5 Apr 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 9.0°C: A clear start with a brief shower. Some sunny intervals. Light winds at dawn after storm Dave blew through, but picking up moderate / fresh westerly. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:35 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 07:15 // 08:15 – 09:40

(80th visit of the year)

No major casualties from the overnight storm. Many small twigs and parts of more substantial dead twigs were lying about. Main feature was the many Poplar catkins ripped off the trees alongside Teece Drive, in many instances with their supporting twiglets.

Bird notes:
- the Great (White) Egret arrived at 06:03 just as the two (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls dropped in.
- one adult Robin was seen to feed another adult. Say ah! Too quick for a photo.
- *a trio of Pied Wagtails were playing(?) chase around the dam-top area.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Greylag Geese: tow pairs flew West
- 8 Racing Pigeons: together
- *1 Stock Dove
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- 199 Jackdaws(!) - yes I counted them all out
- 16 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese at various times: two pairs noted leaving
- *2 Greylag Geese: throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- Coots not counted: too breezy to stand on the dam to count – the only place the whole water is visible
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults, briefly around dawn
- *2 Cormorants
- *1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Hirundines etc. noted:
- *>30 Sand Martins
- 3 Barn Swallows

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 16 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (6) Blackcaps

On the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Most things blown away!

Flies etc.:
- 2 male plumed midges Chironomus plumosus

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Of note around the area later:

Flies:
- *several species of fly, all unidentified.

The (relative) calm after the storm.

After the early clear sky I was caught in a less-than-ideal position when clouds and colour appeared.

These rain-bearing clouds!

A short-lived shower and then the low sun reappeared to...

...give a glow to the morning [the fallen trees visible here came down in earlier gales].

Unusual behaviour. One of the two Cormorants standing on the concrete ramp to dry its wings. Normally they use one or other of the piers. A pair of Greylag Geese look on.

A close encounter of the Grey Heron kind. It was standing in the Wesley Brook right by the footbridge. I approached from one side and a regular walker from the other. We all stopped and looked at each other.

"Don't mess with me!"

The heron just looked at us...

Shuffled off a bit and carried on fishing. So did we.

Not a brilliant photo of a Stock Dove but it does show all the important identifications features. The pale grey-centred wings have dark edging and a small black band across the inner secondaries. There is no white on the neck or on the bend of the wing. More subtle is that it is slightly smaller than a Wood Pigeon and has a proportionately smaller head and shorter tail.

Two "identification" shots of Sand Martin. From above brown-toned with a darker short forked tail. It has a thin pale collar (not too easy to see here).

From underneath it can "flash" very white inviting confusion with House Martin that has the white on the rump only. Note the dark breast band (not always easy to see with the naked eye) and dark around the eye (just like American baseball players!)

Always a favourite of mine: Long-tailed Tits.

How could I resist?

It seems to be checking out the camera!

Not sure what was going on here. These three Pied Wagtails were noisily chasing around and here they briefly paused. A male on the right with apparently two females chasing him. Perhaps I will try and get reincarnated as a male Pied Wagtail when the time comes.

I don't have time to try and identify all the fly species I noted. Here is #1.

And #2 (no: it did not chew the hole in the leaf).

#3

This would have been identifiable had the wings been open and the exact pattern of black on its orange abdomen been visible. Certainly a Phaonia species, probably P. subventa.

A splash of colour from the Dandelions. If the latest taxonomic thinking is correct just about every one of these plants is a different species. Only about three people can identify them. We are but mere mortals.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
- 2 unidentified midges: same as yesterday?!
nothing else noted

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:20 – 08:10

(78th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- at least four Siskins heard in top-end trees.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Greylag Geese: flew East

Noted on / around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese: of these a sextet departed
- 4 Greylag Geese: of these a pair departed
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen was on the nest throughout
- 18 (16♂) Mallard
- 10 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens only
- 23 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

Of note around the area:

Caterpillar:
- *caterpillar of a Scarlet Tiger moth Callimorpha dominula

Flies:
- several male plumed midges Chironomus plumosus
- *1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa

This rather squat-looking cranefly with well-patterned wings and a striped thorax is almost certainly Limonia nubeculosa.

A most unexpected sighting, especially 15' up a street lamp pole. It is a caterpillar of a Scarlet Tiger moth Callimorpha dominula. The caterpillar of this species is unusual in overwintering as such, becoming active in Spring before pupating. My only other record of this species in Shropshire is of an imago (adult) noted here on 28 June 2023.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
9 Tufted Duck
4 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warblers
131 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Cackling Goose-type
37 Tufted Ducks
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
3 Sand Martins
1 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
23 Tufted Ducks
2 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
48 Tufted Duck
2 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
4 Lapwings
1 Stock Dove
3 Skylarks
8 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
Male Wheatear
(Glenn Bishton)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Ring Ouzel
60 Golden Plover
20 Yellowhammer
4 Wheatear
(John Isherwood, Andy Latham, John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Tufted Duck
68 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Kingfisher
5 Meadow Pipit
1 Blackcap
6 Chiffchaff
3 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebe
5 Herons
7 Tufted Ducks
3 Lapwings
2 Ruddy Ducks
418 Jackdaws
27 Wrens
26 Blackbirds
47 Sand Martins
1 Swallow.
2 Fieldfares
1 Barn Owl
4 Meadow Pipits
2 Fieldfares
2 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warblers
1 Willow Tit
9 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
7 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)