31 Oct 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

11.0°C > 13.0°C: Overcast and dull early. Cloud lifted somewhat with a few breaks appearing. Light south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:06 GMT]

* = a species photographed today.

Another dull day so it was another late start, firstly at The Flash. I then did a full lap of the Balancing Lake in improving weather.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:35 – 12:50

(233rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I cannot believe how difficult it is to count Mute Swans. Despite being large and white they have a habit of hiding behind each other or paddling off. I eventually convinced myself there are now 20 white (near) adults with two grey first winters. These two spent some while with two adults, all four well-away from the others. If these first winters came in with these two adults at least one adult would have had to have departed...
- a Water Rail was alarm-calling from along the north-east area.
- there were very few gulls present when I first looked at the water. A mixed group of c.260 Black-headed Gulls and c.75 Lesser Black-backs along with a few Herring Gulls flew in together from the East.
- three Redwings flew out of trees by the Teece Drive gate as I arrived.

Birds noted flying over:
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 20 + 2 Mute Swans: an additional adult: see also notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 7 (1♂?) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 3 Moorhens
- 223 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.275 Black-headed Gulls
- *17 Herring Gulls
- c.190 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles post-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- 4 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- *1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula fulvipennis

Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ post-dawn:

Flies:
- 2 craneflies Tipula fulvipennis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- none: all hiding away!

Noted later:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis

A passing adult winter plumaged Black-headed Gull.

Now the sailing club shelter is no more it is more difficult to photo the gulls standing on the two piers. Here are four Herring Gulls with, from the left, a first winter, a second winter and a third winter. The bird facing is harder to age due to the angle: I think another third winter.

One of the local Common Buzzards....

...as usual incurring the wrath of the gulls, here being chased by a Black-headed Gull. Not that the buzzard was taking much notice.

A different Common Buzzard calling.

A series of Long-tailed Tit photos taken as as a small group fed unconcerned about my presence. #1

an acrobat.

"Who me?"

A Common Plume moth Emmelina monodactyla. This species is multi-brooded and I recorded one here back in July.

My first Winter Moth Operophtera brumata of the season for me here. Also a species not new to me for the year as it flies through to January and I logged it then. It is likely the moth you will be seeing in car headlights, especially around Christmas.

A Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis. This spider is facing away from me: it has a unique blunt-headed appearance. I see most of these during Winter.

The pink, four-lobed capsule of a Spindle-tree Euonymus europaea splits to reveal the orange seed inside.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:18 – 10:30

(236th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *a drake Common Teal again, as usual keeping close to the island.
- a significant number of Tufted Duck now seem to have departed overnight.
- what I assume was the recently seen Little Grebe was again keeping close to the island.
- *a Great (White) Egret was on the island before positioning to the bottom end from where it was flushed, heading away south-west.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *36 (23♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 88 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: departed
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret

Noted around The Flash:

Moths:
- *1 Pale Birch Tortrix Acleris logiana: presumably the same individual was out in the open again today
- *1 female November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.
- *2 Juniper Carpets Thera juniperata : moth species #45 for me here this year

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *2 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris

Flies:
- *several flies of several species, none positively identified

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

The drake Mallards were still fighting again – well I assume they are not kissing!

A drake Common Teal. A chestnut head with a yellow-bordered green mask identifies the drake. As with most duck species the females are 'brown' and trickier to identify.

Another immature gull with a pale bill-tip. This time a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Features to note are the neat and wide black tail-band; two rows of dark feathers along the trailing edge of the wings; and no pale inner primaries except on the insides of the webs only visible when, as here, the feathers are fully spread.

The Great (White) Egret on the island. As close as I managed before it flew off. This species is only slightly larger than a Grey Heron but often adopts this upright pose which makes it appear much larger, if slimmer.

 The long neck is folded back as it flies giving it a keeled appearance.

A Pale Birch Tortrix moth Acleris logiana: presumably the same individual here out in the open. It has been deep in the crack on the street lamp pole on the right.

A November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg. This seems to be my first female of the season. Females of all the species involved are equally difficult to specifically identify but can be separated from males by a more round-shouldered appearance.

This moth is a Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata. Moth species #45 for me around The Flash this year and my first in the area since my only previous Shropshire record at the Balancing Lake on 27 October 2016.

