26 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C: A mixed bag: broken medium/high level cloud to E and N; spells of thin low cloud with sunny intervals in between. Moderate S breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:02 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:30 – 08:50

(212th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A mixed group of Canada and Greylag Geese flew outbound at 05:35 over the football field. Too dark to see.
- Again only one juvenile Great Crested Grebe found. Just six adults.
- A protracted arrival of Black-headed Gulls from the W and NW. From my location I could track them all inbound and not, as often happen when I am at the lakeside, become confused with birds leaving. So at least 475 arrived (just
- The arrival of large gulls coincided with the passage of Jackdaws and Rooks along the same flight line – confusing! c.150 logged, with exactly c.120 of these stopping for a wash and brush up. One was noted as an adult Herring Gull, but rather too dark to ID many of them,
- A groups of 31 Meadow Pipits flew S over the football field at 07:15. Several more small groups seen and others heard. I could not see these passing unless they were against the cloud so I probably missed many.
- A juvenile Bullfinch seen: I was surprised to see that at this date it still lacked black on the crown and face.

Overhead:
- >4 Canada Geese: heard outbound; four inbound
- >2 Greylag Geese: heard outbound
- 1 Stock Dove
- 122 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- c.30 large gulls
- 56 Jackdaws
- 101 Rooks
- 2 Starlings: together
- 4 Pied Wagtails again
- >44 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Linnet

Warblers noted:
- 4 Chiffchaffs: one in song
- 1 Blackcap

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens again
- 74 Coots
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- >475 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.120 'large gulls': see notes
- 2 Cormorants: arrived and departed separately
- 1 Grey Heron: departed again
- 1 Kingfisher

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:

None

Other things:
- *2 ichneumon sps.
- 1 Tipula paludosa cranefly
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Stretch spiders (Tetragnatha sp.)
- *1 possible 'money spiders'
- *1 possible spiderling of the Giant House Spider group (Eritigena)
No harvestmen again

Otherwise noted:

I need the Ivy to start flowering to attract insects – almost no flowers at the moment.

- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 2 Hawker sp. dragonflies
- Stretch spiders (Tetragnatha sp.)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- 1 Badger

The Harvest Moon is looking decidedly lop-sided now.

And here's one for cloud fans.

Gulls rarely look like they are supposed to and here is a good example. Despite the dark-looking eye and the rather gentle rounded head this not a Common Gull. It is too large (in comparison with the Black-headed Gull), the dark spotting is not confined to the hind-neck and the bill is too thick. Despite the dark eye this seems to be a third-winter Herring Gull with some dark on the bill (especially the upper mandible) and some brown feathers in the folded coverts.

One of two ichneumon-types on the lamps poles today. This one against rather confusing lichen-encrusted background. The long antennae are a good clue to this group of insects as the 'wasp-waist' is typically hard to see through the folded wings. It is just about discernible here.

The other one. I would guess a different species as this has curving-out antennae.

One of two tiny spiders I found. At the time I assumed they were probably on the several hundred species of 'money spider' though at this time of year we are inundated with recently hatched 'spiderlings'. As it has a distinctive abdomen pattern I'll see what the Shropshire recorder makes of it.

This was also very small. It is also well-patterned and the markings suggest a spiderling of one of the Giant House Spider group (Eritigena). I'll check.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:

None

With:
- *1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 3 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- plus various midges and the usual other unidentified spiders as usual

I have zoomed in on this large cranefly Tipula lateralis, chopping its legs off to show identification features. Note the line running down the centre of the abdomen and the strongly marked wings. This is not one of the 'Autumn' craneflies the species, not any one individual, being on the wing from March until October. It is a female as it has a pointed abdomen (its ovipositor).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:55 – 09:50

(192nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Bumper number of Mallard again.
- My first Meadow Pipit of Autumn here (first noted this year during Spring passage on 18 March)

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Meadow Pipit

Warblers noted:
- 3 Chiffchaffs: one in song

On /around the water:
- 69 Canada Geese
- 9 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 50 (33♂) Mallard
- 13 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 12 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- 2 Grey Herons

On a lamp pole:
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman

Elsewhere: 

Still waiting for the Ivy blossom to appear.

- 1 Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

- 1 Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Ichneumon sp.: a large a striking yellow and black insect with no obvious black bands across the yellow abdomen. Seen very briefly in flight only.

- 1 Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)

- 1 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

Even if they are rather common and often noisy Collared Doves can look quite smart.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2011
Priorslee Lake
115 Greylag Geese
420+ Canada Geese
Shoveler
Common Sandpiper
Kingfisher
3 Blackcaps
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)