31 Dec 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 5.0°C: Clear start with a light shower c.07:15. Then sunny periods. South-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT once more
* = a species photographed today

As we come to the year's end can I thank all those who provided feedback and encouragement to my attempts to show that the Priorslee area is not (yet) totally devoid of interesting and puzzling wildlife. I hope to do more in 2024 though I doubt I will be able to trump the swimming mole! Best wishes to you all for next year.

An end of year bonus at The Flash was a single Pink-footed Goose amongst the flock of Greylag Geese. Given the various strays and hybrid geese that turn up from time to time there must be some doubt as to whether this is a genuine wild bird. One has been present for a number of years each winter at Trench Middle Pool. I'm counting it anyway! I have one previous record of this species from The Flash: 2 October 2018.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:30

(276th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A drake Gadwall was a new arrival.
- Most of the c.400 Black-headed Gulls arrived together, low from the West at 07:45.
- Even fewer large gulls seen on the water and overhead. Again there were unexpected sightings of single adult Great Black-backed Gulls both on the water and flying over.
- I could not find any Great Crested Grebe today.
- Three sizeable groups of Starlings were seen leaving nearby roosts (though not around the lake). Groups of 55 and then c.100 flew South directly overhead and then 30 flew slightly to the East, all within a few minutes.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 3 Greylag Goose: inbound together
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 71 Jackdaws
- c.185 Starlings: three groups

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 58 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 93 Coots
- c.400 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Heron: one of these only briefly, chased away

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- *1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
Both these in different locations to those seen yesterday.

Bug:
- *?

Other insects:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *2 springtails Tomocerus vulgaris
- *several globular springtails, one of which possibly Dicyrtomina ornata

Other things:
- *1 Earthworm Lumbricus sp.

Elsewhere:

Fungus:
- *new fungus not (yet) identified

Noted on the Teece Drive fence:
- 1 female Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

As the Cold Moon wanes the increased cross-lighting illuminates more craters.

A very different-looking male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata. This very unmarked form can only be separated from several similar species by the dark dot towards the edge of each forewing.

And here is a female found on the Teece Drive fence.

Not sure about this. I thought at the time it was a beetle. Looking more closely at the photo I now suspect it is a female bug. I have sent the photo to the Shropshire Recorder for his thoughts.

One of two springtails Tomocerus vulgaris.

This one with jaunty antennae.

One globular springtail. This one, unusually, shows some spines at the base of the abdomen.

And another. The dark area at the rear of the abdomen suggests it might be Dicyrtomina ornata. My camera will not resolve enough detail on these tiny creatures to get a positive identity.

Quite what this Earthworm Lumbricus sp. was doing ten feet up a street lamp pole is unclear.

Obsidentify was unhelpful here. My first attempt at using my phone gave the result "20% unidentified fungus". Changing position and a different angle gave the result "15% Turkeytail Trametes versicolor" which I don't think its is.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:30

(258th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No Gadwall found today.
- A pair of Common Teal was noted sitting on the edge of the island. Have they been here all the while?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Starlings

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 68 Greylag Geese: most of these departed
- *1 Pink-footed Goose
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 39 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 78 (37♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander: one of these departed
- 14 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

On the ivy bank:

Nothing noted

This morning's Pink-footed Goose. Smaller and slightly darker than a Greylag Goose the most obvious feature when seen well is the smaller, mainly dark bill with a variable small amount of pink.

The separation features are shown here though the size disparity is enhanced by their being at different distances.

(Ed Wilson)


Note
The summary for 2022 at Priorslee Lake can be found Here.
The summary for 2022 at Priorslee Flash can be found Here.

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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
Two 1st-winter female Scaup
(Ian Grant)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
(Jim Almond and Paul Spear)

2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee lake
11 Great Crested Grebes
31 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
237 Coot
Golden Plover
1 Water Rail
700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1250 Black-headed Gulls
300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
37 Herring Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gull
374 Jackdaws
178 Rooks
1 Kingfisher
1 Willow Tit
2 Redpolls.
2 Redwings
14 Robins
19 Blackbirds
13 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)