24 Oct 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 12.0°C: Mostly overcast at low level. A few breaks in the cloud never led to an improvement. Moderate / fresh south-easterly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:53 BST

* = a species photographed today.

A small passage of things this morning, mainly Wood Pigeons again. Also a few Starlings and Redwings.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:25

(226th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- there were >100 Black-headed Gulls circling over the lake by 07:05 with c.200 by 07:15 when the first Lesser Black-backed Gulls started to arrive. The latter soon started to settle on the water with a few false starts when the local Buzzard made several passes over. Another 150 Black-headed Gulls arrived low from the South at c.07:30. There seemed to be very few gulls over-flying though it was hard to be sure as they were swirling around in the wind as they departed after their wash and drink.
- I saw no large groups of Jackdaws. A steady stream of mixed parties of Jackdaws and Rooks passed over somewhat later than usual and also further to the West than is typical.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 8 Canada Geese: a quintet flew South; and a trio inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- >1230 Wood Pigeons: of these c.1200 were noted flying South in 14 migrant parties
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 14 Cormorants: flew South together
- 113 Jackdaws
- 114 Rooks
- 37 Redwings in four groups
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Siskin

Counts from the lake area:
- 19 Canada Goose: of these a duo departed
- 19 Mute Swans
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 5 (0♂?) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 203 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- c.15 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and stayed
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *3 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
The three moths noted bring my total number of individual moths this year to over 500 – of 88 different species. Had I been inclined to search out and identify all the many grass moths in June and July the total number of moths (but not species) would have been much higher.

Flies:
- *1 female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- 1 Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *2 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]
- *1 green midge probably Stenochironomus gibbus

Lacewing:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 spider Metellina sp.
- 2 male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- *1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- 9 craneflies, not specifically identified
- 1 wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis

Lacewing:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 18 spiders of several species, not specifically identified

Noted later:

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

The dawn beginning to show? No. This looking West showing the light pollution from the Town Centre and / or Stafford Park against the low cloud.

Not dawn either. As good as it got with a few breaks in the cloud. The breaks soon disappeared.

One of the resident Common Buzzards went for a fly over Teece Drive.

Full marks to Microsoft's default Photo Editor. These two original photos were just dark silhouettes.

A November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg. for a change not many feet up a street lamp pole so a decent photo for a change. This was on a street lamp pole at the West end of the lake: the damage to the right wing-tip is reminiscent of the specimen I photographed on the ceiling of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel. Surely not?

Not a true fly and therefore logged under its own heading is this, believe it or not, Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea. Like Common Green Shieldbugs Palomena prasina this species over-winters as an adult and changes to a brown colour to make it less obtrusive.

A different specimen I found on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. Still a slight green tinge on this one.

A female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus. Only males have plumed antennae. This seems to be the only midge species with a banded abdomen.

This fly, one of the 99 different Psychodidae sps., popularly known as Drain Flies, Moth Flies or Owl Flies, is typical of those I find. This one was on a wall in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

One of two Psychodidae sps. I found on street lamp poles. I do not recall seeing this species, whatever it is, with the strongly patterned and more curved wings.

Perhaps a third species? Less strongly patterned and less curved wings but still smaller than many.

I occasionally see green midges some with narrower abdomen than this example. I think this one is Stenochironomus gibbus.

Yet another of today's puzzles. Superficially a cranefly. It may just be the angle but to my eyes the thorax is unusually broad and the head is not well-separated by a thin neck. The banded abdomen does not help. Pass.

I think with very long antennae this springtail qualifies as a real Pogonognathellus longicornis.

A spider Metellina sp.

I noted yesterday that the harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis seemed larger than usual. This is a more typical specimen.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- *1 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]

Woodlice:
- 4 Common Shiny Woodlice Oniscus asellus (presumed all this species: I did not check)

Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 spiders of several species

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30

(229th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Pied Wagtail was present for a few minutes. This species has not been common this year.
- *at least 40 Goldfinches were flying around between trees on the island and those at the top of squirrel. Why is it some days I see very few and then another day there will be a large group. I am sure they know what they are doing.
- a few Siskins calling from the trees seemed to be entirely separate from the Goldfinches.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *c.275 Wood Pigeons in five migrant groups
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Skylark
- 9 Starlings: together
- 4 Redwings: tow duos
- 1 Greenfinch

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 108 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 133 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around The Flash:

Moths:
- 1 November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

One of the migrant parties of Wood Pigeons passing over. They are very hard to count when they are overhead.

Another bird party that is hard to count are Goldfinches swirling about. Just about identifiable here by the pale (yellow) area in the centre of their wings. The twittering calls are an easier clue.

I expect the tree in squirrel alley made a load crack as it splintered in the recent gales. It does not look to pose any danger. It does not look easy to sort out with the crown resting some way up the steep bank.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2010
Priorslee Lake
733 Wood Pigeons
11 Skylarks
151 Fieldfare
20 Redwings
2 Brambling
2 Linnets
2 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
5 Wigeon
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Shoveler
1 Teal (female)
1 Common Gull
(John Isherwood)