6.0°C > 8.0°C: Fine and clear though hazy. A brisk easterly breeze. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:39 BST
* = a species photographed today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:40 – 09:10
(80th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- some Mute swan news courtesy of Martin Grant, keeper of the ring data (though ringing is no longer taking place in Shropshire). It was the resident cob (blue 7JNU) that was killed and the pen (blue 7JSS) that stayed around until Sunday. Of the newly established pair the pen (blue 7JUE) was born here in 2020. The cob is unringed and hence of unknown provenance.
- *the previous pen 7JSS returned today.
- a pair of Gadwall only.
- the duck Pochard still here and at the dam end for a change at first light.
- a "full house" of 12 Great Crested Grebes. There probably usually are: it is finding them that is the challenge.
- what I presume is the same Oystercatcher was on the south-west grass by 06:10 and then flew off high East calling at 08:00
- a single Barn Swallow was present briefly.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: a pair outbound
- 27 Wood Pigeons again
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk again
- 56 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: of these fine arrived
- *3 Mute Swans: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 5 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- *12 Great Crested Grebes
- *1 Oystercatcher: see notes
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- no Willow Warbler
- 20 (20) Chiffchaffs
- *6 (6) Blackcaps
On the West end street lamp poles
Pre-dawn:
Most of the poles were exposed to the brisk wind so little seen.
Lacewings:
*1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
Noted later:
*1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
Noted later:
Bees, wasps etc.:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Hoverflies:
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Sunrise through the haze. For some reason the camera does not render contrasting and bright objects the correct colour.
Changing the setting on the camera now gives the correct colour to the sun but none of the foreground is visible.
...and comes in to splash down with the blue Darvic ring 7JSS just about readable. So this is the erstwhile resident pen (and mother to the pen in the current pair).
The task is, without hands, to manoeuvre the fish so that it goes down head-first and thus no spines get stuck on the way down.
The Oystercatcher on the south-west grass around dawn alongside a Moorhen and with a Coot dancing past.
False alarm. A corvid with a large bill and well-fingered primary feathers. So a Raven? Nope: just a Carrion Crow flying strongly to open its wing-feathers. A Raven would show a larger and diamond-shaped tail as well as an even larger bill.
(79th visit of the year)
With on-going limb-removal on some of the trees my heart was not really in it. I annoyed the council workers by walking through the taped off area on the grounds that they were not displaying a footpath closure notice (the OpenReach team working very briefly in Derwent Drive erected full signage). We had another robust discussion. All rather pointless as the workers are doing what they have been told to do.
Bird notes:
- Martin Grant provided some more information on one of the Mute Swans here. The bird with the green Darvic ring CF59 is the pen that was paired with yellow 52F from 2018 until he died (naturally) in 2022. Her new partner was the cob that was shot a few weeks ago. I was pleased to get confirmation that CF59 is a pen as I saw her paddling around the water two days ago with the other (unringed) bird sitting on the island at what I assume is the nest site. Would a cob do this? I suppose he must!
- what a surprise: a Great Crested Grebe!
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
The new pair of Mute Swans were getting very friendly with synchronised head-dipping.
With tails raised this is a clear prelude to...
...mating...
...or apparently "drowning your partner".
Another Mute Swan arrives...
A Great Crested Grebe has caught a fish.
Not a species of fish I can identify. Over to you Martin?
Often putting the fish back in the water and allowing it to wriggle in to the desired orientation,
This must have been about right as the next shot had the grebe turned away and the fish gone!
And now flying off...
...noisily.
A male Blackcap against the light sky.
Give us a song then.
Another male Blackcap doing what they like doing – hiding behind leaves and twigs.
A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea. This individual has now turned back green after over-wintering as a brown-bodied insect for greater camouflage amongst the leaf-litter.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:00
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:00
(79th visit of the year)
With on-going limb-removal on some of the trees my heart was not really in it. I annoyed the council workers by walking through the taped off area on the grounds that they were not displaying a footpath closure notice (the OpenReach team working very briefly in Derwent Drive erected full signage). We had another robust discussion. All rather pointless as the workers are doing what they have been told to do.
Bird notes:
- Martin Grant provided some more information on one of the Mute Swans here. The bird with the green Darvic ring CF59 is the pen that was paired with yellow 52F from 2018 until he died (naturally) in 2022. Her new partner was the cob that was shot a few weeks ago. I was pleased to get confirmation that CF59 is a pen as I saw her paddling around the water two days ago with the other (unringed) bird sitting on the island at what I assume is the nest site. Would a cob do this? I suppose he must!
- what a surprise: a Great Crested Grebe!
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
Also noted:
Noted on / around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
Also noted:
Bees, wasps etc.:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Hoverflies:
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Other flies:
*Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major
I was not very motivated here this morning. The only photos I took were of this Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major
(Ed Wilson)
2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
2 Greylag Geese
9 Tufted Duck
c.30 Sand Martins
1 Swallow
4 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
3 Greylag Geese
2 Common Teal
53 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
c.25 Sand Martins
2 Swallows
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebe
2 Gadwall
32 Tufted Ducks
75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
41 Herring Gulls on the water.
(Ed Wilson)
Horsehay Pool
Hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Martin Ryder)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Tufted Duck: both drakes this morning
7 Blackcaps
14 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
40 Tufted Duck
7 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Pool
5 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
3 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
Redhill
6 Tree Sparrow
(John Isherwood)
2011
Nedge Hill
Male Common Redstart
4 Wheatear
(Martin and Ian Grant)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
12 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
2 Stock Doves
178 Wood Pigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Skylarks
3 Meadow Pipits
168 Sand Martins
1 House Martin
28 Wrens
29 Blackbirds
3 Blackcap
4 Willow Warblers
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Tits
8 Greenfinches
4 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)
(Yvonne C)
*Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
2 Greylag Geese
9 Tufted Duck
c.30 Sand Martins
1 Swallow
4 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
3 Greylag Geese
2 Common Teal
53 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
c.25 Sand Martins
2 Swallows
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebe
2 Gadwall
32 Tufted Ducks
75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
41 Herring Gulls on the water.
(Ed Wilson)
Horsehay Pool
Hybrid Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Martin Ryder)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Tufted Duck: both drakes this morning
7 Blackcaps
14 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
40 Tufted Duck
7 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Pool
5 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
3 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
Redhill
6 Tree Sparrow
(John Isherwood)
2011
Nedge Hill
Male Common Redstart
4 Wheatear
(Martin and Ian Grant)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
12 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
2 Stock Doves
178 Wood Pigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Skylarks
3 Meadow Pipits
168 Sand Martins
1 House Martin
28 Wrens
29 Blackbirds
3 Blackcap
4 Willow Warblers
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Tits
8 Greenfinches
4 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)
(Yvonne C)