3 Apr 18

Priorslee Lake

Afternoon: 12:30 - 14:15

I did a circuit of the lake today between 12-30 to 14-15 and recorded:
Mute Swan 3 pairs + 4 immatures [resident female on a nest]
Grey Heron 1
Great Crested Grebe 3
Mallard 2 pairs + 3 males
Tufted Duck 1 male
Coot 37
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gulls 3
Buzzard 2
Wood Pigeon 1
Stock Dove 2
Magpie 1
Blackbird 7 [all males]
Robin 5
Wren 1
Great Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 3
Chiffchaff 4 [singing].

One of the 2 males at the dam end of the Lake has a BTO ring. I also managed to read the other males BTO ring today ZY1297, the details I have are:---


Blue 7FTZ          [lost Darvic]                                                                ZY1297

22-06-10       N:      TRENCH POOL TELFORD GBSA SJ6812                            M G Grant

                   1 of 5 cygnets with parents Blue 7EVI/7EDV.

16-09-10       R:      TRENCH POOL TELFORD GBSA SJ6812                            A V Cross

                   Age/Sex 3M , B4, Parents Blue 7EVI/7EDV                           

                   Siblings ringed Blue 7FTV, 7FTX, 7FUB.

                   Also on 10-11-10, 25-11-10, 29-12-10, 25-01-11

22-02-11       S:       TRENCH POOL TELFORD GBSA SJ6812                            M G Grant

                   with parents Blue 7EVI/7EDV + siblings Blue 7FTV, 7FTX, 7FUB.

                   14-04-11 with siblings Blue 7FTV, 7FTX, 7FUB, parents Blue 7EVI/7EDV on nest.

                   20-04-11 with siblings Blue 7FTX, 7FUB, parents Blue 7EVI/7EDV on nest.

31-01-17       S:       MOSS POOL nr NEWPORT GBSA SJ7520 [12kms]             M G Grant

                   With Blue 7IXI + 3 un-ringed adults & 1 un-ringed juvenile.

                   Also on 12-02-17 in flock of 6 including Blue 7IXI, BTO ZY7661 + 3 un-ringed.

03-04-18       S:       PRIORSLEE LAKE TELFORD GBSA SJ7209                          M G Grant

                   Paired with un-ringed female, present for at least 2 weeks.

(Martin Grant)

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Morning 05:35 – 07:00 // 07:50 – 09:30

8.0°C > 9.5°C: Promising start with well-broken cloud gave way to the ‘Telford hat’ of low cloud with drizzle c.09:00. Light S wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 06:40 BST

(38th visit of the year)

2 Sand Martins flew straight through W at 08:15. My 74th species at the lake this year

Notes from today:
- more Mallard than recently: these assumed to be the source of birds seen flying around the area
- a Grey Heron arrived pre-dawn and then soon after 2 birds seen leaving
- no Wood Pigeons seen in the fields and trees to the N / NNE. Have these left of their own volition or did the bird scarers get the better of them?
- having positioned to minimise the effect of some very dark clouds hampering my view of the departing Jackdaws they decided to pass to the W of the lake this morning – an area that I could not see! All I saw were a few later groups long after the main party has noisily gone by
- Chiffchaffs sill the only warbler noted
- 3 Redwings seen this morning
- the Mistle Thrush sang for a while much closer to the lake: but then moved away
and
- what seemed to be a Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius) found on a lamp
- very many midges around the lamps and then all around the lake, especially over the dam and around the Wesley Brook bridge. Unable to catch any at rest and there are several possibilities

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 27 Wood Pigeons
- >>49 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Hirundine count
- 2 Sand Martins

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 10 (9) Chiffchaffs

 The counts from the lake area
- 6 + 4 Mute Swans again
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada Goose
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Water Rail
- 8 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 1 Kingfisher

Looked an encouraging start this morning. Low cloud and then some drizzle dashed that.

Greylag Geese are a handsome bird. The ‘Pair 3’ Mute Swans kept them well away from ‘their’ area in the SE area.

A Chiffchaff singing away. That of course identifies but in the photo we see the rather indistinct supercilium and the orange lower mandible, both of which separate from Willow Warbler. We cannot see the dark legs on this view.

This little fellow on one of the lamps is perhaps a Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). This is a very variable species. At this time of year it is rather early even to be seeing nymphs and the adult does not usually occur until June. It is the nymphs that protect themselves with the well-known cuckoo-spit, coinciding with the arrival of the Cuckoo at the end of April – hence the name. Thus the nymphs are rarely seen and have no exoskeleton – which this photo seems to show. A bit of a mystery.

Not easy to photo: these are the midges hovering over me this morning. I could imagine that they show plumed antennae and are therefore the plumed midge sp. Chironomus plumosus.
(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:05 – 07:45

(24th visit of the year)

A calling Nuthatch was new for me here this year taking my total to 48

Notes from today
- the white feral goose is no more. Probably killed by the cob Mute Swan that has been giving it a hard time recently

Birds noted flying over
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 19 Canada Geese
- 15 (14♂) Mallard
- 51 (31♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Moorhens
- 17 Coots

Noted between the lake and The Flash
- 2 (1♂) Mallard in the brook above the upper pool
- 1 Moorhen in the lower pool

A sad end for the rather charismatic white feral goose. He had managed to avoid the aggressive cob Mute Swan for a number of year – not this year though.

Low light and a hyperactive species does not make for a good photo: the best I could manage of this Goldcrest. The feet are well shown!
(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 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 Sky Larks
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)