15 Apr 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

7.0°C > 18.0°C: Broken cloud with light passing hail showers. Strong and gusty north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility except in showers.

[Sunrise: 06:11 BST]

A check with the weather radar suggested I would get very wet if I made visits at my usual time. It was correct. I waited for the school run to be over before venturing out, first to The Flash. And then at the Balancing Lake from the dam-top area only.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:45 – 11:25

(81st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers recorded

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen
- 20 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 09:45 – 10:35

(83rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a drake Gadwall again.
- somehow I omitted the Grey Heron that was present yesterday from my log. Apologies. I did not see it today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 4 (4) Willow Warblers
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (2) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 19 (16♂) Mallard
- 13 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted elsewhere:

Flies:
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus on a street lamp pole

Hoverflies:
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare

Beetles:
- 4 Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni; two on vegetation; two on street lamp poles
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata on the Ivy bank

Plants:
- Darwin's Barberry Berberis darwinii
- Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens
- (Common) Lilac Syringa vulgaris

Well this is unusual: a Willow Warbler on the ground. This one looks like a Willow Warbler should: pinkish legs; and well-defined and length eye-brow (supercilium) with a darker line through the eye. The primary wing feathers on this species are slightly longer than Chiffchaff and unique to this species these feathers are moulted twice a year allowing its length migration to and from sub-Saharan Africa to be undertaken on fresh feathers.

This slightly different view shows the bill colour better.

 A female Blackbird with a Common Ivy Hedera helix berry.

Down the hatch!

Another berry ready to be consumed.

And reaching down for another.

A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata.

Insect photos are much clearer when taken by daylight. Here is a male plumed midge in much more detail than my flash photos pre-dawn. The abdomen looks slightly too narrow though I think it must be a Chironomus plumosus non-biting midge.

I find the different species of buttercup difficult to distinguish. Obsidentify was sure this is Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens. The Naturespot web site notes "Often confused with R bulbosus [Bulbous Buttercup] and R acris [Meadow Buttercup] - all are common and found in grasslands."

This shrub was almost certainly planted when The Priorslee and the surroundings were created. It is probably Darwin's Barberry Berberis darwinii though it might well be a cultivar.

Just opening are the flower spikes of (Common) Lilac Syringa vulgaris. Probably a garden escape.

(Ed Wilson)

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

Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Grey Herons
2 Greylag Geese over
9 Tufted Duck
1 Little Ringed Plover
2 Common Sandpipers
10 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warbler
117 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cackling-type Goose
29 Tufted Ducks
3 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
5 Tufted Ducks
4 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
7 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes
8 Greylag Geese
13 Tufted Duck
3 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
4 Wheatear
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
(Ian Grant)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Buzzard
3 Chiffchaff
(Tony Beckett)

Long Lane, Wellington
10 Ringed Plover
5 Dunlin
(J W Reeves)

2012
Nedge Hill
2 Redstart
1 Wheatear
(Martin Grant)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Grey Wagtail
1 Common Sandpiper
5 Tufted Duck
1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
Common Redstart
11 Wheatear
(John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

Telford Railway Station
11 Waxwings
(Colin Wright)

2007
Nedge Hill
1 Buzzard
4 Skylark
1 Fieldfare
3 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
3 Greenfinch
4 Linnet
(Martin Adlam)

Priorslee Village
Black-tailed Godwit
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Greylag Geese
3 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
3 Common Sandpiper
1 Ringed Plover
12 Chiffchaff
7 Willow Warbler
6 Blackcaps
1 Sky Lark
2 Grey Wagtail
1 Willow Tit
4 Greenfinch
3 Linnet
5 Reed Bunting.
(Martin Adlam, John Isherwood)