10 Dec 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 6.0°C: Overcast. Moderate north-easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:11 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Other things to do later so a quick look around. In the dull conditions accurate numbers not always possible. I did my best.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:00

(268th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- many fewer Coots probably in part due to low light-level. That said for some reason the largest number had moved from the West end to the north-east area so perhaps some had departed rather than relocate.
- the larger Rooks easier to see than Jackdaws as they passed over high on roost dispersal
- the over-flying Mistle Thrush was my first here since I heard and saw one singing on the most unusual date of 13 October.
- at least one Lesser Redpoll heard among a small group of Siskins and Goldfinches at the West end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 (1?♂) Goosanders
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 26 Jackdaws
- 52 Rooks
- 1 Mistle Thrush
- 2 Redwings at least: heard pre-dawn

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese: four of these departed
- 21 + 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 19 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 6 Moorhens
- 232 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls
- c.175 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- *1 ant sp.

Springtails:
- 3 globular springtails from the genus Dicyrtomina group.

Beetles:
- *2 Orange Ladybirds Halyzia sedecimguttata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Flies:
- *1 Muscid fly, likely a Phaonia sp. and perhaps P. fuscata

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

Springtails:
- 5 globular springtails from the genus Dicyrtomina group.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 4 spiders, not identified apart from
*1 Amaurobius sp. probably A. fenestralis

Later:

Nothing of note

Not much to show from another dank and dreary morning. This is a male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata. As previously noted only males are fully-winged.

The bulge in the leading edge of the wing indicates this is a Muscid (House) fly. The dark cross line suggests it is a Phaonia species and the dark spot means it may be P. fuscata. As usual "there are similar species".

A barkfly of Ectopsocus briggsi aggregate.

A trio here. Two Orange Ladybirds Halyzia sedecimguttata and an unidentified species of ant – well that is what Google Lens confirmed. Obsidentify's best suggestion was a species of pipistrelle bat! Neither of these creatures I would expect to see at this date.

An Amaurobius species of spider. Species in this genus require microscopic examination to positively identify, habitat being a good clue. So as it was well away from habitation it is probably A. fenestralis.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:05 – 10:10

(270th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- amazing sight (and sound) of >150 Greylag Geese arriving. Apart from one Greylag x Canada Goose nothing unusual with them. I wonder where the basically white feral geese that were with Greylags a month or so ago have gone.
- the Goosander only seen as they were lifting off to depart

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 162 Greylag Geese: arrived together with...
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 28 (19♂) Mallard
- 12 (9?♂) Pochard
- 50 (>31♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (3?♂) Goosander: departed
- 14 Moorhens
- 96 Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one (usual?) adult; one second winter

Noted around The Flash:

Springtails:
- *2 springtails of different species

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

A Springtail. This looks different from any species I have seen previously, shorter and tubbier. There are more than 250 species known (by whom?) in the UK and very little information about identification on the internet.

Not exactly an exciting photo but there wasn't much to see. A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
6 Gadwall
4 Pochard
2 Teal
4 Raven
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
3 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool
Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
3 Gadwall.
6 Pochard.
46 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Water Rail
155 Coots
23 Redwings
6 Fieldfares.
151 Jackdaws
63 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
c20 Herring Gulls.
(J W Reeves)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Yellow-legged Gull
An adult Little Gull
(Jason/Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Merlin
3 Buzzards
>500 Black-headed Gulls
234 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
24 Robins
22 Blackbirds
122 Fieldfares
178 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
139 Jackdaws
66 Rooks
12 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson / Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
160 Golden Plover
1500 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Little Grebes
13 Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
239 Coot
1 Water Rail
142 Jackdaws
251 Rooks
2 Redpolls
47 Siskins
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)