7 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 18.0°C: The forecast was of course right: more low cloud. Light north-easterly breeze. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 06:31 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 – 09:10

(193rd visit of the year)

Bird Notes
*A highlight today was my third over-flying Great (White) Egret of the year, only found in the dull conditions by the noise of pursuing Black-headed Gulls drawing my attention to it flying well to the North.

Other bird notes:
- *three Tufted Duck at first light were apparently all ducks. Another group of seven dropped in briefly with eight of these flying out E at 08:05. The remaining two ducks stayed a while: I could not locate them after 08:30.
- the recent trio of immature Gadwall had been joined by an adult pair.
- no Little Grebe found.
- a steady stream of Lesser Black-backed Gulls stopped to bathe and drink and it is quite possible there were many more birds than my count suggests.
- a Cetti's Warbler was vocal briefly at 06:50 and 08:10, today along the South side

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 3 Canada Geese: trio inbound
- 1 Stock Dove
- 45 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- *1 Great (White) Egret
- 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 158 Jackdaws
- 127 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 House Martins at least: high overhead in the base of the cloud

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 10 (4) Chiffchaffs: somebody was happy with the weather
- 2 (0) Blackcaps
''nominal' warbler:
- 1 (0) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 22 Canada Geese: arrived in two groups
- 3 Mute Swans: another bird briefly before being chased away
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 12 (?♂) Mallard
- *10 (>4♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 9 Moorhens
- 103 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: also 71 on the football field c.07:00
- 11 Herring Gulls
- 262 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 micro-moth to be identified

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 2 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli

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

Flies:
- *1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa
plus many remains

Spiders:
- 13 spiders: the few specifically identified included:
*Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

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

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
*Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Dragonfly:
- a dragonfly flying at 08:15 seemed to be a Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis

Other Flies:
- *unidentified flies only

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Spiders:
- *Garden Spider Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]

Mammals:
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat

One of the Tufted Ducks that was circling the lake before heading off East. At first sight a duck with the pale at the base of her bill and dusky flanks. I do wonder whether the flanks are dark-enough and it may be an immature drake.

In this trio the leading bird is most certainly a duck: neither of the other two look 'clean' enough for drakes and may also be immatures.

Almost in formation as the eight prepare to leave.

The Great (White) Egret flies by – at considerable distance.

One I have asked for help from the Shropshire micro-moth recorder with identification. Watch this space.

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum climbing out of a Greater Bindweed flower Convolvulus sylvaticus.

Meanwhile a Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, already covered in pollen, dives in to a different flower.

A Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare. This, with triangular yellow marks and separated eyes, is a female. I can only recall identifying one of the many I have seen as a male.

Today's mandatory unidentified fly.

This seem a bit greedy. I assume there is a spider lurking in the cracks in the wall of the sailing club HQ and has left the inedible parts of his meals outside.

And for a change the underside view of a Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius, no doubt waiting for a cranefly to blunder by.

So this European Cranefly Tipula paludosa is living dangerously, also on the wall of the sailing club HQ.

A different spider: this is a Garden Spider Araneus diadematus, an abundant species at this time of year. At the right side of its jaw the red eye of an unfortunate fly is visible.

Here are the four-lobed seed capsules of Spindle-tree Euonymus europaea. The left-most capsule on the lower cluster is just splitting to reveal the seed.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

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

Spiders:
- 8 spiders: none specifically identified:


(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:15

(196th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- for the last few days the resident cob has often been away from the rest of his family and closer to the other two birds, only occasionally looking as if he might try and chase them away.
- 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:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (0) Goldcrest

Noted on / around the water:
- 83 Canada Geese: most of these arrived in three groups
- 18 Greylag Geese
- 4 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 2 (0♂) Shoveler
- 17 (10?♂) Mallard
- no Common Teal
- 75 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- *5 + 9 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 129 + 8 (3 dependent broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *51 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- *1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana

Fly:
- 1 unidentified fly

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adults

Bugs:
- *1 possible Potato Capsid bug Closterotomus norwegicus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

With food being proffered the Black-headed Gulls were quick off the mark. The gulls so attracted were all first winter birds. I must check on the ratio of adults to first winters more generally.

Another. I have no idea what has caused the pattern in the water: it is not a reflection. It looks like the 'art' that restaurants nowadays use to decorate your plate to disguise the paucity of the portion.

That's close.

A juvenile Moorhen making waves.

An older juvenile doing a balancing act on what is usually known as Bulrush Typha latifolia [though Moses wasn't found amongst this species. It is perhaps better called (Greater) Reedmace]. Moorhens are very agile climbers and can walk up fences.

A Common Nettle-tap moth Anthophila fabriciana, actually on a nettle!

I think this is a Potato Capsid bug Closterotomus norwegicus. There are several similar species.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
3 Shoveler
Green Sandpiper
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Wrekin
Firecrest
(J Shutt)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Snipe
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)