25 Nov 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C: Mainly clear skies with a few light passing showers developing. Moderate south-westerly wind, increasing fresh at times. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:50 GMT

* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:05 – 09:25

(256th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- despite repeated attempts to prove otherwise I could only count 20 adult Mute Swans. Many were often hiding in the north-west reeds. The resident cob chased them out several times so I think I managed a complete count.
- it seemed as if a Grey Heron was flying out West at 07:40. At 09:00 one was fishing in the Wesley Brook. The same?
- a Common Kestrel was seen hovering over field to the East of Castle Farm Way.
- the Skylark heard flying over was an unusual record for this date. Autumn passage is usually complete by the end of October.

Birds noted flying over:
- 18 Greylag Geese: single outbound; 17 inbound together
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 402 Wood Pigeons: of these 378 counted in 15 groups flying north-west
- 47 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 225 Jackdaws
- 43 Rooks
- 2 Fieldfare
- 1 Skylark
- 3 Siskins: singles

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 20 + 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 15 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 246 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.450 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: briefly
- *1 (or 2?) Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *2 Winter Moths Operophtera brumata

Flies:
- *1 possible Scoliocentra villosa
- 2 winter craneflies

Larvae:
- *1 unidentified caterpillar / saw-fly larva

Springtails:
- *4 springtails

Earwigs:
- *1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis
- *2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

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

Flies:
- *1 Muscid fly, probably a Helina sp.
- *1 Wood Gnat Sylvicola fenestralis
- 1 male plumed midge

Barkflies:
- 1 barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- 4 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus

Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 possible Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus

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

Later:

Nothing noted

The quarter moon. My mother always said that when the moon was on its back it would be filled with rain. Perhaps the weekend's rain tipped out of this?

The unexciting dawn.

One of the showers heading my way.

It was dark looking up the Wesley Brook from the bridge so these photos are not sharp. This Grey Heron was standing in one place, repeatedly plunging its bill in the water and almost every time picking up a fish, as here.

  And rather more clearly here. The strange thing is that the brook was in spate yesterday and flowing well today. How come there is an aggregation of small fish – whatever species they are?

"Come in number 4". One of two Winter Moths Operophtera brumata tries to hide.

 The bulge in the leading edge of the wings of this fly suggest it is a Muscid fly, probably a Helina sp.

My best suggestion for this fly on one of the street lamp poles is Scoliocentra villosa.

Superficially like a cranefly but smaller, with the head less disjointed from the abdomen and with stiffer antennae. It is the Wood Gnat Sylvicola fenestralis

A caterpillar or larva. With the black head I had always assumed these are sawfly larva. A quick scan of the newly reinstated Naturespot web site (at a new address) suggests there should be no sawfly larva at this time of year.

"I can see you". A Common European Earwig Forficula dentata tries to hide. A female – the pincer on males are more curved. Note the small springtail at the top.

Another springtail.

And two more. The variability in marking is more to do with the scales on the abdomen rubbing off with age than any difference between species.

 I think this is a False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis.

One of two Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp. on the street lamp poles.

Whereas this individual was, unusually, on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:50

(259th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- most of the Shoveler had either gone or were hiding on the island. I eventually managed to see one immature drake and one duck
- a duck Gadwall was noted again. She has probably been present throughout and evading my gaze.
- a duck Common Teal was, unusually, in the middle of the water.
- a Coal Tit in full song was strange at this date.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 32 Greylag Geese: of these 17 arrived together
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose: arrived with Greylags
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 1 (0) Gadwall
- 41 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Common Teal
- 7 (5♂) Pochard
- 49 (26?♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 115 Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Herring Gulls: three adults; one first winter
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted around The Flash:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *>10 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *3 Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Other flies:
- many flies of at least three species

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli

The Greylag Geese have been watching the Red Arrows with a formation trio...

...and quarter though this requires some work on the alignment.

A first winter Herring Gull with smart new adult-looking inner primaries. A smudgy tail band is normal for this species.

There was a Winter Moth here. Near the tip of its right wing is a small globular springtail.

Some insects survived the deluge and came out with the sun. Most numerous were Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris.

One of three Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013
Priorslee Lake
6 Gadwall
1 Teal
2 Pochard
99 Tufted Duck
225 Coots counted
1 Woodcock
6 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Green Woodpecker
231 Fieldfare
66 Redwings
c.375 Jackdaws
2 Redpolls
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
31 Greylag Geese
3 Gadwall
8 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
Goosander
143 Coots
1 Yellow-legged Gull
19 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
259 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson / Allan Heath)

2005
Priorslee Lake
206 Starlings going to roost
C.500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow legged Gull
1 Caspian Gull
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
(Martin Adlam)