5 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 15.0°C: Low cloud. Moderate northerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:28 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 – 09:10

(191st visit of the year)

Yesterday it was all about warblers: it was the turn of ducks to take centre-stage.

Bird notes:
- the "are they here or are they not" trio of Gadwall decided to put in an appearance today.
- at 06:10 a party of nine Eurasian Wigeon circled overhead heading towards the water. At least four were drakes. From my position I could not see whether they did splash down. Later I could find only one drake bird on the water.
- at least two Tufted Duck flew in from the East at 06:05. Later I could only find a single duck bird.
- no gulls seen on the football field, perhaps because the grass was cut yesterday? Did not stop seven Starlings and 18 Pied Wagtails feeding there c..09:00.
- a / the Cetti's Warbler sang once in the north-east corner at 06:15. What, at the time, I assumed was the same bird staged westward, flying between the patches of reeds and calling c.06:45. But a bird again sang once from the north-east corner at 08:00. So? Two birds?
- two parties of Barn Swallows were no doubt on migration though I am not sure I would head West if I were going to Africa. I am sure they know what they are doing.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 47 Canada Geese: a trio outbound; a duo inbound; a group of 42 flew south-west to the south-east at 06:10
- 62 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 113 Jackdaws
- 58 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 22 Barn Swallows: 18 West at 08:10; four more at 08:45
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 12 (2) Chiffchaffs
''nominal' warbler:
- 2 (1) Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- 27 Canada Geese: a duo arrived early and departed; 25 arrived in four groups
- 3 Mute Swans: a sub-adult visited for a short while
- *3 (1♂) Gadwall
- *9 (>4♂?) Wigeon: see notes
- *17 (>6♂) Mallard
- >1 (?♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 9 Moorhens
- 107 Coots
- *5 Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls: none on the football field
- *14 Herring Gulls
- *193 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 presumed Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

Flies:
- *1 Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- *winter cranefly Trichocera species
- *unidentified flies

Springtails
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris

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

Sailing Club HQ
Around the outside of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Less activity in cool and breezy conditions:

Spiders:
- 6 spiders: none specifically identified

Noted later:
In the dull and breezy conditions I saw nothing apart from:

Mammals:
- 2 pipistrelle-type bats

"Strangers not welcome". The resident con Mute Swan on the chase.

The smart drake Eurasian Wigeon.

And seen here on the right with a duck Gadwall on the left, identifiable by the orange edge to her bill.

Four of the semi-resident Mallard that commute to the storm overflow pools by the new houses across Castle Farm Way. Three ducks lead a drake. One of these, I am not sure which, showed a mainly white front part of both wings as it flew in.

The only Great Crested Grebe to have been raised here this year is now fully independent. The stripes on its head will take all winter, at least, to fade.

There were over 200 large gulls stopping off for a wash and drink. They arrived from all directions. Two (near) adult Herring Gulls are at the back here with two immature and one adult (on the right) Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The left-hand Herring Gull has started to acquire the winter head-streaking.

This adult Herring Gull is in heavy wing moult with only the outer two to be dropped and the adjacent few yet to grow enough to show their black endings. Makes the bird unusually pale. Another with winter head-streaking.

Not too much detail on this fly-over Common Buzzard on a dull day.

I presumed this is a Square-spot Rustic moth Xestia xanthographa with all the features hidden by dew. This species is by far the most common moth of this general shape on the wing at the moment.

This seems to be the Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum.

Perhaps the start of the winter cranefly season. This looks to be one of the Trichocera species, not usually separable from photos.

Another fly puzzle. The hairy abdomen suggests the Tachinid family. The tooth-like marks at the leading edge of the thorax suggest a Muscid fly, most of which also have pale markings on the abdomen.

One of two springtails on the same street lamp pole. This seems a good candidate for the springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis.

Whereas this with shorter and thicker antennae is probably Tomocerus vulgaris.

Yes I know: yet another Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius. This one was, unusually, at eye-level for a real close-up.

And (a different individual) from the underside.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata: presumed same: moved slightly

Centipedes & Millipedes:
- 13 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders:
- 5 spiders: none specifically identified

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:25

(194th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- another bumper total of Coots today many were in the same area as most of the Tufted Duck making counting a challenge. One of the parents from the latest and still dependent brood was enthusiastically adding yet more material to its already over-sized nest.
- a trio of Common Teal were alongside the island. These small ducks are easy to overlook here.
- the drake Shoveler was still present.
- also still present were two Little Grebes, today behaving more typically and hiding under overhanging vegetation around the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 37 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 4 _ 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- *1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- *3 (?♂) Common Teal
- 76 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- *123 + 9 (3 dependent broods) Coots
- 2 Little Grebes
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *36 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- none

Flies:
- *1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult

Bugs:
- *1 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina: second instar

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

The best the camera, the photo editor and I could achieve of two of the Common Teal tucked against the island. Just about visible on the left hand bird is the green flash of the speculum.

And the third with two Canada Geese and Black-headed Gull for scale. I would not like to commit to which sex any of these three teal might be.

The best of over twenty attempts to photograph the drake Shoveler with its head out of the water. We have to put up with the Coot photo-bombing.

Just about visible behind the increasing nest mound a Coot adds more material. Surely not thinking of another brood? The other 100+ Coots here do not seem interested.

For some reason the Black-headed Gulls seem to like sitting on the hand-rail despite regularly having to move for pedestrians.

An European Cranefly Tipula paludosa.

An adult Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni. This is not an alder leaf – adults wander widely, liking fences, street lamp poles etc. as well as leaves. All the larvae seem to have disappeared now.

It doesn't look very 'green' but the pattern matches a second instar of Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina – quite different to the later instar I photographed yesterday.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Yellow-legged Gull
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson))

2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)