15 Oct 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 9.0°C > 11.0°C: Cloud starting to break after overnight rain. It was fter 09:00 before any sunny spells. Moderate NNW wind fell light for a while then a light / moderate E breeze sprung up after the clearance. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:35 BST

* = a photo today

No passage of Redwings today but a small movement of Wood Pigeons heading S.

Priorslee Lake: 05:55 – 09:25

(231st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A drake Goosander flew high S at 07:50
- >450 Black-headed Gulls were moving around between the football field and the academy playing fields at 07:25. As yesterday more were still drifting in with a few on the lake. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was with them.
- The large gulls arrived, dropping down from high overhead after 07:05. They happily settled on the water today despite the continued absence of street-lights along Castle Farm Way.
- For the last few days a raft of c.40 Coots has been in the middle of the water at 06:30. In previous year almost all the Coots have roosted in the reeds and only started to emerge in dribs and drabs once it begins to get light.

Overhead:
- 1 Greylag Goose: inbound again
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 2 Stock Doves together
- 310 Wood Pigeons: 173 of these were passing S in eight groups
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: very high N
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- c.280 Jackdaws
- 26 Rooks only
- 3 Skylarks again
- 1 Song Thrush
- 16 Redwing: one group of 11 flying W; all others singles in various directions
- 9 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Siskin

Warblers noted:

None

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 11 (>4♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 76 Coots
- no Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls once more
- 11 Herring Gulls again
- 35 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.90 unidentified large gulls at the usual early time: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 6 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
with:
- *1 Mayfly sp., probably a Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum)
- 1 Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- *1 unidentified fly sp.
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Nothing noted later:

A / the probable Pond Olive mayfly (Cloeon dipterum) was on the same lamp pole again early only. I tried just using my torch-light for today's photo as using flash loses some of the detail. Here it is clear that it is a female because it lacks the large 'turbinate' eyes of a male. Also I have not previously noted it has two 'tails', though in fact all species have two or, occasionally, three.

This fly looked rather distinctive. It was sitting with its wings rather more open than most flies: the eyes seemed proportionately large: and the wings are brown-toned with prominent venation. I have not had any luck identifying it though.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

- *1 Yellow-line Quaker moth (Agrochola macilenta)
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- also the usual midges and unidentified spiders

Nearby noises from the Ricoh copse were probably made by Foxes. I heard the same noises a few days ago shortly followed by a Tawny Owl calling from the same general area. I thought at the time it was an unlikely noise for an owl.

A Yellow-line Quaker moth (Agrochola macilenta). It is at least eight years since I recorded this species in Shropshire. Insects on the roof are hard to photograph. The zoom on the camera will not focus that close and even on tippy-toes with arm out-stretched I cannot get close. My only option is to back-away and try an angled shot, as here. I then inverted it for easier viewing.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(208th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pair of Teal was again tucked up against the island.
- The group of Wood Pigeons seemed to be just setting off with stragglers climbing fast to join in.
- All six – three adult and three juvenile – Great Crested Grebes seen at the same time. Was there even a fourth adult? Not sure.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Feral Pigeon again
- 28 Wood Pigeons: one group flew S
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Siskin

Warblers noted:

None

On /around the water:
- 40 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Teal still
- 24 (9+♂) Tufted Duck
- 25 (0♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 59 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

On the lamp poles:

Nothing found on any of  them

Noted elsewhere:
The ivy was busy but rather few species involved.
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Syrphus sp. hoverfly (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis), possibly a Humming Syrphus (Syrphus ribesii)
- Grey Squirrel

There were two parties of Long-tailed Tits. This is an individual from the second group I saw. Here sitting up straight.

And here getting down to the important job of looking for food.

The markings on the abdomen are variable: this is one common form of a Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax).

This different individual was having a brush-up. The spread wings show off the dark cloud that this species shares with some other Eristalis species. Note the hind legs are being used to clean the body, the left leg being especially obvious.

In with all the drone flies enjoying the Ivy flowers was this Syrphus sp. hoverfly (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis). This is a female (the eyes do not meet) and it is just about possible to see the hind femur. I cannot be 100% certain but it looks all-yellow which would identify this as a Humming Syrphus (Syrphus ribesii).

(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

2013
Nedge Hill
2 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Gulls
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
87 Tufted Ducks
1 Kingfisher
23 Pied Wagtails
32 Robins
12 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
11 Redwings
c.130 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)