28 Mar 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 6.0°C: There is dull, there is very dull and then there is this morning. Initially scattered below medium overcast. Intermittent light rain after 06:45 with clouds lowering. More persistent rain after 09:45. Moderate southerly wind. Very good visibility, reducing in rain.

Sunrise: 06:02 BST

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:15

(73rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Pheasant was heard calling from the Ricoh copse near to Priorslee Avenue.
- The small passage of Wood Pigeons flying high North. After I returned home yesterday I noted a few small such groups flying over all morning.
- A single Sand Martin flew through c.08:15. By 08:45 there were three feeding low over the water.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Canada Geese: quartet outbound; trio inbound
- 6 Greylag Geese: two trios outbound
- 4 Feral Pigeons: two duos
- 27 Wood Pigeons: of these 12 flew very high North
- 1 Collared Dove
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 1 Cormorant

Warblers noted (the number of these singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- *2 (2) Willow Warblers
- *16 (16) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted
- 4 Sand Martins

Counts from the lake area: some birds presumably sheltering from the rain
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 4 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 10 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- *1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 small black beetle
- *midges with and without plumes
- springtail(s)
The Lead-coloured Drab moth (Orthosia populeti) has finally moved on / died / been eaten

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn
- *>6 midges with and without plumes
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)

Of note elsewhere:
- on the wall of the sailing club HQ
-* many more midges with and without plumes

Today's immature Cormorant. Until I looked at this photo I had not appreciated how thick Cormorants' legs are.

Again

A Willow Warbler out in the open. Note the pale legs (not so pale as the feet). Also the eye-stripe (supercilium) extends further behind the eye than it does on Chiffchaff. There is also a yellowish wash to the throat and breast and an overall more olive tone. It always helps when they sing!

Here he is again. The mandibles are essentially grey on this species. I will try again on a sunny morning.

For comparison a Chiffchaff. Not really helpful in showing difference, most of which, other than the pale lower mandible, are not apparent from this angle. Again the very dull conditions do not help.

A 'classic' plumed midge with banded abdomen makes it a good candidate to be a male Chironomus plumosus.

This midge I found in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel has imperceptible plumes on its antennae and apparently no bands of the abdomen.

This one on the wall of a sailing club HQ looks to be the same species. The wings folded over the abdomen give the impression it is very 'waisted'. The true abdomen shape is just about visible through the wings.

An un-plumed midge and therefore presumably a female. Directly ahead of her at the edge of the photo is a tiny springtail. There may be more but the resolution is not good enough.

A very differently shaped and marked midge also on the wall of a sailing club HQ. Apparently no antennae at all.

I have seen this small black beetle with swollen hind-femurs several time before. I still have no idea as to its identity as there are a myriad of small black beetles to choose from.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 09:20 – 10:15

(67th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I heard the Pheasant call again. As before I was too far away for me to locate its position. Possibly behind the small football field at the top end.
- One of the Greylag Geese was obviously paired with a Canada Goose: a pair arrived; the fourth seemed to be on its own.
- The pen Mute Swan was asleep on the nest. I was told two eggs were seen yesterday.
- *The first Mallard ducklings of the year were noted.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming at the top end. Later a male was seen in trees near The Priorslee and shortly after heard to drum from there. The same bird?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Jackdaws

Warblers noted (the number of these singing in brackets):
- *11 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Noted on / around the water
- 21 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- *29 (22♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard
- *1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 45 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Cormorants

On / around the street lamp poles or of interest elsewhere:
Nothing noted

The first Mallard ducklings of the year this morning. Here is one of the three that were whizzing around at high speed in all directions. I am not even sure that the duck in the photo is their mother. There were two duck Mallard in the area and the ducklings chased after both of them at different times.

The odd couple. The all-white drake is paired with a duck Mallard. He has Mallard genes as he has the curly tail-feather. The internet seems split on whether these all-white birds should be called Peking Ducks or Aylesbury Ducks. Elsewhere on the web Aylesbury ducks look like a cross between a Mallard and an Indian Runner duck and nothing like this in shape. I will continue with the Peking moniker in the logs.

I was photographing this Chiffchaff through multiple layers of twigs and sedge-stems. At least the dark legs are reasonably clear.

A different bird against the (non-existent) light.

Very smart. A Nuthatch.

 I just about managed a plane of the day. This Sikorsky S-76C II Plus Spirit helicopter was flying through the base of the clouds and just popped out long-enough for me to grab a shot. The M- registration tells us it is registered in the Isle of Man but to the UK company Trustair Ltd. of Chorley, Lancs.

(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

2 Little Grebes

4 Great Crested Grebes

9+ Cormorants

1 Grey Heron

2 Swans

2 Shoveler

30 Tufted Duck

10 Chiffchaffs

 5 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cackling Goose

51 Tufted Ducks

3 Chiffchaffs

1 Meadow Pipit

2 Fieldfare

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

7 Meadow Pipits

c.150 Fieldfare

c.30 Starlings

1 Chiffchaff

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

7 Wigeon

22 Tufted Duck

1 Glaucous Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull

1 hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull

1 Mediterranean Gull

c.400 Black-headed Gulls

63 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

4 Herring Gulls.

(Tom Lowe, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill

2 Lapwing

(Martin Grant)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

1 Glaucous Gull

Iceland Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull.

(Tom Lowe)

2012

Priorslee Lake

10 Chiffchaffs singing

4 Blackcaps singing

1 Sky Lark

1 Willow Tit

1 Raven flew over

3 Great Crested Grebes

11 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash

2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers

38 Tufted Duck

5 Chiffchaffs singing

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes 

6 Gadwall

c.15 Tufted Duck

1 Fieldfare

11 Linnets

5 Chiffchaffs

c.40 Sand Martins

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash 

4 Great Crested Grebes

30 Tufted Ducks

Siskins

2 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

10 Meadow Pipits

Linnets

Sky Larks

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes

2 Cormorants

14 Tufted Ducks

3 Ruddy Ducks

1 Kittiwake

242 Wood Pigeons

4 Stock Doves

2 Buzzards

1 Kestrel

3 Meadow Pipits

3 Grey Wagtails

9 Pied Wagtails

26 Wrens

3 Fieldfare

94 Redwings

2 Swallow

13 Sand Martins

1 Blackcap

1 Willow Warbler

7 Chiffchaffs

18 Magpies

4 Jays

127 Jackdaws

13 Greenfinches

7 Siskins

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)