9 Oct 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.0°C: A murky morning with very low cloud and poor visibility, especially early. Light north-westerly wind. Mainly poor visibility.

Sunrise: 07:26 BST

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:25

(212th visit of the year)

The weed-cutting boat was again on the water.

Bird notes:
- still 17 visiting Mute Swans!
- an excellent scattering of wildfowl, at least until the weed-cutter took to the water. A trio of Shoveler; a pair of Gadwall; a quintet of Eurasian Wigeon and at least 10 Tufted Duck were present early in addition to the semi-resident Mallard.
- the light pollution from the town enabled the first Lesser Black-backed Gulls to be seen on the way in by 05:50. Fewer gulls today.
- a Grey Heron flew in pre-dawn as usual but was not seen after 07:30. It, or another, flew in c.08:30
- I had a report that a Tawny Owl was calling from around the lower pool between the lake and The Flash at 05:45.
- it was too murky to see many of the passing Jackdaws and Rooks. Two large noisy groups of Jackdaws went by unseen.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 27 Greylag Geese: together inbound
- 1 Tufted Duck: sex?
- 6 Goosander: all brownheads, together
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls!
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 55 Jackdaws: see notes
- 37 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Skylark
- 4 Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
''nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Goose: departed together
- 2 Greylag Geese: touched down briefly
- *19 Mute Swans
- *3 (1♂) Shoveler
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- *5 (3♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 15 (11♂) Mallard
- 10 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- *163 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 or 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Kingfisher

Football Field
Birds on the football field c. 07:35
- no Black-headed Gulls: eight dropped in briefly a few minutes later; and five were present 09:15
- 5 Wood Pigeons

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Flies:
- *2 Pond Olive mayflies Cloeon dipterum
- 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 female fly Opomyza florum
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis

Beetles:
- *2 ground beetles Leistus spinibarbis

Arthropods:
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Slugs, snails etc.;
- *1 probable Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- *1 probable False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis
- 2 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- 2 mosquito species
*a female Culex pipiens
*an unidentified male

Slugs, snails etc.:
- 3 different snails including probably
*White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
*Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- ?? spiders: none specifically identified
I decided to be less of an obsessive this morning and did not count the spiders, only checking that none looked unusual

Noted later:
Just:
- *springtail Orchesella cincta

One of several piles of weed cut from the lake. I have yet to determine the species. Many years ago the weed was controlled by application of chemicals to one third of the water on a cyclic bases. These chemicals are now banned as potentially carcinogenic.

The two duck Shoveler between a Mute Swan and three Coots. The drake was some way away.

The five Eurasian Wigeon circling as they climb away. It is the drakes that show a large white panel on the inner forewing.

Another view. Overhead this species seems to have a pointed tail (less so than a Pintail) and a pale belly.

A camera shy female Culex pipiens mosquito: it flew off before I could get a better shot. Female mosquitoes have a proboscis with simple antennae. The banded abdomen and un-banded legs identify the species.

This is a male mosquito with extensive feathering of the antennae. I can't identify the species: there are no illustrations of species where the wings are obviously shorter than the abdomen.

One of two Pond Olive mayflies Cloeon dipterum that were on different street map poles pre-dawn only. As with yesterday's centipede mayflies seem to be poorly named: I hardly ever see any other than at thus time of the year.

And here is the other. To its left is (an out of focus) very small midge.

Perhaps a rather better photograph of a female fly Opomyza florum. The brown thorax and the four dark marks on the wings help to identify this species.

An unusual sighting of a springtail in daylight. It was a bit high up the street lamp pole for a detailed photo. The banded antennae, legs and its small size point to it being Orchesella cincta, apparently the most abundant springtail species.

I doubt you get a longer 'cornis' so this springtail has to be Pogonognathellus longicornis.

I assumed I was looking at the same ground beetle Leistus spinibarbis as I photographed yesterday and was puzzled as to why I could not get a sharp image. Turns out it was a mating pair (I assume: you cannot be too careful these days).

One of Obsidentify's better moments. I am sure this is a White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis. It is certainly neither a brown rat nor a common lizard as suggested!

Surely this has to be a Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus? However I read that several other species are hairy when juvenile. So?

Obsidentify didn't help here either. I think a Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus on one of the street lamp poles pre dawn. It stayed later, retreating in to its shell.

Two for the price of one at the very top of a street lamp pole in the dark. What seems to be a False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis has caught and about to devour a White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger.

Suggestions on a postcard..! I noted this on the Teece Drive fence. My suggestion is that something has been eating fruit and the undigested seeds have been defecated. But what has seeds like this? Spindle? Who eats Spindle fruits?

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge

Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- *2 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 7 spiders not specifically identified

One of two Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus I noted, best identified by the blotchy pale patches. Their position and extent varies between individuals.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(215th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no sight or sound of yesterday's Little Grebe. Whether it was lurking somewhere or had gone may be apparent over the next few days.
- of the three Chiffchaffs one was singing; one was calling; and the third was seen very briefly moving silently among a Long-tailed Tit party. This bird seemed to be smaller than usual. There are unusual species of warblers moving through mainly coastal areas at the moment. Could it have been? I will never now. I console myself that as it was continually dipping its tail, a Chiffchaff trait, it was in all probability just a small Chiffchaff.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 82 Greylag Geese at least: some already inside island when I arrived
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans: one cygnet not located
- 38 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1) hybrid Mallard [the bird I photographed Monday]
- 128 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- no Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Around the Flash
Little noted:

Flies:
- several unknown species

Fungus:
- Dark Honey Fungus Armillaria ostoyae

Flower:
- *Nettle-leaved Bellflower Campanula trachelium

What seems to be Nettle-leaved Bellflower Campanula trachelium. It is a wild species though I am always cautious around here where there are garden escapes and it may be a closely-related cultivar.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Pochard
60 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
235 Coots
7 Song Thrushes
118 Fieldfare
30 Redwings
466 Jackdaws
139 Rooks
c.450 Starlings from roost
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.100 Greylag Geese
3 Gadwall
8 Pochard
18 Tufted Ducks
153 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
118 Wood Pigeons
103 Redwings
154 Fieldfares
809 Jackdaws
201 Rooks
7 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pink-footed Goose
c.100 Greylag Geese
41 Canada Geese
41 Tufted Duck
12 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Yellow legged Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
28 Pochard
65 Tufted Duck
46 Greenfinches
5 Fieldfares
11 Redwings
12 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Goosanders
1 Pochard
45 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
1 Gadwall
1 Shoveler
2 Wigeon
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
950+ Black-headed Gulls
1204+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
499 Wood Pigeons
11 Meadow Pipits
23 Robins
23 Blackbirds
13 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
18 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
321 Jackdaws
241 Rooks
22 Greenfinches
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)