25 Oct 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 13.0°C: Another murky morning, overcast at low level. Moderate south-easterly wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 07:55 BST

* = a species photographed today.

Not much wanting to move in the gloomy conditions

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:20

(227th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- There was no early arrival of Black-headed Gulls. The first gull arrivals were c.40 Lesser Black-backs at 07:15. The first 15 Black-heads arrived c.07:25 though eventually there were at least 400 present after large groups arrived from both the South and West. Among the first Lesser Black-backs were a few Herring Gulls - these have typically arrived later in recent days. Two immature Yellow-legged Gulls were noted later. There was much swirling around of departing gulls. I could not convince myself there were any true fly-overs.
- Again I saw no large groups of Jackdaws. Unusually it was Rooks that predominated in the mixed parties passing over.
- A tight group of c.60 Starlings flew West over me while I was along the South side. I could not be sure whether these emanated from the south-east vegetation or from just across Castle Farm Way. Immediately after c.125 more left reeds at the West end in three groups.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Greylag Geese: outbound
- 45 Wood Pigeons: of these just 17 were noted flying South as a migrant party
- 84 Jackdaws
- 133 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
- c.185 Starlings: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Goose: of these a duo arrived
- 19 Mute Swans
- 12 (9♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 212 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.400 Black-headed Gulls
- c.30 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gull
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived and departed

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

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

Flies:
- *1 Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 Muscid fly of the Hebecnema group
- *1 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]
- *1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- *1 female cranefly Tipula pagana

Lacewing:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Springtails:
- *1 unidentified springtail sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- *1 male plumed midge, probably Chironomus plumosus
- 7 craneflies, not specifically identified apart from...
- *1 female Tipula pagana
- 7 other midges/gnats, also not specifically identified

Lacewing:
- *3 Common Green Lacewings Chrysoperia carnea

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

Noted later:

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Yet another morning of low cloud. Today the visibility wasn't great either. So all the photos today are of insects that, mostly, were up and about before the sun was alleged to have risen.

A male plumed midge, I think Chironomus plumosus though what should be a banded abdomen is hidden by the wings preventing a positive ID.

A surprise for me when I put the photo on the computer. The female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii (in the bottom right) I expected. I did not expect the small springtail top left. Too small to see any detail for an identity. I would judge less than one quarter the size of the Pogonognathellus longicornis-types I have been seeing recently.

Another of what I believe to be a Muscid fly of the Hebecnema group. The pale-edged and brown-tinged wings do not show too clearly, the camera flash creates the colours due to what is called thin-film interference. This occurs when light is reflected from upper and lower boundaries of a surface - here the wings. Perhaps best known from the rainbow effect of oil on a puddle.

This is a more typical example of a Psychodidae sp., popularly known as Drain Flies, Moth Flies or Owl Flies. Yesterday's trio were all differently-marked.

This wood gnat Sylvicola sp. can be separated from craneflies by its smaller size, the proportionally large head and the medium-length stiff-looking antennae.

"You are not going to fly very far like that!". With vestigial wings this cranefly has to be a female Tipula pagana. I am seeing these everywhere this year and I do not recall that previously. This on one of the street lamp poles.

Another on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ.

I can tell you this cranefly is not T. pagana: the antennae are too short for a start. But I cannot say what it is.

One of four Common Green Lacewings Chrysoperia carnea I found pre-dawn. This one on a street lamp pole still has the merest hint of a green tinge.

There were a trio on the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. This a fully 'winter-plumaged' brown example.

This one slightly green-toned at the tip of its abdomen.

Almost no change in colour for this example.

A male Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius peers at me from its web.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Woodlice:
- 2 Common Shiny Woodlice Oniscus asellus

Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

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

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30

(230th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Chaffinch was heard calling from the island. It is several weeks since I recorded one here.
- the group of c.40 Goldfinches were over and in trees on the island again.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 10 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 36 Canada Geese: of these 29 arrived together
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 44 (27♂) Mallard
- 107 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 135 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls

Noted around The Flash:

Flies:
- *1 wood gnat, almost certainly Sylvicola fenestralis
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana

On one of the street lamp poles was this wood gnat, almost certainly Sylvicola fenestralis. Showing clearly here are the three dark stripes on the thorax as well as the patterned wings, the latter exhibited by all members of the genus.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
5 Lapwings
1487 Fieldfare logged, mostly flying W. 7 of the flocks estimated at between 110 and 130 birds
25 Redwings
Raven
56 Goldfinch
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
62 Swans
5 Wigeon
14 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
231 Coots
Great Black-backed Gull
3 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
27 Redwings
Chiffchaff
c.250 Starlings
8 Siskins
c.15 Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Cormorant
25 Pochard
72 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
1 Kingfisher
20 Robins
17 Blackbirds
15 Song Thrushes
59 Redwing
3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
5 Goldcrests
(Martin Adlam)