10.0°C > 13.0°C: Clear to both the East and the West. An area of medium level cloud overhead moved away by 08:00. Then sunny. Moderate WNW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:58 BST
No photos from today for the moment.
Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 09:05
(206th visit of the year)
Two highlights this morning:
- a very late Reed Warbler was in the south west copse (along with a male Blackcap).
- a group of 31 Skylarks flew W at 08:45
And one lowlight:
- a small bird between the West end footpath and the Ricoh copse gave me the run-around. From what I could see it looked most likely to be a warbler. It was smaller than a Chiffchaff but did not seem to have the staring eye of a Goldcrest. Sadly I heard no calls to provide any more clues before it flew away and I could not relocate it. My only thought was possibly a Yellow-browed Warbler which would be a new bird for me in Shropshire. But it will have to remain a mystery.
Other bird notes:
- I located the / a drake Eurasian Wigeon again.
- The sextet of Feral Pigeons flew South: I cannot recall any groups flying that way previously.
- Most, if not all, the 43 unidentified large gulls that visited the lake c.06:45 were probably Lesser Black-backed Gulls. There was not enough light to be able to check them all.
- Two Tawny Owls were calling from the Ricoh copse at 05:45.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 7 Feral Pigeons: single and sextet
- 5 Stock Doves: single and two duos
- 59 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 22 Black-headed Gulls: two groups
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 12 unidentified large gulls
- 17 Jackdaws
- 50 Rooks
- 31 Skylarks: together as highlighted
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: in song in the NW area
- 8 Chiffchaffs: one of these in song
- 1 Reed Warbler as highlighted
- 2 Blackcaps
Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: arrived together
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 17 (10♂) Mallard
- 11 Moorhens
- 160 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 20 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls: 56 of these were on the football field c.07:05
- 2 Herring Gulls again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull again
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 43 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Migrant Field Syrph hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
- the usual multiplicity of flies
- three different species of spider
- 1 male Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman
- 1 male Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman: ran away before I could check
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Noted later:
- Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)
- Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- Grey Squirrel
Sunrise: 06:58 BST
No photos from today for the moment.
Priorslee Lake: 05:40 – 09:05
(206th visit of the year)
Two highlights this morning:
- a very late Reed Warbler was in the south west copse (along with a male Blackcap).
- a group of 31 Skylarks flew W at 08:45
And one lowlight:
- a small bird between the West end footpath and the Ricoh copse gave me the run-around. From what I could see it looked most likely to be a warbler. It was smaller than a Chiffchaff but did not seem to have the staring eye of a Goldcrest. Sadly I heard no calls to provide any more clues before it flew away and I could not relocate it. My only thought was possibly a Yellow-browed Warbler which would be a new bird for me in Shropshire. But it will have to remain a mystery.
Other bird notes:
- I located the / a drake Eurasian Wigeon again.
- The sextet of Feral Pigeons flew South: I cannot recall any groups flying that way previously.
- Most, if not all, the 43 unidentified large gulls that visited the lake c.06:45 were probably Lesser Black-backed Gulls. There was not enough light to be able to check them all.
- Two Tawny Owls were calling from the Ricoh copse at 05:45.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 7 Feral Pigeons: single and sextet
- 5 Stock Doves: single and two duos
- 59 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 22 Black-headed Gulls: two groups
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 12 unidentified large gulls
- 17 Jackdaws
- 50 Rooks
- 31 Skylarks: together as highlighted
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: in song in the NW area
- 8 Chiffchaffs: one of these in song
- 1 Reed Warbler as highlighted
- 2 Blackcaps
Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: arrived together
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 17 (10♂) Mallard
- 11 Moorhens
- 160 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 20 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls: 56 of these were on the football field c.07:05
- 2 Herring Gulls again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull again
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 43 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Migrant Field Syrph hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
- the usual multiplicity of flies
- three different species of spider
- 1 male Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman
- 1 male Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman: ran away before I could check
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Noted later:
- Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)
- Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- Grey Squirrel
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 6 owl midges Psychodidae sp.
- 12 other midges of various sizes
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger) again
- 2 different spider species
- 1 male Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
(Ed Wilson)
- 12 other midges of various sizes
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger) again
- 2 different spider species
- 1 male Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)