15 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 15.0°C: Broken cloud to start, clearer to the East. Lowering cloud from the West with rain after 10:00. Moderate southerly breeze. Very good visibility ahead of the rain.

Sunrise: 06:44 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 09:20

(199th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- three extra Mute Swans still present again. One was chased and caught by the resident cob. He let it go and wandered off.
- the Great (White) Egret still present though for a large all-white bird it could be very elusive hiding in the reeds.
- rather fewer large gulls early today with bird moving through, not stopping any length of time. More flying directly over. Only a very small later arrival.
- the Cetti's Warbler was again giving a spluttering half-song half-call, today along the North side.
- a Blackcap was heard sub-singing.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 41 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- c.90 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *8 Cormorants: together
- 352 Jackdaws
- 169 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 6 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
- 7 (4) Chiffchaffs yesterday's total should been 9 (4) and not 19 (4) as mistyped
- 3 (1) Blackcaps
''nominal' warbler:
- 1 (0) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese: two departed: eight arrived in two groups
- 5 Mute Swans: see notes
- 11 (7?♂) Mallard
- 9 Moorhens
- 143 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Black-headed Gulls: 116 on the football field c.06:55; all gone by 07:00
- *13 Herring Gulls: none on the football field
- >275 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: none on the football field
- 1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- None

The Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba: seemed to have left – no sign it had been eaten by the man spiders

Flies:
- 1 male Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male and 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

Sailing Club

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

Moths:
- *1 Copper Underwing agg. Amphipyra pyramidea agg.

Flies:
- 1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa

Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 presumed Tree Slug Lehmannia marginata

Spiders:
- 34 spiders: species not determined apart from:
- *Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica

Noted later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Other Flies:
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- *Muscid fly Phaonia pallida
- *Ensign fly Sepsis sp.
other unidentified flies

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: pupae cases

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- *either Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana or Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus
- *probable Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus

Amphibians:
- *Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris [a photo courtesy of one of the fishermen]

Fungi:
- *Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa

Today I remembered that my phone camera is rather better at handling the light and dark contrast of pre-sunrise. Many Coots can be seen on the water. There seem to be too many to roost in the shelter of the reeds.

I was not in a good position to get these fiery clouds reflected in the lake.

This is the sunrise later as seen by my camera.

And taken at the same time on my phone.

An immature Herring Gull. The pale base to the bill gives its age as second winter.

Eight Cormorants pass overhead in a typical ragged line.

A poor photo. But as it is a photo of that arch skulker, Cetti's Warbler, perhaps it is not so bad after all.

Retreating at speed as my torch approached was one of (perhaps the only one now?) Copper Underwing type moths Amphipyra pyramidea agg. lurking under the guttering of the sailing club HQ. A fat-bodied species (am I allowed to say that these days?).

The only hoverfly I saw was this smart Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus.

One of many Grouse Wing caddis flies Mystacides longicornis dancing around the reeds and sedges at the water margin. Instantly recognisable by is long antennae.

This small (as in 7 mm [0.25"]) fly is the Muscid fly Phaonia pallida.

An even smaller (as in 2-3 mm [0.1"]) fly. It is an Ensign fly in the genus Sepsis showing a single dark mark in each wing. Males of different species have different ornamentation on their front legs. This must be a female and they need capture for microscopic examination.

An Autumn-flying cranefly with marbled dark and pale wings. This is Tipula confusa.

A female European Cranefly Tipula paludosa.

The empty pupa case of a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis.

I think this a Tree Slug Lehmannia marginata on the wall of the sailing club HQ. I thought the blotches would make it a Leopard Slug Limax maximus but that species has its dark marks arranged in neat rows.

Well now: Obsidentify said this tiny snail is 100% a Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana. None of the photos on NatureSpot show that species with hairs. Why is not a Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus?

Perhaps doesn't know much about snails. It suggested this was a Cepaea species, either White-lipped Snail C. hortensis or Brown-lipped Snail C. nemoralis. Again I think not. My best suggestion would be a Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus.

I will cure you of arachnophobia. Here is a cuddly male Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

 "I'm coming to get you".

Here with its best leg forward is a male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

This is a male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. It is the camera flash that makes it looks as if the ocularium (the eye surround) look pale.

And this is the female of the species with the parallel-sided dark saddle on her longer body.

A photo of a photo taken by one of the fishermen who found this Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris in his bivvy during the night. I have only ever seen one newt here previously though I am sure there are plenty to be found.

Its that time of year: fungus time. I think Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 5 plumed midges

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

Spiders:
- 3 spiders not specifically identified:

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:10

(202nd visit of the year)

Visit cut short by the arrival of rain.

Bird notes:
- Canada Goose numbers probably under-recorded. Several groups arrived as I was in mid-count of the Tufted Ducks
- I only noted two of the Mute Swan cygnets. One has been wandering off some days. Perhaps it was somewhere
- the drake Wigeon not found.
- another low count of Mallard: where do they go?
- Goosanders again today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

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

Noted on / around the water:
- *c.175 Canada Geese: see notes
- 4 + 2? (1 brood) Mute Swan: see notes
- 9 (5♂?) Mallard
- 104 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 (0♂) Goosander
- 3 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 120 + 6 (2 dependent broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
**rain stopped play

Beetles:
- >5 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult

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

A group of Canada Geese illuminated against the incoming rain cloud.

As they search for somewhere to splash down on the crowded water they sometimes perform spectacular aerobatics. The top one has turned upside-down though its head is screwed the right way up.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
9 Ravens
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Mallard x Pintail
Raven
2 Sand Martin
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
100+ hirundines
31 Pied Wagtails
Redwing
14 Chiffchaffs
7 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)