5 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 8.0°C: Fine with some sunny intervals. Light to moderate westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:14 GMT

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:20

(230th visit of the year)

Another day of busy Autumn skies – a favourite time of year of mine.

Bird notes:
- another best-effort count of Wood Pigeons. Many larger flocks (>150 birds) had to be estimated in tens or even 50's! And as I am not Janus I almost certainly missed some of the flocks altogether
- in addition to the 14 Starlings overhead a single flew out of a West end roost at 07:00.
- Reed Buntings were again calling from the West end roost site. I noted eight birds, apparently of this species, leave together at 06:55. Birds were still calling and one, certainly this species, departed at 07:15. Calls continued sporadically afterwards but I saw no more.
- not included were the tight group of at least 100 birds seen far to the East. I expected them to morph in to the distinctive flight pattern of Golden Plover but they didn't. They just "disappeared". Most likely Redwings or Fieldfares but...

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 10 Greylag Geese: flew South to the East
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck: together
- 1 Stock Dove: in with one of the Wood Pigeon flocks
- 5763 Wood Pigeons: of these 5718 counted / estimated in 55 migrant flocks heading South.
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 171 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- *1 Common Buzzard
- 253 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 14 Starlings: three groups
- 284 Fieldfare: ten groups, one of these in with Wood Pigeons
- 46 Redwings: four groups
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose: arrived and stayed
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 34 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 139 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- 57 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: a single and later a duo arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: briefly
Consensus is that my mystery gull from yesterday is a near-adult small female Lesser Black-backed Gull of the darker-backed intermedius race from Scandinavia.

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
Yesterday's rain seemed to have affected things somewhat:

Moths:
- none

Otherwise:
- *1 fly Scoliocentra villosa
- 1 unidentified globular springtail
- 1 tiny woodlouse sp.
- *1 male spider Neriene montana
- *1 unidentified spider
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Nothing noted later and no new fungus found.

 I am sure it was the moon that was at an angle and not me.

This is what it looked like pre-dawn with yesterday's rain clouds distantly to the East.

It did not seem there was going to be a colourful sunrise...

...and, belatedly, this appeared.

A Buzzard overhead tilts and catches the light from the low morning sun.

The fly Scoliocentra villosa.

A male spider with the 'boxing gloves' palps, most likely Neriene montana.

Whereas this spider remains unidentified.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35

(214th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- after the hectic time at the Balancing Lake it was peace and quiet here with nothing unusual.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 30 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 33 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 46 Coots
- *7 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults; singly
- *2 Grey Herons
Note: The trio of mainly white feral geese seen here recently were present this afternoon at the SOS Reserve at Venus Pool near Cross Houses, South of Shrewsbury along with several hundred Greylag Geese.

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

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

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Other flies:
- *possible root-maggot fly Hydrophoria lancifer
- *Muscid fly Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris
- *unidentified Muscid fly
- and many unidentified flies of several species.

New fungus found:
- *Trooping Funnel (Clitocybe geotropa)

Here, from this afternoon at SOS Reserve at Venus Pool, are two of the mainly white feral geese seen at The Flash recently. A rather better view of them.

I was somewhat surprised to see the juvenile Great Crested Grebe still being fed. This one still looks young and 'fluffy' and I wonder whether it is a new one I have overlooked previously. There were certainly seven on the water, one more than I have previously logged.

"feed me, feed me".

The juvenile seems to have dropped the fish in the water.

Perhaps not. "Down the hatch it goes".

"I can see you". A Grey Heron not hiding too successfully.

My first Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) here this year. They will be flying in to the New Year and are the species most often seen in car headlights at this time of year. They are slightly smaller than the November Moth group (Epirrita sp.) and almost always have the darker central band. Having recently organised my moth sightings for submission to the Shropshire Recorder I note this is moth species 49 at The Flash this year and the 123 individual I have recorded.

A few clouds were taking the edge off the sun and there were rather fewer Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) on the Ivy (Helix) this morning.

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax). I puzzled for a while as to why its shadow look hairy. I think it is the hairs on the top surface of the leaf being lit by the light passing through the hoverfly's wing.

Among the flies around the Ivy was this possible root-maggot fly Hydrophoria lancifer.

And this Muscid fly, either Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris. It is the number of bristles on the thigh of the hind leg that separate the two species. All Phaonia flies have a distinct bulge along the outer edge of the wing.

Obsidentify told me this was a Muscid fly but was not prepared to go further. Neither am I.

I found two rows (battalions?) of Trooping Funnel fungus (Clitocybe geotropa). In the darkest part of the wooded area alongside squirrel alley I had to use camera flash for this shot.

This one was broken off and allowed me to show the gill structure.

(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
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow Legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
4 Gadwall
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.80 Greylag Geese over
2 Gadwall
6 Pochard
40 Tufted Ducks
7 Moorhens
c.130 Coots
2500 Wood Pigeons
580+ Jackdaws
45+ Rooks
Raven
1 Siskin
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
106 Greylag Geese
1 possible Bean Goose
38 Canada Geese
2 Pochard
32 Tufted Duck
17 Goosanders
7 Moorhens
7 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
513 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
732 Wood Pigeons
5 Meadow Pipits
503 Fieldfare
2 Song Thrushes
34 Redwings
1 Brambling
12 Chaffinches
2 Siskins
51 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
15 Shoveler
1 Gadwall
10 Pochards
117 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rails
100+
Many Redwings
4 Fieldfare
20+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
189 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
803 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
19 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
30 Robins
21 Blackbirds
128 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
13 Magpies
347 Jackdaws
160 Rooks
12 Carrion Crows
223 Starlings
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Kingfisher
2 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
35 Tufted Duck
3 Ruddy Duck
27 Redwing
10 Fieldfare
5 Reed Bunting
Redpoll
Siskin
101 Rooks
12 Carrion Crow
227 Jackdaws
3 Jay
12 Magpies
1 Raven
1200 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)