23 Apr 21

Priorslee Lake, Woodhouse Lane and The Flash

3.0°C > 11:0°C: Cloudless with frosty start again. Calm early again; light E breeze later. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:55 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:00 - 06:30 // 07:25 - 09:50 

(72nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Today it was a pair of Tufted Duck that 'appeared' and then 'disappeared'.
- A unaged Black-headed Gull appeared over the water at 05:25, circled twice and left back to the E. A few minutes later what was presumably the same bird re-appeared and circled low for more than five minutes before departing to the N.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker heard drumming. Rather late in the season to be doing this?
- Now six singing Reed Warblers.
- Now three male Common Whitethroats singing from separate territories. No females seen / heard.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 5 Canada Geese: pair outbound; single and pair inbound
- 5 Greylag Geese: pair outbound; single and pair inbound as well
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Cormorants
- 27 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

I did think I heard a Common Swift call once but nothing seen against the clear blue sky so I will let it pass.

Count of warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds)
- no Willow Warblers
- 15 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (3) Reed Warblers
- 12 (8) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the water:
- 1 Canada Goose: the other bird presumed on nest
- 4 Greylag Geese: two pairs attempted to invade. Neither stayed long.
- 2 Mute Swans: pen sitting throughout
- 5 (5♂) Mallard yet again
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: came and went?
- 7 Moorhens again
- 21 Coots
- 2 Little Grebes: heard only
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull, briefly

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn
- 1 plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
Too cold and clear for most things

Yesterday's Clubiona spider could perhaps have been C. reclusa. Not possible to separate reclusa from brevipes from the photo. Thanks to the Shropshire Spider recorder for the info.

Noted later:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *1 Andrena sp. mining bee
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- >5 Tapered Droneflies (Eristalis pertinax)
- *2 presumed Chequered Hoverflies (Melanostoma scalare)
- *3 Syrphus sp. hoverflies
- >5 Alder Flies (Sialis lutaria)

I had a bit of a brain-storm yesterday. What I logged as a Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae) was in fact one of the two Syrphus sp. hoverflies (S. ribesii and S. vitripennis) that cannot usually be separated in the field. Apologies.

Much as yesterday - fine and clear and a not very inspiring sunrise

The resident Canada Goose lost no time in attacking a visiting pair of Greylag Geese - you can just make out a bit of the Greylag as it dived for cover. Dare I say it clearly had its gander up?

Here they make a fast retreat. The front bird has all-white feathers on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer wing. I cannot recall having seen this bird previously.

Behind a tangle of branches I found this rather sleepy Jay. The eye seems surprisingly brown - I always reckon on pale eyes for this species. Perhaps the early morning light? I assume too early for it to be a juvenile.

It wasn't quite sure what to make of me but went back to sleep.

For the moment this will have to stay as a mining bee. (Andrena sp.). It is doing something strange with its antennae - the shadow shows both but there looks to be only one at first glance.

Always a challenge as the closed wings on these small hoverflies obscure the identification markings on the abdomen. I am certain it is a Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare).

A different specimen at a different angle from which some appreciation of the abdomen markings can be made.

I'll get the caption right today. This is a Syrphus sp. hoverfly (S. ribesii or S. vitripennis). It is a male so it cannot be ascribed to a particular species from a photo.

When I last photographed the one small clump of Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa) they were looking very bedraggled. Better now. An unidentified fly has crashed the photo.

And one flower in close-up

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane: 08:10 - 08:55

(16th visit of the year)

A full walk down the hill as far as the Motorway bridge.

Notes:
- Two Jays seen fighting
- Two Common Whitethroats , one singing.
- Another fly-over Siskin
- Only one of eight Yellowhammers seen was singing though all eight were males.

Some numbers (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 1 Pheasant heard
- 4 (2) Skylarks
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (2) Blackcaps
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroats
- 3 Linnets
- 8 (1) Yellowhammers

Otherwise:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *My first Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) flowers of the year.

A Common Buzzard took to the air - not much in the way of thermals at the time so it was having to flap its wings a bit.

Another cooperative Wren though not singing here. Note the way the hedges have been neatly trimmed - not. A tractor with a flail cutting off all the berries and fruits every Autumn. Vandals.

Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) flowers just beginning to open. Not unlike a yellow version of White Dead-Nettle (Lamium album) as the scientific names suggest.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- A drake Mallard standing on the footpath path alongside the Wesley Brook.
- One Moorhen on the grass by the upper pool.
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs between the pools.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:35 - 07:20

(60th visit of the year)

Best today was a Sedge Warbler in song from a most unlikely place - the cropped hedge at the back of the last house in Wordsworth Way where there is a Blackcap territory and a Long-tailed Tit nest. This would be a passage bird. I have only two previous records from here - 22 April 2018 and 08 May 2019, the latter after one at the upper pool between the lake and The Flash on 01 May 2019. Bird species #66 for me here this year.

Bird notes:
- There no longer seems to be the drake Tufted Duck consorting with a pair of Mallard, though it could be they are all in the undergrowth somewhere while eggs are brooded and defended.
- The recent Great Crested Grebes do seem to have gone. Strange as they have bred here for many years.
- One of the only two Willow Warblers remaining today was singing from the island. If it is the same one, then it has been doing so for at least 10 days.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

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

Counts from the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese: two of these arrived
- 3 + ? eggs Mute Swans
- 27 (23♂) Mallard
- 21 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 22 Coots

Nothing else of note.

This Long-tailed Tit distracted me while I was searching for the singing Sedge Warbler.

And here is the Sedge Warbler - well a small part of it anyway. Behind the branch in the middle is the back-end of a bird and it is indeed a Sedge Warbler though you could not tell from this view. I did get a slightly better view but it was basically the song that identified it. Must be a candidate for my worst ever photo on the web. Must try harder ...

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebes 
3 Greylag Geese
1 Grasshopper Warbler 
2 Reed Warblers 
8 Blackcaps 
9 Chiffchaffs 
4 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Richardson's-type Canada Goose 
8 Tufted Duck 
1 Blackcap 
2 Chiffchaffs 
6 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
6 Swallows
8 Meadow Pipits
1 Fieldfare
3 Blackcaps 
3 Willow Warbler 
4 Chiffchaffs
1 Whinchat
1 Lesser Whitethroat
29 Wheatear
1 Lapwing
(John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Woodpecker
5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Tufted Duck
12 Blackcaps
2 Willow Warblers
14 Chiffchaffs
1 Sedge Warbler
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

In the lane / fields to the E
5 Skylarks
2 Whitethroats
2 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
9 Linnets 
5 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
5 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Duck 
1 Common Sandpiper
5 Blackcaps
1 Willow Warblers
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Lesser Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
3 Yellow Wagtail
6 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Sedge Warblers
2 Lesser Whitethroats
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Common Whitethroat
3 Wheatears
(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
1 Pied Flycatcher
(Mike)

Ercall Woods
3 Pied Flycatcher
Buzzards
2 Ravens
(Mike)

2007
Priorslee Flash
2 Common Sandpipers
Garden Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
6 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
5 Common Sandpipers
100+ Sand Martin
5 Swallow
1 House Martin
23 Wrens
19 Robins
19 Blackbirds
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Garden Warblers
7 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
1 Willow Tit
3 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)