19 Apr 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 8.0°C: Clear though with a band of cloud to the E and then thin high cloud from the E later. Light NW breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:04 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:05 – 06:30 // 07:30 – 09:30

(93rd visit of the year)

As I noted yesterday it is the time of year for several species of warblers to arrive. Today's I heard my first Sedge Warbler singing from the reeds in the NW area. This species usually passes through, perhaps staying a few days. Last year a pair nested, Species #84.

It is a pity this did not turn up yesterday when the Grasshopper Warbler was present: it would have meant that for the first time I had recorded warblers from five different genera on the same day – Acrocephalus (Sedge); Cettia (Cetti's); Locustella (Grasshopper); Phylloscopus (Chiffchaff); and Sylvia (Blackcap and Common Whitethroat)

Other bird notes:
- The lone Canada Goose was, as usual, keeping watch. Another pair arrived and a fight ensued. He (I assume it is the male standing guard) seemed unable to deal with both of the arrivals and the female came off the nest to help see them off.
- Another strange record of a Sky Lark calling and flying S over the dam while another was singing over the fields to the E.
- Two male Common Whitethroats were disputing the territory behind the sailing club shelter. They were chasing around and around barely pausing to sing and often singing in flight. Rarely have I taken so many empty frames in a single session trying to photograph one. Another bird, presumed a female, made off early in the dispute.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: pair outbound; single inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: single outbound
- 28 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull: age not determined
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 22 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins
- 1 Barn Swallow
together, briefly at 08:10

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 18 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 17 (12) Blackcaps
- 3 (2) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans: pen on nest throughout
- 3 (2♂) + 11? ducklings (1 brood) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens still
- 28 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- *2 Common Sandpipers
- no gulls again

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- *1 other spider sp.

Remember way back on 23 March I puzzled over what I thought was a spider with a white area on the carapace. Detective work by Nigel (and by me to find his response somehow in my junk mail) has identified it as a *Greater Thorn-tipped Longhorn Beetle (Pogonocherus hispidulus). I have reproduced the photo today.

Noted later:

Bees:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *up to three species of mining bee (Andrena sp.)

Hoverflies:
- *Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe elegans)
- *Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Spiders:
- *Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- *another Spider sp.

The April moon is now beginning to wane as evidenced by the cross-lit craters on the right side.

Not such a good sunrise thanks to the distant bank of cloud.

I needed to use the camera to count this bobbing and skittering group of Mallard ducklings. Eleven I think. I have no idea why four are yellow and the rest are brown.

One of the two Common Sandpipers. This one is wearing a red ring with 'CE' on its right legs and a standard BTO metal ring on its left leg. I will try and find out more details about when and where this bird was caught and ringed. It has a rather spotted-looking chest for some reason.

I mentioned the challenge of trying to photograph the two chasing Common Whitethroats. One of them singing away.

One flying away.

And the best of a duff bunch. Note the white throat (naturally) and the brown edging to the black feathers on the folded wing. The males – this is a male – have a greyer head than the females.

I am fairly confident that this is one of the Andrena group of mining bees. There are 67 to choose from - goodee! I am not at all familiar with any in the group. My best shot at an identity is Tawny Mining Bee (A. fulva)

This is a different species as it more slender. The folded wings cover the tip of the abdomen from this angle which might (or might not) have provided a clue to the species.

This matches photos of Short-fringed Mining Bee (A. dorsata) even though what I assume is the fringe does not look especially short.

This hoverfly is a Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe elegans). This species is often abundant in Spring and like Hawthorn blossom – it will have to wait a few days yet.

This male hoverfly is one of the Eristalis group: it is a Tapered Dronefly (E. pertinax). Only the males have an obviously tapered abdomen.

Fill-in camera flash enabled me to 'see through' the folded wings to the markings on the abdomen. This is a male Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare).

A male hoverfly of the genus Syrphus (S. ribesii or S. vitripennis). Males (individuals where their eyes meet) are not reliably separable on obvious features. On females the extent of yellow on the hind femur can be used to separate the species.

 A spider day today. This small spider I found on the lamp poles pre-dawn.

Another tiny spider. Not a good photo but it is distinctively marked on both the abdomen and the cephalothorax. The abdomen also appears very tapered.

Makes a change to see a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) in the daylight. I did try to move the grass stem that was casting a shadow across the spider's body but it saw me (well it does have eight eyes) and shot away.

As threatened, from the early morning of 23 March on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn was this Greater Thorn-tipped Longhorn Beetle (Pogonocherus hispidulus). Thanks again to Nigel for perseverance. I sent it to him because I thought it had eight legs: not so – six and two longish antennae.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:35 – 07:25

(90th visit of the year)

I also saw a new species for my 2022 bird list for here: a Common Sandpiper flushed off the W side as I was walking around. They often spend time on the island though I could not relocate it there today. This species passes through here in Spring in small numbers. Species #60.

Other bird notes:
- It was another of those days with an inexplicably low count of Mallard
- A Willow Warbler was singing at the top of squirrel alley when I arrived. Later one was seen singing and moving through the small trees alongside the E of the water. Possibly the same bird passing through?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull: (near) adult
- 1 Jackdaw

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- *1 Willow Warbler: but see notes
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (4) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 30 Canada Geese: of these a single departed and a pair arrived
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 5 Mute Swans
- 12 (11♂) Mallard only
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 24 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Herring Gull: second year bird

On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere.

Nothing noted

Doing its best to hide behind twigs and branches is a Willow Warbler here showing its pink legs and relatively long wings.

May be the last I will see of this species this Spring. This bird was moving steadily northwards.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- No Moorhens seen or heard at either pool again
- 1 Chiffchaff calling alongside the lower pool

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- Once again only the usual plumed midges were noted.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Kittiwake

1 Sedge Warbler

3 Little Ringed Plover

4 Common Sandpiper

2 Blackcap

Sand Martin

Swallow

(John Isherwood)

East Priorslee

2 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Whinchat

7 Redstart

57 Wheatear

Fieldfare

Meadow Pipit

Siskin

Lesser Whitethroat

(Mick Wall, John Isherwood)

Redhill Lane

10+ Wheatear

4 Yellowhammer

(Mick Wall)

2012

The Wrekin

2 Ring Ouzel

(Observer Unknown)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Grasshopper Warbler

26 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Swift

2 House Martin

2 Swallow

150 Sand Martin

7 Blackcap singing

1 Common Sandpiper

(Martin and Ian Grant)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Pintail x Mallard

1 Kestrel

Tawny Owl 

1 Common Sandpiper

20 Swallow

20 Sand Martins

2 Blackcap

1 Garden Warbler

3 Chiffchaff

4 Reed Bunting 

(Martin Grant, Martin Adlam, Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

2 Wheatear

(Martin Grant)

The Flash

Common Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

3 Ruddy Duck

1 Common Sandpiper

1 Buzzard

1 Kestrel

12 Sand Martins

8 Swallows

4 House Martins.

2 Stock Doves

1 Sky Lark

30 Wrens

18 Robins

26 Blackbirds

6 Blackcaps

11 Chiffchaffs

12 Willow Warblers

1 Willow Tit

5 Greenfinches

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)