21 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C: Clear start; patchy cloud for a while and then clear again. Light NNW wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:42 GMT

Not many photos taken and a busy day. Will include some tomorrow.

Priorslee Lake: 06:05 – 09:10

(267th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A single Woodcock seen. I was keeping out of the wind on the N shore and this flew past me diagonally across the water. For a change I was able to see it as more than a dark blob and look at it through binoculars. Even though it was still quite dark at 06:55 I could see its long bill being carried pointing downward; its tubby body; its rather short rounded wings and the zig-zag flight it was making in response to having seen me.
- By 06:35 there were c.350 gulls circling over the lake, mostly Black-headed Gulls though with c.50 large gulls. It was almost 07:00 before the Black-heads began to settle before taking back to the air almost immediately. By this time most of the large gulls had move on.
- A (Common) Kestrel was briefly hovering high over the SW grass before moving E, equally briefly hovering over fields to the E and then flying away. Only my fourth record here this year of this once frequently-seen species.
- The additional number of Jackdaws was mostly attributable to the clearer weather and my ability to see groups passing distantly to the E.
- The Pied Wagtails flying over from their roost did so in an almost continuous stream so that accurate numbers were again hard to determine.

Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: single outbound; duo inbound
- 5 Stock Doves: single and two duos
- 141 Wood Pigeons: 102 of these in five tight groups – four W; one NE!
- 1 Herring Gull
- 35 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.50? unidentified large gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 (Common) Kestrel
- 171 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks: together again
- 8 Fieldfare: two groups
- 13 Redwings: four groups
- >45 Pied Wagtails heard: see notes
- 2 Greenfinches
- 8 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Warblers noted:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 8 (5♂) Mallard again
- 22 (12♂) Tufted Duck again
- 7 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed
- 1 Grey Heron: departed again

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 December Moth (Poecilocampa populi): species #123 at this site this year and last recorded by me here on 8 December 2017
- 1 Scarce Umber (Agriopis aurantiaria)
- 2 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)

And:
- 1 cranefly/winter gnat sp.

Spiders and Harvestman:
- 2 spiders to be identified
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

An update from Keith, the Shropshire bug man, about the two planthoppers I noted on Friday. I was correct with Eupteryx aurata but my identification of the other as Sage Leafhopper (Eupteryx melissae) was incorrect. It was Eupteryx urticae which, not surprisingly given its scientific epithet, is associated with nettles.

Later:

Nothing of note

This is a December Moth (Poecilocampa populi). As noted in the blog this is moth species #123 for me at this site this year. I last recorded it here on 8 December 2017. It is a common-enough moth so I am not sure why I do not see it annually. Note the two very small creatures to its left: springtails possibly but too small to photo with my equipment.

A tiny spider, less than half the size of my little fingernail.

An exciting looking spider. A male with the large palps.

(Ed Wilson)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15

(242nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I saw three Teal against the island – a drake; a duck and one I wasn't sure about. I repositioned to get a better view. By then they had all gone and hidden away!
- Back to two Great Crested Grebes

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail

On /around the water:
- 32 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 3 (1?♂) Teal: see notes
- 48 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (1♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 25 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron

On a lamp pole:
- 1 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana): species #50 at this site this year

On / around the Ivy (in the sunny but chilly conditions):
- >10 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- >10 flies of at least two species

Of note.

Nothing else

This was high up a lamp pole and partially in sun and the rest in shade. It is a Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana). This species is very variably marked though most can be identified by the almost horizontal demarcation almost half way along the wing. The outer half of the wing may be solid colour or, as here, patchily marked. It may be the same tone as the forewing when the demarcation can be a thin line or absent. As noted in the blog this is moth species #50 for me here this year.

A hairy fly still finding some pollen on the fast-diminishing Ivy blossom. I am sure it is one of the Muscid flies bit any further identification would require microscopic examination by someone who knew what to look for.

(Ed Wilson)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013

Priorslee Lake

5 Gadwall 

1 Pochard 

125 Tufted Duck

3 Water Rails 

15 Moorhens 

221 Coots counted again 

1 Snipe 

23 Fieldfare

8 Redwings 

196 Jackdaws

4 Rooks

2 Ravens

Redpoll

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall 

8 Pochard 

27 Tufted Ducks 

9 Moorhens 

142 Coots 

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Yellow-legged Gulls

1st winter Great Black-backed Gull

3 female Goosander

3 Wigeon

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes

2 Cormorants

30 Greylag Gees

16 Pochard

166 Tufted Duck

3 Goosander

Water Rail

148 Coot

c.700 Black-headed

c.1300 Lesser Black-backed

<20 Herring Gulls

93 Redwings

c.500 Starlings left a roost

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

3 Great Crested Grebes

33 Pochard

69 Tufted Ducks

6 Buzzards

>1750 Black-headed Gulls

2251 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

26 Robins

32 Blackbirds

96 Fieldfares

4 Song Thrushes

13 Redwings

384 Jackdaws

216 Rooks

22 Greenfinch

2 Siskins

2 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)