19 May 26

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

12.0°C > 15.0°C: Low overcast with light drizzle. A heavy shower c.10:15 presaged a partial clearance with a few sunny intervals with a noticeable warmer feeling. Moderate southerly breeze. Moderate visibility becoming very good.

[Sunrise: 05:07 BST]

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

A delayed start to try and avoid the early rain only partially worked. Starting at The Flash. With new birds for the year at both locations perhaps I should make later visits more often!

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:30 – 11:35

(118th visit of the year)

I only had time to view from the dam-top area.

Two new species for my 2026 bird list from here:
- *a drake Red-crested Pochard was in the middle of the lake. My first here since a drake spent several weeks here at the turn of the 2020 into 2021.
- *a trio of Little Egrets flew in c.11:20, staying all of five minutes.
It brings my 2026 bird species total to 86.

Other bird notes:
- *the seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct.
- no Mallard ducklings seen. Not too surprising as I did not walk around.
- all three usual warbler species heard but no counts taken.
- after several quiet days I could hear the Reed Bunting singing from along the South side while I was standing on the dam-top.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 2 Wood Pigeons again
- 5 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- *2 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans (assuming the pen is on the nest, hidden in the reeds)
- 18 (15♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Red-crested Pochard
- 2 Moorhens
- 15 Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *3 Little Egrets: briefly, see notes

Hirundines etc. noted:
surprisingly the cloud and rain did not bring many to feed over the water.
- 2 Swifts: perhaps the same two appeared and reappeared several times
- no Sand Martins
- 1 Barn Swallow: flew off toward the farm area to the East
- 2 House Martins high over

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- Chiffchaffs present
- Reed Warblers present
- Blackcaps present

Also noted

Flies:
- *many Grouse Wing caddis flies Mystacides longicornis dancing over the water-side vegetation.

The Greylag goslings looking good. On #3 from the left the still stubby wings are clearly visible.

An exotic-looking bird. A drake Red-crested Pochard. It is difficult to know whether this is a truly wild bird. This species breeds in the -stans of Central Asia and winters on the Indian sub-Continent. It is a proven vagrant, especially to the South and East of England. There is an introduced and free-flying breeding population in the Cotswold Water Park. It is also widely kept in wildfowl collections from where birds do escape. This one stayed firmly as far away from any of the lakesides as possible suggesting it might not be habituated to people.

The trio of Little Egrets arrive. The yellow feet that identifies this species can be seen clearly on the right hand bird.

Two of them disappearing in to what the fishermen know, with good reason, as "the smelly". All three went here and vanished from my view for about five minutes when...

...they left together. The black bill is the best identification under these lighting conditions.

Many times when I am at the Castle Farm Way end a Common Buzzard will fly out of the copse alongside the Wesley Brook as it runs toward Shifnal.

It is usually, as here, against the light so the photo-editor is called for.

With food in the bill it is reminiscent of the shape of a Carrion Crow's bill. But it is a smaller bird, has a white sclera to the eye and a grey shawl to the plumage identifying it a Jackdaw.

Grouse Wing caddis flies Mystacides longicornis dancing over the water-side vegetation.

Zoomed in on two. On the lower one the long antennae are visible. On the upper one the patterned wing can be seen.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:20

(115th visit of the year)

An additional 2026 species for me here as well:
- a Reed Warbler was intermittently singing from the small reed-bed adjacent to the parking area in Derwent Drive. Surprisingly this is an almost annual occurrence and this is a typical date for a bird to arrive, perhaps because all the better territories nearby have been claimed. Only once have I suspected this species has stayed to breed here.
My species total for here moves on to 68.

Other bird notes:
- *five visiting Mute Swans still. I confirmed that neither bird of the two apparently paired is ringed.
- *the pair of Canada Geese with three young was seen again. Another bird-watcher reported seeing another brood of two. Of the geese counted ten departed and two arrived, all as pairs.
- no Greylag Geese seen
- *three groups of juvenile Coots seen: ten youngsters. One of these groups was a different family from the three seen yesterday.
- I could not find any Great Crested Grebes.
- I have previously noted that Collared Doves are much less common here (and elsewhere) than they were a few years ago. I noted a pair mating on a roof-top in Derwent Drive today.
- there has been no Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming for some days. I saw an adult fly across the water with a beakful of either nesting material or food. Too busy on nest duties to drum?
- an odd record was a Song Thrush singing loudly either on the ground or from a very low perch. Normally this species will sing from at least ten feet up.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- *34 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese: but see notes
- no Greylag Geese
- *7 Mute Swans: (assuming the resident pen is hidden on the nest) still
- 20 (16♂) Mallard
- 5 Moorhens again
- *22 + 10 (3 broods) Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

Notes around the area:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Family party. Because male geese average larger than females of the same species I am assuming the male (the gander) is on the right.

No rings on this adult Mute Swan.

The other one of the pair. Although only one leg is visible had it been ringed this would either show a large plastic Darvic ring or a smaller metal ring with the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) number.

One of four juvenile Coots from the most advanced brood here. It has lost all trace of the red red feathering on its head it had as a nestling and has the very strange lobed feet well developed.

Blue Tits are still using the nest box where I photographed birds coming and going several days ago. An adult just taking off with food for the brood having checked the coast was clear.

This is a puzzle. What I assume is a soon-to-fledge nestling looking at the outside world. But its bill looks too large. I have no idea why.

A male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. probably not looking for a swim.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Curlew
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Wrekin
5 Tree Pipits
2 Common Redstart
2 Spotted Flycatchers
5 Pied Flycatcher
5 Wood Warblers
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Wrekin
21 Crossbill
4 Wood Warbler
Pied Flycatcher
Common Redstart
Tree Pipit
(Glenn Bishton)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)