22 Aug 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 17.0°C: Overcast with some light drizzly bits. Moderate, fresh at times, south-westerly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:04 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:30

(181st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the very dull morning produced just one Jackdaw and ten Rooks on roost overhead dispersal by 06:30: where were they all? An unusually late group of 16 Jackdaws flew over at 08:45.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 50 Canada Geese: all outbound in five groups
- 55 Greylag Geese: 41 outbound in five groups; 14 inbound in two groups
- 5 Feral Pigeons: together
- 96 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 17 Jackdaws
- 10 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Barn Swallows: flew South together at 07:50

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 36 Canada Geese: arrived inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived with Canadas
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (?♂) Gadwall
- 24 (?♂) Mallard
- 5 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 82 adult and juvenile Coots
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls on the lake c.05:45: 71 on the football field c.06:30
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 47 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: also two adults on the football field c.06:30
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- none

Flies:
- 1 female and 1 male plumed midges sp.
- 1 unidentified fly sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

In the absence of any sailing club shelter to check for spiders pre-dawn I prowled around the outside of the HQ:

Moths:
- 2 !Copper Underwing agg. Amphipyra pyramidea agg.

Bees:
- *1 bumblebee sp., all wrapped up

Spiders:
- *1 Furrow Orb-weaver Larinioides cornutus
- *2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Noted later:
Dull and damp.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- wasp sp.: either German Wasp Vespula germanica or Common Wasp V. vulgaris

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

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Record shot. On the upper-most and lowest birds the white speculum diagnostic of Gadwall can be seen.

The wing and back might suggest an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. The dark tips to the outer tail-feathers suggest perhaps a second summer bird moulting in to third winter plumage. Large gulls can vary in the speed of acquiring full adult plumage and it is possible it is a third summer bird.

A first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull identified by the two rows of dark feathers along the trailing edge of the inner wing. The paler inner webs of the inner primaries show only when the wing is fully spread and are not extensive-enough to suggest a Yellow-legged Gull.

Trying to hide under the guttering of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn were these two moths from the Copper Underwing aggregate Amphipyra pyramidea agg. The two species involved Copper Underwing and Svensson's (or Dull) Copper Underwing can sometimes be separated by the underwing tone (not much use here): but usually by genitalia examination (even less use here!).

The more pristine example crawled away and hid in response to the camera flash. The very battered individual remained on view.

I think a bumblebee sp., all wrapped up. I assume a spider would have to kill (poison) a bumblebee which would normally be strong-enough to break out of most spider webs.

The only hoverfly I noted this morning was, typically, buried in a Greater Bindweed flower: a Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus.

A female plumed midge. Species not determined.

And a male plumed midge from an unusual angle. A different species, again not determined.

A smart fly on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn. The striped thorax and banded abdomen might suggest a hoverfly. However the thorax, legs and tip of the abdomen all look to have hairs and thus it cannot be a hoverfly species.

Munching its way through breakfast is a Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius I noted on the street lamp poles.

The underside view of this species. This specimen was against the wall of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn.

Also on the wall of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn was this browner individual that I think is the closely-related Furrow Orb-weaver Larinioides cornutus.

Do they ever have eight legs? This harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus only shows seven.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Flies:
- *1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata

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

Spiders:
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

I seem only to notice female Banded Mosquitoes Culiseta annulata here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 – 07:30

(184th visit of the year)

Bird Notes

New Bird species
Another surprise: a Little Grebe was diving in the corner alongside Derwent Drive. My first of the year here becoming bird species #74 for me this year. I usually see at least one of these birds each year: not usually in mid-Summer (this is mid-Summer?)

Other bird notes:
- the single Greylag Goose was again on the East side grass again without its usual Canada Goose companion.
- the two extra sub-adult Mute Swans were still here despite the aggression seen by the residents yesterday.
- as I did not have a powerful spotlight I made no attempt to count the adult Coots in the gloom.
- a Cormorant was just climbing away as I arrived. Later one flew in – I have assumed a different individual.
- a / the singing Willow Warbler was still here.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 32 (?♂) Mallard
- 41 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- ? + 8 (4 broods) Coots
- *1 !Little Grebe
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 68 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: see notes

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- none

Beetles:
- *1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : an adult after only larvae for many weeks

Bug:
- *1 the cream form of the final instar of a Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Not my best. A record shot of my first Little Grebe of the year here. An unusually bold bird close to the Derwent Drive wall, still with a hint of the chestnut breeding plumage (more obvious in real life than in this photo).

A smartly-marked male plumed midge. Again species not determined.

After weeks of only seeing larvae crawling up this very street lamp pole here is an adult Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni doing the same thing.

Find of the morning. This is the cream form of the final instar of a Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus, my first Bronze Shieldbug at this site.

Well do they ever have eight legs? This harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus has only six.

Full-house! I always think the legs of this species look as if the plug in and out. Apparently only out.

Parish Notice for those that have not read it elsewhere. I would have thought the argument about the archaeological importance alongside the old Watling Street Roman Road might be more persuasive.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2012
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine Falcon
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Sandwich Terns
Common Tern
Kingfisher
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
Raven
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)