6 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 18.0°C: Surprise, surprise: not as forecast! Low cloud. Light northerly wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 06:30 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 – 08:55

(192nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two Tufted Duck seen at 06:25 may have been flying around or leaving. None was present at 07:10. Two few East together at 07:25
- the trio of Gadwall and the drake Wigeon all seemed to fly off at 08:30.
- a Little Grebe was new
- my latest ever Common Sandpiper was flying around from c.08:05 until it left to the East at 08:10. It did briefly pause on one of the fishing platforms. At not time did I see it flying low across the water with typical fluttering wing-beats.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: two duos outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: a duo inbound
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Ducks: see notes
- 63 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 86 Jackdaws
- 90 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 11 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
- 1 (0) Blackcap
''nominal' warbler:
- 3 (1) Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- 33 Canada Geese: coming and going throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂?) Wigeon
- 12 (?♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens
- 121 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: also 59 on the football field c.06:50
- 11 Herring Gulls
- 172 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 possible Dark-marked Tortrix Acleris laterana [previously Dark-triangle Button]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 5 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli

Sailing Club HQ

Around the outside of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Plenty around on a mild morning

Spiders:
- 32 spiders: the few specifically identified included:

Eratinga species, perhaps Common House Spider E. atrica.
Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

There was a large moth flying around that was most likely a Silver Y Autographa gamma but as I cannot prove that it will not go in the log.

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

Dragonfly:
- 1 unidentified dragonfly flying at 06:35

Mammals:
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat

A mix of species. On the left a Great Crested Grebe: in the middle a trio of Gadwall being watched by a Coot. Back right is the drake Wigeon.

Record shot: a Little Grebe.

Another record shot! The Common Sandpiper flying around.

This is not the European Beaver suggested by Obsidentify! This will have to stay as unconfirmed Tortrix Moth from the Acleris group. The dark spots toward the front of the wings suggest it is Dark-marked Tortrix Acleris laterana but the identity of this species can only confirmed by genitalia examination.

A different spider this morning. It is one of the Eratinga group which includes the Common House Spider E. atrica. I cannot confirm this as the identification.

It was all angst this morning. Lurking behind the cranefly are the two white crescents of the underside of a Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

 It is no fun being a cranefly. This one is a victim of a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 2 cranefly Tipula lateralis

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

Spiders:
- 9 spiders: specifically identified:
Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

A cranefly Tipula lateralis.

A Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata showing why it is also known as a Silver-sided Sector Spider as it devours an unfortunate cranefly.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:00 – 10:00

(195th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I could only find a single Common Teal alongside the island. The throng of geese made finding anything difficult.
- what seemed to be yesterday's drake Shoveler was still present and accompanied by another. There was also a separate group of six birds, at least three drakes.
- I could not find any Little Grebes.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 87 Canada Geese: most of these arrived in one large group
- 12 Greylag Geese
- 4 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 8 (>5♂) Shoveler
- 17 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (?♂) Common Teal
- 76 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 129 + 6 (3 dependent broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 54 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis

Fly:
- 1 unidentified fly

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: both larvae and adults

Bugs:
- 4 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina: one adult, two late instars and one second instar
- 1 Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus: instar

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 unidentified spider gave be a very painful bite!
2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Yesterday's immature drake Shoveler has a friend.

 And the new group of six Shoveler.

A Straw Dot moth Rivula sericealis.

A fly for later identification.

Only yesterday I noted there only seem to be adult Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni around at the moment. Wrong! Here is a larva.

An adult Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina.

A late instar Common Green Shieldbug.

To complete the set an early instar Common Green Shieldbug.

A Bronze Shieldbug instar Troilus luridus feeding on an adult Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Spotted Flycatcher
(Ed Wilson)