22 Apr 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 10.0°C: Slightly broken medium-high level cloud, especially to the E. Lower cloud after 08:30. Moderate N wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:57 BST

* = a photo today

A very quiet morning with most things in lower numbers and very little flying over.

Priorslee Lake: 04:55 – 06:20 // 07:15 – 09:30

(96th visit of the year)

It has been suggested that the current fence around the football field is only temporary and is to protect the site while the proper fence is erected. We shall see.

Bird notes:
- I am still hearing distant Pheasant calls most mornings: too far away to determine whereabouts they might be.
- The cob Mute Swan was chasing the Canada Goose again. This forced the sitting bird off the nest for a while to prevent a death in the family.
- A duck Mallard was seen again with three ducklings.
- Just a 'regular' pair of Tufted Duck
- No Willow Warblers seen or heard.
- A Sedge Warbler was singing at the W end but only heard after 09:00 so perhaps it was just arriving. The bird noted on Tuesday and Wednesday (but not yesterday) was in the NW area, though that distance is nothing when you have flown from Africa!
- Two Common Whitethroats were chasing around again before 06:00 when it was too dark to see which sex they were. A male was seen and heard singing later.

Birds noted flying over here: this won't take long!
- 8 Wood Pigeons again
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Rook

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins
- 7 Barn Swallows

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warblers
- no Willow Warblers
- 21 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 15 (10) Blackcaps
- 2 (1?) Common Whitethroat

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: pen on nest
- 6 (4♂) + 3 ducklings (1 brood) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Herrings Gulls: together very briefly at 05:40
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived and departed

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)
- *1 springtail, perhaps Orchesella cincta.
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- *1 other spider, perhaps Clubiona sp.

Noted later in cool, cloudy and breezy conditions:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

A duck Mallard still with all three remaining ducklings.

Looking a but lurid for some reason is this Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea).

This rather hairy springtail with the yellow band across the abdomen may (or may not) be Orchesella cincta.

Peering in to a bolt hole on one of the street lamp poles is a spider. The end of the abdomen suggests a Clubiona type though those that Nigel has identified previously have all been reddish or brown rather than grey as we see here.

Don't we all love Telford. I picked this lot up from in front of the sailing club shelter. The four empty boxes each contained 24 Cream Chargers. These are pressurised Nitrous Oxide cylinders properly in the restaurant trade but misused to get 'highs'. The boxes are on sale on the web at £12.99 each. The plastic bag contains 96 used cylinders and a few balloons used as a way to inhale the gas. They had been discarded in the grass and the shelter. It is no wonder that we are short of wildlife in the area with all this going in the evenings.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:10

(93rd visit of the year)

An update from yesterday. I was shown photos of one brood of five small Coots: at the time I visit these are usually warmly tucked up under a parent on the nest. I was also told of another brood of Mallard ducklings.

Bird notes:
- As yesterday only four Mute Swans located. The two 2021 birds and two all-white birds. I was unable to read any rings on these birds to identify which two. One was almost certainly the resident cob as he was chasing the 2021 birds from time to time.
- No Willow Warblers seen or heard.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- no Willow Warblers
- 6 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese: of these two pairs arrived
- 2 Greylag Geese: of these one departed
- 4 Mute Swans again
- 20 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- *24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Herring Gull: first year, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)

Noted elsewhere:
- *white Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica)

Hiding in the gloom of overhanging trees is a Coot sitting on a nest. This is the nest where the five baby Coots were photographed yesterday afternoon. The parent is keeping them warm here.

Trying to camouflage itself on a moss and lichen covered lamp pole is this plumed midge. The striped thorax and banded abdomen suggest this is the very common non-biting midge Chironomus plumosus. (but as it is a male with the antennae plumes it would not bite anyway)

A clump of white Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) that I found in the wooded area at the top end. White bluebells are not uncommon especially amongst garden escapes which most Spanish Bluebells are. A few blue flowers are at top right. Note the diagnostic straight stems with flowers all around each stem.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- 1 drake Mallard flew from the lower pool
- 2 Chiffchaffs: one calling beside the lower pool; another singing above the upper pool
- 1 Blackcap singing beside the upper pool

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- several small plumed midges
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.

(Ed Wilson)

Note:

Ed Wilson's photos from Belvide Reservoir 20 Apr 22 on our Readers Page Here.

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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

Nedge Hill

1 Whinchat

20 Wheatear

1 Blackcap

Willow Warbler

(Ian Grant)

2012

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

1 Heron

5 Tufted Duck

12 Blackcaps

4 Willow Warblers

12 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash

6 Great Crested Grebes 

5 Greylag Geese

31 Tufted Duck 

1 Heron

1 Buzzard

6 Blackcaps

4 Willow Warblers

4 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

5 Lapwings

1 Green Woodpecker

3 Skylarks

1 Blackcap

1 Willow Warbler

3 Chiffchaffs

6 Linnets

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Yellow Wagtail

5 Common Sandpiper

1 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Sedge Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Yellow Wagtail

10 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

3 Great Crested Grebes

2 Gadwall

1 Common Sandpiper

Swallows

Sand Martins

Common Whitethroat

(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

The Nedge

Blackcap

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff

(Martin Adlam)

2007

Priorslee Lake

2 Sedge Warblers 

Reed Warbler

Common Sandpipers

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill 

1 Wheatear

1 Cuckoo

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

5 Greylag Geese

12 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

27 Sand Martins

11 Swallows

5 House Martins

1 Sedge Warbler

8 Blackcaps

7 Chiffchaffs

4 Willow Warblers

25 Wrens

23 Blackbirds

5 Greenfinches

1 Siskin

1 Redpoll

3 Reed Buntings.

Lanes to the east of Priorslee Lake

6 Pheasants

8 Sky Larks

2 Whitethroats

4 Blackcaps

2 Chiffchaffs

1 Greenfinch

6 Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)