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)