18 Sep 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 17.0°C: Early patchy cloud; some mist over the fields. Sunny for a while then clouds approaching from the West ahead of rain. Light mainly southerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:49 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Highlights today were:
- A / the Cetti's Warbler gave a single song along the North side of the lake at 06:30. Probably explains why I have not recorded it for a while as during the Summer it favoured the South side (and may even have bred). My last confirmed record of this species here was on 16 August (although I did hear a brief single note which sounded promising on 9 September).
- The first Siskin of at The Flash flew over (after the first at the lake yesterday)

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 09:10

(191st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The higher Coot number is probably a reflection of the better visibility down the whole length of the water rather than any real increase.
- Eight of the early unidentified large gulls flying over were unusually in a skein heading North. Usually birds pass between East and South. [is 'skein' applied to a formation of gulls as well as geese?']
- Just three Pied Wagtails were on the football field at 09:05. A few had been heard overhead earlier.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 48 Canada Geese: inbound in four groups
- 7 Feral Pigeon: a septet
- 71 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: ages not determined
- 28 unidentified large gulls
- 6 Jackdaws
- 11 Rooks
- 3 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- *15 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 House Martins at least c.08:55

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (3♂) Mallard
- 5 Moorhens
- 107 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.225 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:50. No more that 20 at any one time seen on the lake
- 6 Herring Gulls: one adult and five first winters
- *29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: not all ages determined with majority being first winters
- 1 Kingfisher: seen numerous times again

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 1 plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- 1 plumed midge Microtendipes pedellus
- *1 Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
- 3 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- 3 spiders Clubiona sp.
- *2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 3 male Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 1 unidentified slug sp.
[NB: I am trying to adopt a standard presentation for insects etc. Where there is an accepted vernacular name the (scientific name) will be appended in brackets. If the species has confirmed identity e.g. fly sp. then any confirmed scientific name will not be bracketed. It will take me a while to get all the entries to conform!]

Around the sailing club HQ
- 1 plumed midge Microtendipes pedellus
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola fenestralis
- 1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- several Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- many slugs and snails

Also pre-dawn:
- three species of bat noted. The usual pipistrelle-type were around the North side shoreline. They were joined for a while by a much larger bat which flew differently from the 'large direct-flying' species that I see frequently and was also present today. I need a bat detector!

Noted later: my 'Winter timing' means I leave the lake before many insects are around.

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- none

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- many unidentified flies
- European Cranefly (Tipula paludosa)
- *caddisfly sp., probably of the Limnephilidae family

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults
- *flea beetle sp.

Bugs:
- *planthopper sp.

Spiders / Harvestmen:
- *Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius): unusual to see this species after daybreak

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Fungus:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus) mostly faded away

Taken at the time the sun should have risen, and probably did. No colour.

"That's my buoy".

Two first winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls dispute ownership.

 "Clear off"

 Two more sanguine first winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls illustrate the wing and tail patterns.

A first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull departs.

As does an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull showing blood at the base of its bill. The legs of adults are yellow. They do not look particularly yellow here but there is a slight contrast with the pink feet.

A pensive Chiffchaff.

An inquisitive Chiffchaff

A 'no publicity' Chiffchaff. All the same bird.

A male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum). It must be coming to the end of the flight season for this species.

Probably my worst photo of the fly with dark wing tips that I have seen many times on street lamp poles before dawn. Included here because I have now, thanks to Obsidentify, know it to be a Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii).

A caddisfly sp., probably of the Limnephilidae family. The covering of dew hinders further identification.

On the railing of the 'boxing ring' I found this tine creature which I believe to be a species of flea beetle. No idea as to identity beyond that.

Also on the 'boxing ring' railing was this species of planthopper. I'll see whether the Shropshire recorder can identify it. There are many that look alike!

I am unable to work out what the Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius) has wrapped up.

The unusual sight of a Bridge Orb-web Spider in daylight, suspended on its web.

Plane of the day: a Cirrus Design Corp. Cirrus SR22T. The company is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota on Lake Superior. The owner of this 2022-build aircraft lives near Carlisle and...

 ...the data courtesy of FlightRadar24 (FR24) shows it departed the local airport this morning. It was flying under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) so did not need to file a Flight Plan with the Air Traffic Control. Thus FR24 will not know its destination until it gets there. Other flight trackers show it flew to Gloucestershire Airport and back. Gloucestershire Airport is a service centre for Cirrus aircraft.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:05

(177th visit of the year)

I was intent on keeping an eye on the incoming rain and was more focussed on trying to find anything unusual than on making accurate counts.

Bird notes:
- Again many geese had arrived before me and were already inside the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws: singles
- 1 Siskin

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs

Hirundines etc., noted:
- House Martins heard overhead before it clouded

Noted on / around the water:
- 107 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Goose
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 28 (20♂) Mallard: no ducklings noted
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 33 (>11♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 62 Coots
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- no Grey Herons

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Moths:
- none

Other things
- *2 Garden Spiders (Araneus diadematus)

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- +Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Hoverflies:
- none

Other flies:
- several unidentified small flies

Beetles:
- *Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults

Bugs:
- +*Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina): two different-aged instars
- ++*planthopper sp.

Spiders:
- Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

An adult Moorhen using its bill with the red shield to preen.

A juvenile Moorhen just starting to develop its red shield.

Several of the Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) looked unusually orange-marked today. Here is one...

...and another

Alder Leaf Beetles (Agelastica alni) are rather misnamed at the moment. I have seen them on poplars, nettles, lamp poles and here on what I believe to be Hybrid Coralberry (Symphoricarpos x chenualtii).

My first Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus) here this year.

 I have previously shown this size of Common Green Shieldbugs instar (Palomena prasina).

I do not often see this earlier stage instar.

And a planthopper here as well, looking to be a different species. Once again I'll see what the Shropshire recorder makes of it.

I'll say it again. You WILL learn to like spiders. A Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 2 craneflies Tipula lateralis
- 21 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
- several other, unidentified, spiders

(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

2007
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)