30 Nov 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 12.0°C: Much low cloud with light drizzle early. Some clear spells seen to the south-east never made it. Almost calm. Good visibility with light mist over the water for a while.

Sunrise: 07:58 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20

(261st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- perhaps it was yesterday's extra adult Mute Swan that was hard to find: it was resting on the bank of the Wesley Brook while all the other non-residents were on the south-west grass. I hope it is alright.
- at least 250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls had arrived by 07:15 at which time some started to leave to the South. Soon after >50 birds arrived, mainly from the South. After 08:45 >50 arrived mainly from the East. I have assumed all these were different birds. Always a few Herring Gulls in with these groups.
- the Great (White) Egret still present.
- I was not surprised that the mild conditions had encouraged a Song Thrush to sing. I was not expecting to hear a Blackbird at this date, albeit it was only singing quietly.

Birds noted flying over:
- 3 (2♂) Goosanders: West together 08:10
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 29 Jackdaws
- 59 Rooks
- 3 Starlings
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose
- *21 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 13 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 269 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- >35 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls
- >350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
The mild conditions gave a bumper haul.

Moths:
- *5 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- *1 Winter Moth-type Operophtera sp.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *2 ichneumons

Flies:
- 2 wood gnats Sylvicola sp.
- *>10 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis

Barkflies:
- 1 barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- *1 barkfly Valenzuela flavidus

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- 1 globular springtail.

Bugs:
- *1 planthopper, probably Eupteryx urticae

Beetles:
- *1 ground beetle Notiophilus biguttatus

Earwigs:
- 1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 money spider, just possibly Walckenaeria antica
- *3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 3 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Barkflies:
- 2 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus

Slugs, snails:
- 8 'small black slugs'
- 2 small snails

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

Later:

Nothing noted

A gathering of seventeen (near) adult and two immature Mute Swans resting on or close to the south-west grass. You need to look hard to see the second immature – it is the first bird from the right preening in the water.

A very fresh specimen of Winter Moth Operophtera brumata.

To my eyes in real life this moth looked slightly larger and therefore possibly a Northern Winter Moth O. fagata. But the hindwings do not seen to project far enough beyond the folded forewings so I am not sure. Winter Moth-type. Operophtera sp.

One of two unidentified ichneumons noted on the street lamp poles.

Two of at least ten winter craneflies Trichocera regelationis on and around the street lamp poles.

A female winter cranefly. The antennae look longer and it may be one of the other species in the genus. Note the slim abdomen on this group.

Perhaps my best photo of one of the small barkflies Valenzuela flavidus.

A tiny planthopper, probably Eupteryx urticae.

It seems this ground beetle is Notiophilus biguttatus . The family are characterised by the protruding eyes and this species shows a pale area toward the tip of the elytra. A new species for me.

This is one of the money spiders. There are many species very difficult to separate. There are pale bands across the abdomen of this example. The NatureSpot shows this as a characteristic of Walckenaeria antica but their photo gallery is far from exhaustive.

A male Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35

(264th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- now ten Pochard with six adult drakes and two apparent immature drake. My highest number of the year here. [New arrivals also at the Balancing Lake].

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese: two of these arrived
- *1 Canada x Greylag Goose: arrived
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Shoveler
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 10 (8?♂) Pochard
- 58 (33?♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 Moorhens
- 110 Coots
- 25 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both adults
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around The Flash:
No sun so no common wasps or flies tempted out other than...

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 possible Chalcid wasp, species unknown

Springtails:
- *4 globular springtails of different species

Bugs:
- *1 planthopper sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *2 harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli (male and female)

Arriving is a Canada x Greylag hybrid goose. It remained at some distance but seemed to be a different bird from any of those seen recently here.

Right against the island are two immature drake Shoveler. The left bird is mostly hidden. With a bit of imagination on the right hand bird it is possible to see part of the green speculum and the blue of the inner forewing. Honest! Do I need to say two adult winter Black-headed Gulls are also present?

Possibly the find of the day even if I only have a very partial identity for it. It is one of the Chalcid wasp species. There are many none of which I can recall seeing.

This is a tiny globular springtail, probably one of the Dicyrtomina species.

If the tiny planthopper at the lake was hard to positively identify this is more of a challenge as there are no features of note. There are several to choose from that need microscopic examination. So unidentified I am afraid.

The distinctive dark saddle markings of a female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli. Note the white surround to the two eyes which she shares with...

 ...the differently-shaped male. He is the same shape as a male L. blackwalli but that species has a black eye surrounds.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years without links are below

2012
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
3 Gadwall
1 duck Goldeneye
1750 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
370 Black-headed Gulls
76 Herring Gulls
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
Redpoll
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood / Martin Grant)

Holmer Lake
3 Goosander
1 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
11 Yellow-legged Gulls
An adult Caspian Gull
3,000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30-40 Waxwings
2 Common Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Madeley
3 Waxwings
(Pete Nickless)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
20 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
6 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>1050 Black-headed Gulls
451 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
188 Wood Pigeons
18 Blackbirds
166 Fieldfares
62 Redwings
187 Jackdaws
80 Rooks
4 Siskin
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon again
3 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
215 Coot
4000 Black-headed Gulls
2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Fieldfare
1 Skylark
168 Jackdaws
72 Rooks.
19 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)