24 Mar 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 10.0°C: Early heavy showers kept me away until they ameliorated, Sunny intervals later. Fresh, even strong at times, westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:02 GMT

I have run out of time to get any photos sorted. They will follow, hopefully tomorrow.

My Summer routine did not last long with a delayed start to avoid some of the rain.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:25

(62nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a pair of Gadwall here (but not at The Flash today: same?)
- in addition to five drake Mallard on the water I noted a pair wandering on the footpath by the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.
- another Kestrel sighting with a bird flying fast North to the East of Castle Farm Way.
- still at least one Siskin around.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 6 Canada Geese: a pair outbound; a quartet inbound
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 17 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived and seen off by the Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 5 (5♂) Mallard
- 26 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorants: arrived and departed
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted later:

Bees:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- several queen bumblebees seen in flight only
- mining bee Andrena sp. to be identified (perhaps)

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Drone Fly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Drone Fly Eristalis tenax
- small hoverfly to be identified

Other flies of interest:
- Dark-bordered Bee-fly Bombilius major

One of the showers heading in produces a rainbow.

There have been very few Grey Herons about recently. No doubt this early nesting species is spending most of its time at its communal heronries. Here is the one at the lake this morning.

Making its loud call.

And here later in the morning.

Two of the local Common Buzzards were noted flying around. Here is one.

And here from the underside.

Again.

The other Common Buzzard from above...

...and below. This bird less strongly marked on lower belly.

The sunny weather brought the warblers in to view. The relatively strong pale eyebrow identifies this as a Willow Warbler. This singing male has been moving around the same general area for four days. Could it be thinking of settling to breed?

Here he is singing. Don't believe the bird guides that these have pale legs!

Many Chiffchaffs were allowing themselves to be photographed. This was a non-singing bird and therefore possibly a female. The brownish legs might suggest it is a Willow Warbler. This can be ruled out by the lack of strong pale eyebrow. Visually it was clearly a Chiffchaff as it was continually dipping its tail as it moved through the vegetation. Willow Warblers are slightly heavier and move much more deliberately. Very few bird guides tell you this.

Here she is again.

 Singing away this is one of the many male Chiffchaffs.

"Was that me making that noise?"

A different Chiffchaff singing away.

And taking a breather.

Another one having a bad-feather day.

And another!

A male Blackcap caught as it was just taking off to disappear in to the vegetation.

A Honey Bee Apis mellifera feeding on the now-fading Blackthorn Prunus spinosa flowers.

One taking a rest and showing a heavy load of pollen.

My earliest-ever Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum.

A plan view of the same.

A Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva.

And from the other end.

Here showing its white moustache as well as the tawny hairs on the thorax.

A sunny male Tapered Drone Fly Eristalis pertinax on one of the first fully-open Dandelions.

Another male.

Less 'tapered' are females. Females of all hoverflies (and most flies) have eyes that are separated.

This female Tapered Drone Fly seemed rather bulky and the wing-cloud seemed more extensive that usual. The pale on the front legs mean that it cannot be a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax. The wing-cloud is not what it seems at first glance: the cloud is shadowed on the leaf.

This small hoverfly with red eyes is a Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [also known as Grey-spotted Sedgesitter]. This was a new [newly identified?] species for me last August.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Nothing seen – I was too late?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30– 10:40

(63th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
New for my 2024 bird species list for here was a singing Blackcap: species #56. On the same date as in 2023 though then it was my first in Shropshire for the year whereas this year birds have been present at the Balancing Lake for five days.

Other bird notes:
- many Mallard are presumably away at nest sites.
- the two Great Crested Grebes were not being friendly. I could not find a third.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Noted on / around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 14 (12♂) Mallard
- no all-white feral duck seen
- 36 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant

Noted elsewhere
- several queen bumblebees seen in flight only
- 2 Tapered Drone Flies Eristalis pertinax on the Ivy.
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni on the wooden railing along the West side.
- Lesser Celandine flowers Ficaria verna.

The sun had disappeared behind clouds here so not many insects. I did manage to catch this Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum, identified by its bright yellow collar.

A much better example of a Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
5 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
19 Tufted Duck
3 Buzzard
30 Fieldfares
5 Redwings
7 Chiffchaffs
>700 Jackdaws
1 Raven
1 Marsh Tit
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Common Teal
50 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
3 Great Crested Grebe
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
37 Tufted Ducks
c.180 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.50 Herring Gulls
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
11 Pied Wagtail
2 Redwings
Willow Warbler
4 Chiffchaffs singing
12 Linnets
1 Siskin
4 Great Crested Grebe
2 Gadwall
28 Tufted Duck
c.225 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
3 Wheatears
(Ian Grant)

The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
46 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
25 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Skylark
1 Sand Martin
28 Wren
20 Robin
33 Blackbird
1 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
32 Magpie
117 Jackdaw
4 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Village
Raven
Blackcap
(Martin Adlam)

Nedge Hill
3 Skylark
1 Chiffchaff
3 Greenfinch
6 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
6 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaff
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)