25 Jun 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C: Another day with low overcast and occasional drizzle. Some brighter intervals c.05:30 did not last. Moderate NW wind dropped lighter. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:47 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:30 // 06:25 – 07:55

(129th visit of the year)

A very quiet day and with more rain threatening I departed early.

Bird notes:
- Today's Swifts were four by 04:50 but none after 05:15.
- Many of the juvenile Coots were probably staying under cover in the reeds.
- The only Lesser Black-backed Gull appeared overhead to mob a passing Common Buzzard and then went on its way.
- A warbler dived in to cover where I saw the Sedge Warbler disappear on Wednesday but I saw it too briefly to positively identify.
- Just one Garden Warbler in song today – the bird along the S side.

Overhead:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first year
- no Jackdaws or Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds): not really the weather for singing!
- 11 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (6) Reed Warblers
- 11 (11) Blackcaps again
- 1 (1) Garden Warblers
- 5 (2) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 33 + 13 (6 broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed early on

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Mayfly sp., possibly Large Dark Olive Mayfly (Baetis rhodani)

Noted later: not much in the dull damp conditions.

Moth:
- Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)

Spider:
- possibly Walckenaeria acuminata

Flower not noted previously this year
- probable Larger Bindweed [or Bellvine] (Calystegia Sepium): I need to get a photo to confirm

The only gull this morning was this first year Lesser Black-backed Gull (though the age is not evident in this photo). It appeared when the Common Buzzard floated over the M54. The gull made a lot of noise – the bill is open here – until the buzzard retreated when the gull moved on.

I found this mayfly on one of the lamp poles pre-dawn. I really have no way to specifically identify these. There are 200 species in Europe and identification relies on wing venation needing both a hand lens and a knowledge of what to look for. All I can say is that the Large Dark Olive Mayfly (Baetis rhodani) is very common and the genus is one with only two tails, as here.

I think this is a tiny black spider with red legs. It is possibly Walckenaeria acuminata: or not. My attention was drawn to the white blotch and only then did I notice the black object.

From this angle the spider looks to have prey as there are stray legs possibly hanging out of its jaws. I have no idea what the white blob actually is unless it could be the spider's lair. These were taken with the camera's macro facility and ha been enlarged about 40 times!

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- The Chiffchaff was singing by the lower pool on my way back from the The Flash only.
- The Blackcap was singing by the lower pool on my way to the The Flash only.

Also
- One Common Pug moth (Eupithecia vulgata) on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel again in a different location.
- Also a Nephrotoma quadrifaria cranefly resting on the roof.

Today's find on the roof of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue was this cranefly – Nephrotoma quadrifaria I believe on the basis of the dark blotch towards the tip of the wing.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:35 – 06:20

(114th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I could not find the juvenile Canada Goose amongst the mass of geese.
- I was told about a duck Mallard with four small ducklings by one of the bridges: when I got there a few minutes later I could only find a pair of adults.
Just one juvenile Coot seen today – one of the well-grown birds.
- Stock Dove heard calling again. I hear this species intermittently from two widely separated locations around the water but never from both places on the same day.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc., noted:
None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps yet again

On /around the water:
- 127 Canada Geese
- 28 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- 8 (6♂) Tufted Duck again
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 1 juvenile Coot: see notes
- 2 Great Crested Grebe still

Nothing else of note.

Note
Last Wednesday 23 Jun I visited Prees Heath. A few photos of my visit can be found Here

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Probable Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
The water level was the highest I have seen it for many years and the rows of marker buoys just off the south bank had all disappeared under the water. The full effect of Wesley Brook downstream has been devastating for Shifnal, with so much water in the reservoir it was no surprise to hear that many premises alongside the brook were under 2 to 3 feet of water for the second time this month.
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)