27 Apr 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 7.0°C: Mostly clear to start with high and then lower cloud encroaching from the south-east. Chilly again with a light north-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:45 BST

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 06:20 // 07:25 – 09:55

(93rd visit of the year)

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 3 Canada Geese: a single and a pair outbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 17 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:

Minimum numbers; it is likely that birds were coming and going
- 1 Swift
- 10 Sand Martins
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 15 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 15 (10) Blackcaps
- *1 (1) Garden Warbler
- *2 (2) Common Whitethroats
'nominal' warbler:
- 2 (2) Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: the resident pair throughout: a pair visited
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhen
- *28 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- *2 Common Sandpipers

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Chilly again!

Spiders:

- *Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Noted later:

The sun was not out and a chill wind again:

Moths:
- *Pearly Grass-miner Elachista apicipunctella

Flies:
- *small plumed midge
- *St Mark's Fly or Hawthorn Fly Bibio marci
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Flowers photographed today:
- *Shining Cranesbill Geranium lucidum
- *Cowslip Primula veris [again]
- *Bird Cherry Prunus padus
- *Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea
- *Bush Vetch Vicia sepium

Dawn looking north-east with high cloud showing to the south and east ahead of forecast rain later in the day.

Hardly "red sky in the morning; shepherds' warning" but I'll take it.

I would have thought that with Coots paired and nesting that territories had been sorted out. Apparently not.

I managed to get closer to one of the Common Sandpipers. A slightly 'tubby' (is that sizeist?) wader that continually bobs its tail, shows a white area in the shoulder and flies low across the water on flickering wing-beats, usually calling as it does so.

A singing Garden Warbler with the breeze ruffling the throat feathers. Remember: this warbler has no diagnostic plumage feature: but a beautiful song.

It would have been better had this male Common Whitethroat turned its head. All the plumage features are visible: the grey head, the white throat and the reddish tones in the folded wing.

Definite find of the day was this Pearly Grass-miner moth Elachista apicipunctella: a new species of moth for me. As a micro moth a vernacular name is not universally adopted in the literature. This species is also known as Pearled Dwarf.

The detail of male small plumed midges shows better when seen in natural light.

This is a male St Mark's Fly or Hawthorn Fly Bibio marci. Females have a different head shape. The species' name derives from the remarkably consistent emergence of this fly on or around St. Mark's Day, 25 April. I was at Belvide reservoir later that very day and noted many of these in flight when they are unmistakeable. They fly slowly at about head height with their long legs hanging down, unlike any other fly species.

The light was poor inside the wooded areas so not all the flower photos are as clear as I would like. These are Shining Cranesbill Geranium lucidum.

I am slightly happier with this repeat of Cowslip Primula veris which shows the colour at the base of the petals to better effect than my previous attempts.

This tree in full flower is a Bird Cherry Prunus padus.

A bank of Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea . There is a Lesser Stitchwort S graminea which has smaller flowers with more pointed petals which are divided more or less to the base. I have never recorded it in Shropshire.

 Just opening are flowers of Bush Vetch Vicia sepium.

The only thing I found on the street lamp poles pre-dawn was this Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- various midges
- *1 cranefly Tipula sp.

This cranefly Tipula sp. exhibits no features to allow further identification.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:20

(96th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the new brood of Mallard down to just four ducklings.
- the brood of two juvenile Coots noted was not the same family as I heard yesterday
- I suspect the two adult Herring Gulls are a pair nesting nearby, probably on an industrial site roof. They seem to drop in for a wash and drink and go again.
- a Starling was on a roof in Wordsworth Way briefly. It, or another, was heard in flight overhead later.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant (again)
- 1 Jackdaw (again)

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (7) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 4 (4) Goldcrests

Noted on / around the water:
- 18 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 5 Mute Swans
- 17 (13♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 20 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 19 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *2 Herring Gulls

Noted elsewhere around The Flash on different lamp poles:

Moths:
- 1 Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata: same place as yesterday

Flies:
- male and female plumed midges
- *cranefly Limonia nubeculosa

Springtails:
- *springtail Tomocerus vulgaris

Flowers:
- *a better photo of Lords & Ladies / Cuckoo Pint Arum maculatum

What I presume to be a pair of Herring Gulls. Male birds are typically larger than females. With these two in a slightly different posture it is hard to be certain which might be which.

An easier cranefly. The strongly patterned wings and the pale areas in the top segments of the legs identify it as Limonia nubeculosa.

 I do not often see springtails after dawn to take a natural light photo. The pale bands identify this species as Tomocerus vulgaris. These bands are comprised of scales that easily wear away so not all specimens will look like this.

After three attempts a slightly better photo of Lords & Ladies / Cuckoo Pint Arum maculatum.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Greylag Geese
3 Common Sandpipers
1 Reed Warblers
1 Common Whitethroat
11 Blackcaps
10 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Wood Warbler
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Greylag Goose
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose
16 Tufted Duck
5 Blackcaps
Wood Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
6 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
3 Wood Warblers
1 Redstart
5 Pied Flycatchers
2 Tree Pipits
2 Redpolls
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson, JW Reeves)

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Tufted Duck
6 Swift
50 Swallow
25 House Martin
2 Sand Martin
1 Grasshopper Warbler
1 Wheatear
1 Sedge Warbler
6 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
26 Wheatear
1 Greenland Wheatear
1 Fieldfare
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Wood Sandpiper
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Swift
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
1 Lesser Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Sedge Warblers
6 Reed Warblers
2 Lesser Whitethroats
2 Whitethroats
1 Garden Warbler
9 Blackcaps
9 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
1 Little Grebe
2 Common Sandpipers
c.10 Sand Martins
c.45 Swallows
1 House Martin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Sand Martins
12 Swallows
2 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The lane to the E of Priorslee
6 Whitethroats
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
2 Linnets
3 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
9 Great Crested Grebes
5 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Kestrel
2 Stock Doves
2 Swallows
House Martins
2 Grey Wagtails
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
1 Jay
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Swallows
House Martin
Ring Ouzel
Fieldfare
Common Whitethroat
Blackcaps
Chiffchaff
Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
1 Swallow
6 Willow Warbler
Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Greylag Geese
2 Ruddy Ducks
3 Common Sandpipers
1 Stock Dove
7 Swallows
3 Grey Wagtails
26 Wrens
17 Robins
30 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Reed Warblers
8 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
5 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)