14 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 15.0°C: Fine with some patchy cloud. Light / moderate southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:43 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 09:15

(198th visit of the year)

Bird notes
*Best today was a Great White Egret that was present throughout flying between various locations around the water. My first actually at the lake this year (four previous fly-overs)

Other bird notes:
- *the four extra Mute Swans were present again until one flew off West of it own volition. The residents gave chase to what was perhaps its partner, after a while becoming bored and leaving it and the other two alone.
-*a drake Wigeon was again with a pair of Gadwall: all rather elusive.
- another late record of a Common Sandpiper. This one sounded as if it was flying in from the East. I saw it flying low across the water. I did not see it again.
- at least 400 large gulls, almost all Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the majority immatures, arrived on the lake by 06:45. Another arrival of at least 100 after 08:15 may, or may not, have been returning birds.
- the Cetti's Warbler was giving spluttering song from the north-east area.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 8 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 3 Stock Doves: together
- 45 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 118 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 339 Jackdaws
- 176 Rooks
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. noted:
- House Martin(s) heard only

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- *19 (4) Chiffchaffs
- *1 (0) Blackcap
''nominal' warbler:
- 1 (0) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 58 Canada Geese: arrived in many groups
- *6 Mute Swans: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- *1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 13 (7?♂) Mallard: most flew off
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck: flew off
- 7 Moorhens
- 127 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: 171 on the football field c.06:55; all gone by 07:00
- 18 Herring Gulls: none on the football field
- >500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 10 on the football field c.06:55; all gone from there by 07:00
- *1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba: for its sixth day
- *1 Snout Hypena proboscidalis

Hoverflies:
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Flies:
*1 male and 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *1 Large House Spider-type: Eratigena sp.
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- *1 possible Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- *1 harvestman Opilio saxatilis

Sailing Club

Around the outside of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:

Froghoppers:
- *1 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Spiders:
- 32 spiders: species not determined apart from:
- *Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica

Noted later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Meadow Field Syrph Eupeodes latifasciatus [Broad-banded Aphideater]

Other Flies:
- *Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]
- European Cranefly Tipula paludosa
other unidentified flies

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult

Bugs:
- Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

The early dawn did not seem to promise much.

 It got better.

And better.

Best!

One of the four 'spare' Mute Swans leaves of its own accord.

The drake Eurasian Wigeon here is a different bird to the one at the lake. As this one takes off note the white belly, the rufous flanks, and the extensive white area in the forewing ahead of the green speculum.

As I rushed to get the photos of the sunrise reflected in the water I failed to notice and therefore accidentally flushed this Great (White) Egret. To my chagrin, talking to one of the fishermen, it had been present since yesterday morning when I failed to notice it!

A local Common Buzzard cruises by.

One of many Chiffchaffs still around, some singing in the sun.

Still a few Blackcaps around though they are mainly silent now. This is a male.

"wheee"

This moth is called 'The Snout' Hypena proboscidalis. I wonder why! It has a red-eyed fly for company.

"Me and my shadow". A Honey Bee Apis mellifera of course.

And another Honey Bee laden with pollen.

A female Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax.

I photographed one of these Meadow Field Syrphs Eupeodes latifasciatus at The Flash yesterday. This one is at a better angle.

Here we see a male and female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii. The male is on the right with dark shading on his wing tips.

The wall of the sailing club HQ is not where I would expect to find a Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius.

An exciting-looking spider. I think one of the Large House Spider-type: Eratigena sp. though Obsidentify suggests it is probably a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica

Also possibly a Walnut Orb Weaver spider.

This is the harvestman Opilio saxatilis identified by the pale line down its abdomen.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- *1 male mosquito Culex pipiens
- 5 plumed midges
- *1 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa

Centipedes & Millipedes:
- 7 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders:
- 5 spiders not specifically identified.

Look at the front of this insect. It has long feathered antennae and a proboscis. This makes it a male mosquito, probably a Culex pipiens. Males do not bite. As far as I can recall this is the first male I have seen here.

One of the 99 species of Psychodidae flies, also known as Drain Flies or Moth Flies. They have probably identified a few more species recently. How? They all look the same.

Not at all sure about this spider other than it is clearly a male with palps like boxing gloves. Obsidentify again says it is probably a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica. I don't think so.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:20

(201st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- the drake Wigeon remains.
- the number of Tufted Duck increased again to a new high for the Autumn. Why?
- also fewer Coots. There were more at the Balancing Lake today: perhaps some relocated?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 5 (2) Chiffchaffs
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests

Noted on / around the water:
- 64 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 26 (18♂?) Mallard
- 138 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 116 + 7 (2 dependent broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
With the sun out ahead of an incoming shower I made the most of the sheltered area.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *German Wasp Vespula germanica

Hoverflies:
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Flies:
only unidentified flies

Beetles:
- >10 Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni: adults
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Bugs:
- 2 Dock Bugs Coreus marginatus
- c.20 Nettle Groundbugs Heterogaster urticae

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 5 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

 A Cormorant has caught a Perch Perca fluviatilis while another looks on enviously.

"All I have to do is manoeuvre it so I can swallow it".

Not very elegantly done.

The other Cormorant still seems hopeful he might get an opportunity.

Gone and part-way down the throat.

Full marks to the camera in managing to pick up and lock on to the speeding Kingfisher. It is a long way to the island from the footbridges.

Despite initial appearances this is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris. The 'buff' is a (very) narrow shading between the white tail and the black body, almost invisible on this individual.

Here it is the other way around.

This is a Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris with the parallel-sided yellow stripe along the side of the thorax.

Whereas this is a German Wasp Vespula germanica with the yellow stripe slightly triangular-looking. The facial markings of the species differ but who wants to stare at a wasps? None of the other markings consistently separate these species.

A male Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.

This orange fly ought to be identifiable. When I get more time...

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Snipe
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Sandwich Tern
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)