And now I have seen a third. Another Juniper Carpet. There is a very similar species, Spruce Carpet T. britannica, which lacks the diagonal dark mark at the wing-tip.

A few Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris were out and about on the Ivy.

These two flies seem to have had a disagreement.

One of the two in close-up. Very hairy. It is certainly one of the Muscid (House Fly) group and perhaps a Phaonia species though the abdomen tapers more than any I can find illustrated.

I have a feeling I ought to be able to identify this spider. I do know that Obsidentify is incorrect in suggesting it is a Red-clawed Crayfish!

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Candles Landfill Site
2nd winter Caspian Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Chiffchaff
Mistle Thrush
29 Fieldfares
32 Redwings
13 Siskins
3 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
5 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2005
Trench Pool
2 Goosander
10 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)

30 Oct 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

10.0°C > 11.0°C: Overcast and dull. Light north-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:04 GMT]

* = a species photographed today.

Another dull day with a late start. Firstly at The Flash first before checking the Balancing Lake from the dam-top area only.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:45 – 11:27

(232nd visit of the year)

The model boat club were using the West end of the water. It did not seem to have much impact on numbers.

Bird notes:
- It seems odd that two first-winter Mute Swans should arrive on their own. If they were accompanied then where were their parents? They certainly not protecting their off-spring from being chased by the resident cob.
- All gull numbers an 'instant' count. Small numbers of birds were arriving and departing so there were more individuals than my totals suggest.

Birds of interest noted flying over:
- a loose group of 41 Wood Pigeons flew West

Counts from the lake area:
- 16 Canada Geese: of these 12 arrived together
- *19 + 2 Mute Swans: two first-winter birds new in
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 8 (7♂) Mallard
- no Moorhens
- 208 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 97 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 62 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

The pair of resident Mute Swans gang up on the newly arrived first winter bird.

It is nothing to laugh at!

Just the resident pen Mute Swan missing from this group photo. 18 adults and two first winters here with the resident cob wings arched in the middle.

I don't think this Cormorant is the first bird to s(*)it on this buoy.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:21 – 10:40

(235th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- back to a more 'normal' number of Tufted Duck.
- a lone brownhead Goosander. I recall that four / five winters ago I recorded up to 140 here on one occasion. They must have eaten all the small fish: numbers have decreased each Winter since then.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *37 (24♂) Mallard
- 122 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 16 Moorhens
- 128 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Herring Gull
- 1 Cormorant

Noted around The Flash:

Moths:
- 1 Pale Birch Tortrix Acleris logiana.: I defy anyone else to find this. It is so jammed in to a crack in the street lamp pole it is barely visible let alone identifiable.
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
No other insects etc. found.

It is not just Coots that are flighting. Two drake Mallards having a dispute.

A handsome pair of Mallard.

The blurring of this flying drake Mallard is more to do with the poor light preventing the camera 'freezing' the action than the speed of the bird. So its the head really blue as well as green?

Only green in this view. The blue segment in the wing of this species is called the speculum. All species of dabbling duck show this feature, each species with its own variation.

On a duck Mallard the speculum looks mauve (purple? you judge I am slightly colour blind). I think this is due to the angle of the light and not a sex-difference.

"The fish was this big". I have told you a million times not to exaggerate.

Splat! A not very elegant splash-down.

What I still believe to be a first winter Herring Gull. It looks to be the same individual that I photographed several days ago with the unusual pale to tip to its bill. Usually it is the base of the bill that starts to go paler as this species ages. The extent of the pale on the inner primaries rules out any possibility of it being a Yellow-legged or Caspian Gull.

It is much too pale to be a Lesser Black-backed Gull and that species would also show a neater black tail-band.

From underneath the paler inner primaries are apparent.

Just as well I double-checked. I thought this moth looked slightly smaller than most November-type Moths. Indeed it should: it is my first Winter Moth Operophtera brumata of the year. It has a noticeably rounder wing-tips. My 44th species of moth at and around The Flash this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Swans
c.60 Golden Plover
c.200 Starlings left a roost in the reeds at the W end
763 Wood Pigeons
3 Sky Larks
7 Meadow Pipits
165 Fieldfare
9 Redwings
4 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
8 Wigeon
20 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Goosander
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
100 Jackdaw
130 Rooks
1 Buzzard
Kestrel
c.60 Golden Plover
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
450 to 500 Starlings left the roost
11 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
Pair of Ruddy Duck
200+ Coot
1 Dunlin
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
100 Black-headed Gulls
Kingfisher
A Buzzard was seen feeding on earthworms and possibly beetles
2000+ Wood Pigeon
62 Redwing
54 Fieldfare
3 Song Thrushes
(Martin Adlam)

29 Oct 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

12.0°C > 13.0°C: Mostly cloudy a few breaks and occasional some light drizzle. Almost calm. Very good visibility. moderate in drizzle.

