19 May 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 13.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud to start. Some sunny spells for a while. Clouded with rain after 08:30. Light north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:08 BST

* = a photo of this species today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:00

(103rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Many of the warblers are now only intermittently singing. Numbers are 'best effort' from multiple passes.
- In early Spring there were as many as twelve singing Song Thrushes. Recently I have usually logged four or five in song. Yesterday and today I have recorded more: eight both days. Perhaps the males are re-establishing their territories between broods?
- *House Sparrows are visiting the dam face, presumably to collect food. The nearest breeding birds I am aware of are in the estate area alongside Teece Drive. This seems a long way to ferry food. I noted this behaviour for the first time last year.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese: a single and two duos outbound
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Stock Dove
- 8 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *1 Grey Heron
- 8 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 10 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 10 (10) Reed Warblers
- 9 (8) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 5 Swifts
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese: snow just one gosling
- *2 + 1 > 0 (1 brood) Greylag Geese: the only remaining gosling was drowned by the cob Mute Swan
- *2 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 23 + 5 (2 broods) Coots
- *7 Great Crested Grebes: one of these departed
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- *1 Cormorant: briefly

Noted on the street lamp poles around dawn:
- 1 small fly
Well it is a start!

Noted later: the rain meant most of the insects did not appear:
+ = my first sighting of this species this year

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *exuvia only

Other insects:
- *plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- *Tipula vernalis cranefly
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)

Not really a sunrise.

Be warned: you may find some of the next few photos upsetting. Here the cob Mute Swan and an adult Greylag Goose battle.

The swan is after the sole surviving Greylag gosling that has dived to try and get away...

...without success as the swan grabs it and drowns it. Swans are very territorial. I do not know why they are so aggressive towards geese in general and goslings in particular.

In calmer times one of the cygnets with the cob. The other cygnet spends much time on the back of the pen.

This cygnet is well able to feed itself. "My what big feet you have!" I guess it needs these to keep up with the adults.

At 05:25 this Great Crested Grebe took off and circled around and...

...around, gaining height until it disappeared from view.

Two Great Crested Grebes were interacting and I thought they might be doing their weed-dance mating ritual. They soon separated and this photo reveals the weed is incidental to one of them carrying a sizeable meal.

This Great Crested Grebe was not taking a run-up to fly but chasing another who had come too close.

When seen with wings open it is striking how much white appears on what looks to be a brown bird when it is swimming on the water.

This Cormorant was just a silhouette as it flew away from the lake. A bit of tweaking with the photo-editor reveals the pale belly of an immature. Both wing and tail feathers are rather unkempt. It will soon moult in to fresh plumage.

The passing Grey Heron looks much neater though the 'step' between the secondaries and the eight visible primaries suggests it is in wing-moult. This species is an early breeder, with heronries often active from early-February.

A female House Sparrow on the dam-face. Some way from the nearest nesting location.

On the 'boxing ring' atop the dam I found this damselfly exuvia. I cannot identify the species involved. Exuvia climb up stems etc. prior to the emergence of the adult damselflies. The boxing ring seems to be a favoured spot.

Also on the boxing ring was my earliest ever Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis). With its very long antennae (= longicornis) and patterned wings it is about the only species of caddis fly I can identify.

I found this Tipula vernalis cranefly on a wall of the sailing club HQ. The dark line down the back identifies. 'Vernalis' relates to Spring for this early-flying cranefly.

Plane of the day with a clear, large registration. G-TJPK is an AgustaWestland AW109SP GrandNew registered to Botany Aviation Ltd. of Botany Brow, Chorley. First registered this year it was manufactured in Italy by Leonardo SPA, the latest owner of the AgustaWestland brand.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15

(94th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pen Mute Swan was brooding the cygnets so I have no idea how many remain. I was told that only five were seen yesterday evening though at this age the cygnets spend time on the parent's back and are not always easy to see.
- An immature Cormorant was noted apparently collecting or playing with sticks. Practicing for nesting? It departed without me seeing it go.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw yet again
- 2 Starlings

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts

Noted on / around the water
- 17 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 + ? Mute Swans: see notes
- *14 (10♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 9 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 22 + 6 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant: see notes

On / around the street lamp poles:

Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere:
- *a fly sp.!
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- *presumed Raspberry Beetle (Byturus tomentosus)

The middle of the road may be warm but does not seem a wise place for this pair of Mallard to sit.

Meanwhile a duck Mallard in need of a handkerchief ushers a trio of ducklings.

"What do I see here?". There was a fisherman at this point yesterday: a male House Sparrow checks whether any food has been dropped.

An undistinguished-looking fly I noted.

Another beetle-mania shot with seven presumed Raspberry Beetles (Byturus tomentosus) feeding on buttercup nectar.

(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

2013
Priorslee Lake
Curlew
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Wrekin
5 Tree Pipits
2 Common Redstart
2 Spotted Flycatchers
5 Pied Flycatcher
5 Wood Warblers
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Wrekin
21 Crossbill
4 Wood Warbler
Pied Flycatcher
Common Redstart
Tree Pipit
(Glenn Bishton)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)