5 Nov 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 10.0°C: Even lower overcast with mist and early light drizzle. Light south-easterly wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 07:15 GMT

* = a species photographed today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20

(238th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- yesterday a trio of adult Mute Swans flew off leaving 18. So what do I make of their being 19 when I arrived this morning? Two took off, circled and then left to the East leaving 17 adult. Two first year bird throughout.
- *a duck Eurasian Wigeon was a new arrival
- I was delayed somewhat by camera problems but I think there were only c.250 Black-headed Gulls.

Birds noted flying over:
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 10 Racing Pigeons: together
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 56 Jackdaws
- 21 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 38 Canada Geese: all departed
- *19 + 2 Mute Swans: of these two adults departed: see notes
- *3 (2♂) Gadwall
-* 1 (0♂) Wigeon
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 6 (2♂?) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 212 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.250 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- 8 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: for its third

Lacewings:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Hoverflies:
- *1 female Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Other flies:
- 2 female plumed midges Chironomus plumosus
- *2 unidentified craneflies, probably Tipula sp.
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis

Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 spider Philodromus sp.
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Not checked: trying to sort out camera problems

Noted later:

Flies:
- *possible Lesser Dung Fly Sphaerocera curvipes

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Did I mention it was misty and murky – again?

Two more adult Mute Swans depart. For how long?

Compare and contrast in dull conditions. A drake Gadwall in front of a duck Eurasian Wigeon.

Mrs. Blackbird giving me a hard stare.

Perhaps the mild weather is preventing this Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea from turning brown as they do through the winter.

A female Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare resting on a street lamp pole before dawn.

Three things I cannot identify: two craneflies and ahead of the front left leg of the lower cranefly is one of the globular springtails.

I can identify this as a male cranefly Tipula pagana. The pattern on the thorax makes it appear to have a very long thin neck.

The stout-looking legs on this small fly suggest it could be one of the group that includes the Lesser Dung Fly Sphaerocera curvipes.

 This spider is one of the Philodromus species.

A male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. Males of the species pair L. rotundum/blackwalli are best separated by the tone of their eye-surround: black on L. rotundum and white on L. blackwalli.

A hopeful plant. It is Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, best recognised by the larger flowers around the outer edge of each umbel. Quite why it so mauve I have no idea. It is most unlikely to get pollinated now.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue Tunnel pre dawn:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 female ichneumon sp.

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 8 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- 3 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
3 spiders, not identified
- *1 female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli

A female ichneumon sp. Note her ovipositor just sticking out beyond her folded wings. Little chance of a specific identify with these small ichneumons.

Well positioned for identification is this cranefly Tipula lateralis. The wing-pattern and pale line down the abdomen. The shadow of the camera flash makes it look like a biplane.

A female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli. Note the diagnostic shape of the dark mark on the saddle and the white eye-surrounds.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30

(241st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
I was told about a video posted on Facebook of yesterday's rescue of the Mute Swan cygnet. I assume it was taken away to recuperate as I did not see it today. It is likely that disturbance by the rescue boat resulted in the Shoveler and many of the Tufted Duck flying off. I was therefore rather surprised to find a trio of Common Teal (two drakes) [but not the Little Grebe] alongside the island.

Other bird notes:
- only the putative pair of Great Crested Grebes was noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Jackdaws
- 10 Starlings: together

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 1+ Greylag Geese: heard from inside the island
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Common Teal
- 23 (14?♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 142 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around The Flash:

Moths:
- *1 female moth The Gem Nycterosea obstipata: a new species for me in Shropshire: species #48 here this year.

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- *1 root-maggot fly sp.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *2 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli

My find of the day. I was checking a street lamp pole as to whether the Golden-rod Pug Eupithecia virgaureata was present for its fourth day: it wasn't. In more or less the same place was a female moth known as The Gem Nycterosea obstipata. Only the female of this species has a white spot in each forewing, the male having a dark bar across the wing. A new species of moth for me.

With patterned wings this is the cranefly Tipula confusa.

Probably one of the many species of root-maggot fly.

A male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli: white eye-surround on this species.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow Legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
4 Gadwall
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.80 Greylag Geese over
2 Gadwall
6 Pochard
40 Tufted Ducks
7 Moorhens
c.130 Coots
2500 Wood Pigeons
580+ Jackdaws
45+ Rooks
Raven
1 Siskin
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
106 Greylag Geese
1 possible Bean Goose
38 Canada Geese
2 Pochard
32 Tufted Duck
17 Goosanders
7 Moorhens
7 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
513 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
732 Wood Pigeons
5 Meadow Pipits
503 Fieldfare
2 Song Thrushes
34 Redwings
1 Brambling
12 Chaffinches
2 Siskins
51 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
15 Shoveler
1 Gadwall
10 Pochards
117 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rails
100+
Many Redwings
4 Fieldfare
20+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
189 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
803 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
19 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
30 Robins
21 Blackbirds
128 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
13 Magpies
347 Jackdaws
160 Rooks
12 Carrion Crows
223 Starlings
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Kingfisher
2 Little Grebe
11 Pochard
35 Tufted Duck
3 Ruddy Duck
27 Redwing
10 Fieldfare
5 Reed Bunting
Redpoll
Siskin
101 Rooks
12 Carrion Crow
227 Jackdaws
3 Jay
12 Magpies
1 Raven
1200 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)