18 Apr 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 10.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud below a high overcast giving occasional light rain. Light easterly wind increasing. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:05 BST

* = a species photographed today.

Most of the Willow Warblers seem to have, as expected, moved on.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:25 – 06:35 // 07:45 – 09:40

(96th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the duck Mallard still with 11 ducklings early: only three seen later.
- the duck Pochard still present.
- a single Common Sandpiper heard only.
- another unusual gull sighting for the date: an adult (just possibly a second year) Black-headed Gull visited c.05:50.
- one immature Herring Gull and six adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen leaving the football field at c.06:20. Five other Lesser Black-backs visited later.
- at 05:45 Sedge Warblers were singing lustily from the West and the South side reeds. After 08:00 song was heard from neither of these locations. One was singing from the south-east copse; and another from the north-east. So how many birds involved? I have assumed four but...
- a juvenile was seen being fed.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound
- 3 Greylag Geese: a single and a pair inbound
- *1 Mute Swan: adult
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 5 Stock Dove: a single and two pairs
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls
- *1 Sparrowhawk
- *2 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: a single and two pairs arrived; one of the pairs later departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- *5 (3♂) + 11 (1 brood) Mallard: see notes
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 8 Moorhens again
- 29 + 1 (1 brood) Coots: other juveniles sheltering?
- 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- no Cormorants

Hirundines etc. noted:
- *c.20 Sand Martins
- 2 Barn Swallows

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 24 (16) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Sedge Warblers
- 5 (5) Reed Warblers again
- 13 (11) Blackcaps

On the West end street lamp poles

Pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Agonopterix species to be identified

Flies:
- *1 plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- *1 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]

Bugs:
- *1 unidentified bug, perhaps Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders:
- *2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Noted later:

Alder flies:
*Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

New flower species for the year:
*Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris
*Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum
*Yellow Archangel Lamium galeobdolon

Also photographed:
*Ramsons Allium ursinum
*Wavy Bittercress Cardamine flexuosa
*Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens
*Cowslip Primula veris

This (near?) adult Mute Swan flew East well to the North before turning South. It never looked like visiting the lake but that did not stop the now resident cob from raising his wings in threat.

The only three Mallard ducklings I could find later with the left-most bird calling loudly for its mother.

A Sparrowhawk passes over. I assume it is looking at me as it seems to be cross-eyed.

A female: a male would show rufous tones and would also be smaller though size of a single bird is often hard to judge.

The only acceptable photo of a hirundine I managed today. A Sand Martin.

A Jackdaw not in tip-top condition and it is only part way through the breeding season.

A male Pied Wagtail with strangely patchy marking on its back.

On both sides.

"Give us a song".

"That's enough".

"What do you mean – enough?"

Another patchy-looking male.

This is frustrating. I fouled up the photo of this moth. It is one of the Agonopterix species known as flat-bodies. I tried again...

... and then fouled it up again. It flew off. I hope the Shropshire recorder can help as the species it most resembles to my eyes should not be flying here.

A male plumed midge but is it Chironomus plumosus? The wings look shorter than usual.

One of the Psychodidae species of Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly.

For some reason this Alder Fly Sialis lutaria was not sitting with its wings strongly 'tented' at rest.

Not at all sure about this. The apps suggested Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale but I am not convinced even if it is at an unusual angle. I can't offer any other suggestion.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. with its legs unusually widely spread.

Another in slightly more typical pose.

I remembered to use my (ancient) smart phone to take the flowers I cam across this morning, some new for the year and some not. Here we go:

A better view of Ramsons Allium ursinum

Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris

I think this is Wavy Bittercress Cardamine flexuosa . Despite having hairy stems I don't think it is Hairy Bittercress C. hirsuta.

Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum

Yellow Archangel Lamium galeobdolon

Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens

Cowslip Primula veris

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 – 07:40

(93rd visit of the year)

Bird notes
Highlight here was a Sedge Warbler singing from the reeds and sedges at the top end. Now recorded here in seven of the last eight years but only in a single year in the seven before that. My earliest-ever record here. Bird species #64 for me here in 2025.

Other bird notes:
- just the pair of Great Crested Grebes seen.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Herring Gulls: adults

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese: a pair of these departed
- 1 Mute Swan: the other presumed to be on the island.
- 18 (16♂) Mallard
- 18 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 22 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, very briefly

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

Noted elsewhere:

Moths:
*Frosted Green Polyploca ridens. My first in Shropshire.

A new moth for me in Shropshire this is, despite its monochrome appearance, a Frosted Green Polyploca ridens.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
7 Wheatear
6 Lapwing
Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2013
Nedge Hill
21 Wheatears
3 Common Redstart
Common Whitethroat
(Peter Jordan, Ian Grant)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Sedge Warbler
25 Swallows
6 House Martins
1 Sand Martin
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Tufted Duck
1 Common Sandpiper
Swallows
House Martins
Sand Martins
2 Reed Warblers again
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Lapwing
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Redstart
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
4 Willow Warblers
15 Sand Martins
27 Swallows
2 Gadwall
4 Tufted Ducks
2 Kestrels
9 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Sand Martins
6 Swallows
2 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
17 Willow Warblers (11 in song)
4 Redpolls

Nedge Hill
2 Willow Warblers

Trench Lock
2 Sand Martins
7 Swallows
2 Chiffchaff
3 Willow Warblers

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpipers
1 Garden Warbler
Chiffchaff
Reed Bunting
1 Ring-necked Parakeet
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Curlew
(Ed Wilson)

Wood Lane
1 Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Swallow
1 Sand Martin
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Tufted Duck
2 Ruddy Duck
5 Common Sandpiper
1 Kestrel
1 Buzzard
1 Skylark
2 Grey Wagtail
1 Willow Tit
5 Greenfinch
1 Linnet
3 Reed Bunting.
(Martin Adlam)

Lanes east of Priorslee Lake
4 Pheasants
4 Skylarks
4 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
8 Linnets
4 Yellowhammers
1 Redwing
1 Tree Sparrow
1 Common Whitethroat
2 Stock Dove
2 Jay
2 Kestrel
(Martin Adlam)
1 Willow Tit
5 Greenfinch
1 Linnet
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)