19 Aug 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 13.0°C: Thin medium/high-level cloud soon obscured by increasing low cloud with very light drizzle by 09:30. A calm start with a light south-easterly wind developing. Good visibility and hazy early.

Sunrise: 05:57 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:25 // 07:25 – 09:30

(178th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the low number (four) of Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:05 may have been due to a *Common Buzzard sitting on a fence post and staring at the ground.
- juvenile Reed Warblers still being fed so still a week or so away from 'last date'.
- where are all the Song Thrushes? There were at least eight males singing well in to the breeding season and many morning I would see one or more non-singing birds collecting food. One bird was still sing at the end of July. I have not recorded any non-singing birds since 17 July.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 12 Canada Geese: outbound in three groups
- 82 Greylag Geese: 31 outbound in three groups; 51 inbound as two singles and three groups
- 3 Stock Doves: single and duo
- 158 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 121 Jackdaws
- 37 Rooks
- 3 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 10 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (0) Reed Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (0) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 57 Canada Geese: arrived in seven groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 23 (?♂) Mallard
- 5 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 49 adult and juvenile Coots
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Black-headed Gulls on the lake c.07:45: just four, probably of these, on the football field c.06:05
- 1 Herring Gull
- *40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Dark-triangle Button-type species Acleris laterana or A. comariana
- *2 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Springtail:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis

Other things:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *2 Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- *2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Noted later:
Very grey and overcast and with the temperature only about 12°C there was almost no insect activity.

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Hoverflies:

The first name is that used by Stephen Falk. The name in square brackets is that given by Obsidentify or other sources if different. Scientific names are normally common. The species are presented in alphabetic order of those scientific names.
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- none

Other flies:
- only unidentified flies noted

Bugs etc.:
- *!Mirid bug, perhaps Pantilius tunicatus

Beetles:
- none

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *money spider-type

New flowers:
- none

Another morning when the photo at about sunrise shows it as good as it got.

In fresh first winter plumage Lesser Black-backed Gulls are handsomely marked.

A Common Buzzard on the fence between the football field and the academy. Well it was 06:00 so don't expect too much detail.

A Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella. Of all the grass moths this species seems to come to light most often.

This moth is one of the Dark-triangle Button-type species Acleris laterana or A. comariana. They are not separable from photos

Once it clouded and drizzle threatened I only saw two insects, both at Greater Bindweed flowers Convolvulus sylvaticus. This is a Honey Bee Apis mellifera.

A springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis. The photo is clear-enough to show how bristly / hairy this species is.

The best I could do with the occupant of another Greater Bindweed flower. It is a Mirid (plant) bug, just possibly Pantilius tunicatus.

 One of two Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp. I found on the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

And here is the other one, almost dwarfed by dew droplets. I assume a recently hatched individual. Not necessarily the same species.

A male (with the large palps) Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata.

I found this small spider on the guard rail of the boxing ring. It may be one of the many money spider species: or a recently-hatched individual of a larger species.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *!Red Underwing Catocala nupta

Flies:
- 2 craneflies Tipula lateralis
- *1 owl midge Psychodidae sp. [also known as Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]

Other things:
- 21 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

This moth is a Red Underwing Catocala nupta with the red just about visible. This is the largest moth I see apart from any hawk-moths. I find at least one in the tunnel every year. Infrequently I will see one on a street lamp pole at the Balancing Lake.

An owl midge Psychodidae sp.

Another male Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:20

(181st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- an unusual sight here of a loose group of 54 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, almost all adults, flying South. Large numbers are unusual here and there was not any significant movement at the Balancing Lake.
- 11 House Martins high overhead seemed to be tracking off S. Perhaps setting off on migration? Perhaps just feeding 'in to the wind' that was beginning to spring up.
- my fourth singing Willow Warbler – perhaps. The last three have been in more or less the same place. While it is true that Autumn migration is a more leisurely journey, especially for males anxious to grab the best breeding site, I am surprised that any one bird would hang about for several days. But why would one small area be so attractive?
- the only singing Chiffchaff was doing so more strongly and persistently than usual for this date.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 54 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 11 House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 9 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 23 (?♂) Mallard
- 38 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 75 + 6 (3 broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *32 Black-headed Gulls

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- *1 deceased moth, possibly a Small China-mark Cataclysta lemnata

Flies:
- *1 Dryomyza anilis
- *1 caddis fly probably a Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

A Black-headed Gull that hatched this year and is yet to lose some of its juvenile brown / ginger tones from its nape and upper back.

 This one has completed the transition to first winter plumage.

I extracted this deceased moth, possibly a Small China-mark Cataclysta lemnata, from a crack in a street lamp pole in squirrel alley. It is very faded and almost devoid of markings. I'll see whether the Shropshire moth recorder has any idea.

This orange-bodied, red-eyed fly with a furry-looking abdomen is almost certainly Dryomyza anilis.

This caddis fly has to be a Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis from the length of its antennae. The markings on the wing are not typical but at this date could well be faded as the flight season of this species ends. It is certainly not one of the Agraylea sp. as suggested by Obsidentify as these have short and stiff antennae.

A female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. It seems that losing a leg, sometimes more, is a hazard of being a harvestman. As far as I know they are not regrown.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2011
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
Female Ruddy Duck
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
A male Cockatiel
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)