blackcaps

2 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

4 Wheatear

Willow Warbler

Blackcap

(Ian Grant)

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Great Crested Grebe

1 Buzzard

3 Chiffchaff

(Tony Beckett)

Long Lane, Wellington

10 Ringed Plover

5 Dunlin

(J W Reeves)

2012

Nedge Hill

2 Redstart

1 Wheatear

(Martin Grant)

2011

Priorslee Lake

Grey Wagtail

1 Common Sandpiper

5 Tufted Duck

1 Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

2 Wheatear

Common Redstart

11 Wheatear

(John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

Telford Railway Station

11 Waxwings

(Colin Wright)

2007

Nedge Hill

1 Buzzard

4 Skylark

1 Fieldfare

3 Willow Warbler

2 Chiffchaff

3 Greenfinch

4 Linnet

(Martin Adlam)

Priorslee Village

Black-tailed Godwit

(Martin Adlam)

2006

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

1 Heron

3 Greylag Geese

3 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

1 Water Rail

3 Common Sandpiper

1 Ringed Plover

12 Chiffchaff

7 Willow Warbler

6 Blackcaps

1 Sky Lark

2 Grey Wagtail

1 Willow Tit

4 Greenfinch

3 Linnet

5 Reed Bunting.

(Martin Adlam, John Isherwood)