[Sunrise: 07:00 GMT]

* = a species photographed today.

I decided not to peer in to the early low cloud and murk at probably nothing much. As usual with a late start I went to The Flash first before checking the Balancing Lake from the dam-top area only.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:44 – 11:36

(231st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

Birds of interest noted flying over:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 27 Canada Geese: arrived together
- 19 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 212 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 69 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:21 – 10:37

(234th visit of the year)

Bird notes
The highlight was my first Rook of the year at this site. For some reason they are very scarce here even though over 100 pass over the lake most days. Bird species #79 for me here this year.

Other bird notes:
- fewer Tufted Duck counted. Apart from the usual gang continually diving and difficult to count a few groups were paddling around at speed and I may have overlooked some.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 16 Jackdaws
- *1 Rook

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- *101 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- *17 Moorhens
- *135 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around The Flash:

Moths:
- 1 Pale Birch Tortrix Acleris logiana.: the same place as yesterday
- *1 November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >5 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
It was warm enough for insects to fly though the dull conditions would have limited the production of pollen and nectar. Only a few marauding wasps were out and about.

Fungus:
- *Butter Waxcap Hygrocybe ceracea

"I've told you before to keep away from my man". Two duck-type Tufted Ducks seem to be having an argument.

The loser slopes moves away while the drake in the background peers at what it going on while pretending to be asleep. Note the eye-colour of the two quarrelling birds is different. I cannot find a definitive answer but it might indicate the paler-eyed bird is an immature drake which makes my reading of the situation incorrect.

The Coots were at it again today, apparently disputing that pile of sticks and stems, aka a nest!

 "Let's fight". An adult and immature Moorhen come to see what is going on....

...and get caught up in the action. Four Moorhens (two adults with red shields and two immatures) and four Coots.

The adult Moorhens claim the best seats at the fight.

A typical semi-submarine Cormorant, a pose often adopted while they are actively searching for fish.

Record shot only! This morning's Rook passing by, recognised mainly by the very different bill shape from that of a Carrion Crow. Also evident here is the more diamond-shaped tail.

It was supposed to be a photo of the passing Goldcrest. That had clearly passed and been replaced by a Blue Tit when I pressed the shutter or whatever the equivalent is these digital days).

A much more clearly marked specimen of a November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg. The markings cannot be used to determine which of the four species involved it might be.

What I believe to be Butter Waxcap fungus Hygrocybe ceracea. A new species for me. It was on its own so I decided not to disturb it for pictures of the stem and gills.

Autumn colours on leaves of Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum though not quite as it seems. The brown marks are all remnants of the leaf-mines made by the larvae of the Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moth Cameraria ohridella. The jury seems to be out as to whether these mines from this recent naturally invasive moth species do any harm to the tree itself. It must to some extent inhibit photosynthesis but beyond that... It is generally a bad idea to kill your food plant!

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
7 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
Location
1 Pochard
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow legged Gull
2 Gadwall
1 Shoveler
1 Wigeon
Chiffchaff
10+ Fieldfare
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
Location
3 Pochard
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
34 Pochard a high count
500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
432 Jackdaws
228 Rooks
171 Fieldfare
5 Redwings
2 Siskins
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
115 Canada Geese
9 Pochard
52 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
c.200 Golden Plover
23 Pied Wagtails
17 Robins
18 Blackbirds
12 Song Thrushes
70 Redwing
1 Mistle Thrush
9 Fieldfare
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Tit
195 Jackdaws
206 Rooks
31 Greenfinches
4 Redpoll
10 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Buzzard feeding on earthworms, mobbed by Black-headed Gulls
1 Raven
7 Pied Wagtails
3 Grey Wagtail
11 Meadow Pipits
Kingfisher
1700+ Wood Pigeon
192 Redwing
111 Fieldfare
(Martin Adlam)