25 Apr 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 8.0°C: Early patchy cloud cleared for a while. Puffy clouds from 08:30. Light NNW breeze increasing somewhat. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:51 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:05 – 06:20 // 07:15 – 09:35

(99th visit of the year)

Contractors have now begun to erect a 'real fence' around the football field. Quite why they went to the bother with temporary fencing is hard to fathom.

Severn Trent were investigating the discolouration in the Wesley Brook adjacent to the footbridge. Emulsion paint apparently. Origin unknown.

Severn Trent contractors were showing the company's ETS (Environmental Tidiness Syndrome) and mowing down many of the wild flowers. It would be nice to think the timing was a prelude to 'no mow May' but somehow I doubt it.

Bird notes:
- The Tufted Duck all departed when the mowing machines arrived.
- A Stock Dove was calling from trees near the Teece Drive gate. It is some while since I saw one here. It used to be a nesting site for them but the hole-ridden dead tree they used collapsed many years ago.
- Before 06:00 there were two Common Sandpipers. After the mowing machines had departed I could only find one. It is possible this was a new arrival.
- Two Grey Herons were sparring in the SE area at 05:40. I didn't see either later.
- A late arriving Willow Warbler has appeared here now. It was singing along the S side – not a location where I have heard any others this year.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: a single and a pair outbound; a trio inbound
- 3 Greylag Geese: a trio outbound
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull: immature again
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults, singly; again
- 12 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
-1 Barn Swallow flew straight through

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 21 (132) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler remains
- 2 (2) Reed Warblers
- 19 (14) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 2 Mute Swans: pen on nest
- 7 (5♂) Mallard: no ducklings noted
- *8 (5♂) Tufted Duck: all departed
- 5 Moorhens again
- 22 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- *2 Common Sandpipers
- 5 Herring Gulls: two (near) adults together, briefly; three immatures together, also briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult briefly
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- several Plumed midges, including...
- *1 plumed midge with patterned wings
- 1 Clubiona sp. spider

Noted later in sometimes cloudy and cool conditions:

Bees:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Hoverflies:
- Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe elegans)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

and:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

As the early clouded moved away to the SW there was a dramatic, if not very colourful, sunrise reflected in the, then, calm water. The question arises: where does the wind go at night?

Four of the Tufted Duck flushed by the mowing machine. The outer birds are ducks and the centre two with whiter flanks and bellies are drakes.

And here a duck leads two drakes. Intriguing to see that that the duck seems to have a pale band around her neck.

I managed to creep up on this Common Sandpiper. I have enlarged the image somewhat to highlight the black flecks amongst two different shades of brown on the back and folded wings. These markings are only visible as the bird comes in to breeding plumage. I am not sure I have ever seen them so well.

A 'different' plumed midge with patterned wings and with antennae that a chimney sweep would be proud to own (does anyone know what a chimney sweep is these days?)

A Clubiona sp. spider and a male with long pedipalps. Quite why only two of its eight eyes have reflected the camera flash I am unsure. Do I need to use the red-eye option?


(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:25 – 07:10

(96th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I could not locate any Mallard ducklings.
- I did not see the Lesser Black-backed Gull in flight so my ageing of this bird is tentative.
- The Willow Warbler was singing very intermittently from the same pair of trees where I noted it yesterday.
- There seemed to be Blackcaps everywhere today. None willing to pose for the camera.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- *1 (1) Willow Warbler again
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (7) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese: of these a single and a pair departed
- 4 Mute Swans
- 16 (14♂) Mallard: no ducklings seen
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 24 Coots again
- no Great Crested Grebes noted
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first year?

On / around the street lamp poles:

Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

"I hear no worms". A Song Thrush on the hunt for food.

A not very good photo of the Willow Warbler that has been along the East side for two days now. The well-developed eye-brow is visible as are the – er – dark legs. The books all say the legs on this species are pink: they are – usually.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash

- 1 Chiffchaff singing around the upper pool
Very quiet!

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- 1 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) moth again. In a slightly different position.
- several plumed midges
- *2 owl midges Psychodidae sp.

Owl midges are a nightmare to photo – they are so tiny, the largest just 4mm across (0.15 inches for folk like me who only work in old money). Here is one.

And here is another. About 100 species in the UK. I have no idea how individuals can be ascribed to any particular species or indeed how anyone knows there are 100 species anyway.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2014

Priorslee Lake

1 Reed Warbler

1 Sedge Warbler

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Lesser Whitethroat

5 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2013

Priorslee Lake

Tawny Owl

4 Great Crested Grebes 

2 Cormorants

2 Lapwings 

2 Common Sandpiper 

3 Reed Warblers

14 Blackcaps 

8 Chiffchaffs 

2 Willow Warblers 

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebe 

1 Greylag Goose 

1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose 

12 Tufted Duck 

5 Song Thrushes 

3 Blackcaps 

3 Chiffchaffs 

3 Willow Warblers

(Ed Wilson)

Woodhouse Lane

3 Common Whitethroats

2 Linnets.

7 Yellowhammers

Blackcaps

Chiffchaffs 

Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

4 Meadow Pipits

4 Sky Lark

20 Wheatear

2 Fieldfare

1 Lesser Whitethroat.

2 Common Whitethroats.

3 Blackcaps.

2 Chiffchaffs.

1 Linnet.

2 Yellowhammer

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington

1 Whimbrel

2 Curlew

6 Dunlin

2 Ringed Plover

(JW Reeves)

2012

Priorslee Lake

35 Swallows

2 House Martins

Grey Wagtail

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

2 Swift

1 Grasshopper Warbler

(John Isherwood, J W Reeves, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill

1 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2011

Priorslee Lake

1 Yellow Wagtail

Common Sandpiper

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

9 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

3 Common Sandpiper

(Andy Latham)

Nedge Hill

Swift

12 Wheatear

1 Whinchat

Lesser Whitethroat

2 Whitethroat

Blackcap

(Andy Latham)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

19 Wheatear

1 Lesser Whitethroat

2 Turtle Doves

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

Sand Martins

Swallows

1 Tufted Duck

1 Sedge Warbler

4 Reed Warblers

1 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Common Whitethroat

3 Blackcaps 

6 Chiffchaffs 

1 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

2 Wheatear

1 Common Whitethroat

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee

3 Great Crested Grebes

1 Tufted Duck

1 Wheatear

1 Chiffchaff

1 Willow Tit

1 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

5 Wheatears

1 Whinchat

1 Sedge Warbler

Common Whitethroat

4 Linnets

(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash

Swallows

1 Grey Wagtail

6 Blackcaps

6 Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes

4 Herons

4 Greylag Geese

4 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Duck

2 Kestrels

2 Common Sandpipers

1 Skylark

23 Sand Martins

12 Swallows

29 Wrens

2 Sedge Warblers

2 Reed Warblers

11 Blackcaps

8 Chiffchaffs

2 Willow Warblers

2 Jays

7 Greenfinches

21 Redpolls

5 Reed Buntings.

Lanes

3 Whitethroats

2 Skylarks

3 Whitethroats

2 Blackcaps

1 Chiffchaff

4 Linnets

6 Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)