21 Apr 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 11.0°C: Some high cloud mainly to the W, fading away. Otherwise clear. Light / moderate fresh-feeling E breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:59 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:05 – 06:25 // 07:30 – 09:30

(95th visit of the year)

Contractors have started erecting the fence around the football field. And very tatty it looks too – just crowd barriers you see at events and not at all like a permanent structure. As cheap and nasty as the lurid mauve boxes that are masquerading as classrooms at the Holy Trinity Academy's extension. Perhaps they will put, hopefully inflammable, cladding on them.

Bird notes:
- A duck Mallard still with three ducklings.
- A puzzling duck Tufted-type duck – see photos.
- One Black-headed Gull flew SE overhead at 05:45 in company with three Herring Gulls. It was presumably the first year bird that arrived from the E a few moments later and stayed for c.10 minutes.
- A Sparrowhawk was displaying from the small copse on the NE side of the Castle Farm Interchange.
- Two Willow Warblers were singing near each other along the N side and nowhere near where I heard birds yesterday.
- I did not hear or see the Sedge Warbler.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound again
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 8 Wood Pigeons only
- 5 Herring Gulls: ages not determined
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 5 Jackdaws only
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow flew through at 08:05
The general dearth of hirundines continues. I noted on 14 April that at least three birds had returned over Newport. Well: they spent all afternoon overhead their usual nesting sites but I haven't seen them since.

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warblers
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers again
- 16 (12) Chiffchaffs
- no Sedge Warbler
- 11 (9) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat again

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose: keeping guard
- 2 Mute Swans: pen on nest
- *9 (7♂) + 3 ducklings (1 brood) Mallard
- *3 (2♂) Tufted Duck: arrived. But see photos
- 8 Moorhens
- 20 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: first year, briefly
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults; together briefly
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 other, smaller plumed midge sp. (Chaoborus crystalinus?)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Noted later:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria)
- *unidentified beetle sp.

The sunrise this morning. Most of the high cloud that would have given it more colour was to the W, behind me.

The three ducklings have survived another day. This was the only time I saw them – against the low early light so just silhouettes.

This duck gave me a problem – and continues to do so! The amount of white on the face seems too extensive for a Tufted Duck and recalls a female (Greater) Scaup.

In profile it shows no hint of a 'tuft' which duck Tufted Ducks invariably do. However there looks to be too much black on the bill tip for a Scaup.

Perversely this profile shows rather little black on the bill tip. At this time of year a duck Scaup should a show pale area on the side of the face which this lacks.

Here with a drake Tufted Duck we see it seems no larger. If it were a Scaup it ought to be slightly but obviously larger. Note however that there seems to be some grey feathering on the back which Scaup shows and Tufted Duck doesn't.

Here looking alert we see a pale band on the neck recalling ducks of both Lesser Scaup and the Ring-necked Duck from North America. These can be ruled out on head shape alone. All these species are know to hybridise which adds to the fun. For the moment I have logged it as a duck Tufted Duck pending thoughts from others.

For a change a photo of a female Reed Bunting. In females the black on the head is restricted to a mask.

 A male Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

A particularly striking and bright example of a Common Spotted Field Syrph hoverfly (Eupeodes luniger).

Contrast with the more subdued contrast on this male Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii or S. vitripennis).

This is an Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria). The shape recalls many species of caddis fly but the wings are very dark with very obvious venations.

A small blue-black beetle that I cannot identify. It is slightly larger than those I have found on lamp poles recently and also lacks the swollen hind femur.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:25

(92nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The adult pen Mute Swan was not located. Perhaps she was on the island or always the 'other side' from me? The cob was chasing the 2021 cygnets again.
- Another reduction in Tufted Duck numbers. Checking with last year's logs confirmed that a much reduced number is typical for late April / early May.
- All the gulls only visited briefly.
- The Willow Warblers were in more or less the same locations as on the previous two days.

Birds noted flying over here:
None again

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 2 Willow Warblers again
- 8 (7) Chiffchaffs again
- 5 (4) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 32 Canada Geese: of these a pair arrived and a trio departed
- 3 Greylag Geese: of these a single arrived and it then departed with one of the others
- *4 Mute Swans only
- 23 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 13 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Herring Gulls: first and second year
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: first year and adult

On / around the street lamp poles
Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere:
- *Just coming in to flower are Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica)

Once again one of the 2021 Mute Swan (on the right) and the long-staying 2019 bird were making 'friendly gestures'.

I think these are Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) on the basis of the very straight stem. 'Our' (English) Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) tend to droop as the flowers are all on one side of the stem. In a few days when more flowers are open it will be possible to confirm this, although they do freely hybridise which complicates matters.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- 1 Chiffchaff singing alongside the upper pool
- 3 Starlings overhead. They have stopped sitting in tree-tops early on and are now busy ferrying food to their nests in the estate

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- Nothing 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

2012
The Wrekin 
1 Wood Warbler
(Sandy Hill)

2011
Wrekin
1 Ring Ouzel
(Observer Unknown)

2010
Priorslee Lake
6 Common Sandpiper
6 Swallow
4 Sand Martin
3 Blackcap
6+ Chiffchaff
1 Willow Warbler
2 Stock Dove
2 Greylag Geese
(Mike Cooper)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Swallow
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebe
1 Pintail x Mallard
2 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Buzzard
2 Common Sandpiper
3 House Martin
2 Swallow
1 Skylark
5 Blackcap
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Reed Warbler
5 Chiffchaff
4 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam, Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
6 Greylag Geese
5 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
2 Sand Martins
3 Swallows
1 Sedge Warbler
6 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
6 Willow Warblers.
2 Sky Larks
28 Robins
29 Blackbirds
5 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)