15 Dec 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 11.0°C: Mostly thin high cloud early. More cloud later and no sun. Moderate westerly wind gusting fresh at times. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:16 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:40

(272nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- three Canada Geese when I arrived; another two flew in; then four flew out leaving the hobbling bird behind. Another bird dropped in for less than a minute.
- today a Water Rail was heard calling in the north-west area; yesterday in the north-east area. I suspect there are birds in both locations and it depends where I am when they wake up and call.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 43 Greylag Geese: inbound at various times
- 46 Wood Pigeons: of these 32 flew North together
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 125 Jackdaws
- 32 Rooks
- c.77 Starlings: party of c.70; group of six and a single

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: see notes
- 16 + 2 Mute Swans
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Pochard
- 21 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 7 Moorhens
- 266 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 18 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 2 Redwings

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- *2 male Northern Winter Moths Operophtera fagata
- 2 male Mottled Umbers Erranis defoliaria

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge
- *1 moth fly, probably Psychoda surcoufi
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- *1 possible springtail Tomocerus vulgaris

Bugs:
- *1 plant bug either Drymus ryei or D. brunneus

Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata
- *1 leaf beetle, perhaps Crepidodera fulvicornis
- *1 rove beetle of genus Stenus, probably S. cicindeloides

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

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

Barkflies:
- 3 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus

Bugs:
- *1 Birch Catkin Bug Kleidocerys resedae

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 5 spiders, species not determined

Later:
Nothing of note

This month's full moon in known as the Cold Moon (or The Long Night's Moon). Here it is just under three hours before it is full. A layer of thin high cloud has taken the edge off the details visible. I always think the moon looks better later when there is slight cross-lighting to show the craters.

After the moon a sunrise of sorts. Well-early here.

More colour now. Street lamps still on.

More cloud arrived before the sun popped over the horizon – well not so much 'popped', more 'eased' at this time of year.

The Great (White) Egret is better at spotting me and flying away than I am at seeing it to photograph it fishing. Those long legs look ungainly.

It seems to manage. Now remember to read the sign: "no swimming"!

Similar pose, different colour. A Cormorant dries its wings: perhaps.

Two for the price of one. The moth looks to be a Northern Winter Moth Operophtera fagata with the hindwings extending beyond the folded forewings. The other creature is...

... I now realise, a bug and not a beetle. Courtesy of the Shropshire Recorder this plant bug is either Drymus ryei or D. brunneus, not separable except by detailed examination by an expert!

On one wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn was this bug confirmed by the recorder to be a Birch Catkin Bug Kleidocerys resedae

A moth fly, probably Psychoda surcoufi. This is one of the few species in this group that looks 'different'.

This springtail is possibly Tomocerus vulgaris: it is stubbier than many examples I see.

I have not got a positive ID on this leaf beetle. The best match I can find is Crepidodera fulvicornis.

I am slightly (slightly) more confident that this rove beetle of genus Stenus, is probably S. cicindeloides which I have separated from similar species by the dark marks on the legs above the knees. But...

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: my 20th species of moth found in the tunnel this year.

Flies etc.:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 6 midges of several species

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 spiders, species not determined

This male Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria was on the ceiling of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel – my 20th moth species seen there this year. This example is very 'mottled' and very 'umber' and almost devoid of other markings.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:45 – 10:55

(274th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 18 more Greylag Geese flew in but many more were already in and around the island.
- a pair of Common Teal managed to find space between the geese to lurk around the island.
- a Water Rail was giving its alarm-call notes quietly(!) at the top end.
- in recent days there have been fewer Coots in the area around Derwent Drive with more gathered at the top end. Today there were fewer in both areas.
- I could not find the Little Grebe today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 1 Raven
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese
- >75 Greylag Geese
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (24♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 93 (>51♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 15 Moorhens
- 72 Coots
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both immatures
- 1 Grey Heron

Also noted:

Moths:
- *1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata:
too windy and dull for anything else to show.

"We're busy". A pair of Common Teal is more intent on feeding than in posing for a photo. Two Coots in attendance and at the top of the photo a bit of one of the many Greylag Geese inside the island.

A very different-looking male Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria. Not very 'mottled' and not very 'umber'. I did not pay attention to biology (or anything much else) at school and I have not studied genetics. It confuses me that two such different-looking moths are the same species whereas the four species on the November Moth group look identical. Answers on a postcard....

This tiny creature was flying past me when I instinctively put my hand out to capture it. Amazingly I did and here it is perched on one of my fingers. It looks very like on of the barkflies Valenzuela flavidus that I have been seeing on the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ.

Can you "C" the male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata: taking part in the local neighbourhood watch

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
48 Magpies
2 Ravens
134 Starlings
1 Siskin
6 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
115 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
235 Coots
258 Black-headed Gulls
27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
24 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
32 Fieldfare
96 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Pochard
198 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
6 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
4 Gadwall
8 Pochard
50 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Water Rail
168 Coots
296 Wood Pigeons
3 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
203 Jackdaws
41 Rooks
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Heron
34 Swans
2 Shoveler
1 Pochard
41 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
170 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
Curlew
2 Fieldfare
23 Redwings
c.25 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
33 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Goosander
1 Common Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black necked Grebe
30 Mute Swans
2 Gadwall
27 Pochard
93 Tufted Ducks
1 Teal
263 Coot
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
600 Black-headed Gulls
Goldcrest
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Herons
25 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
64 Coots
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>1700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
35 Robins
30 Blackbirds
c.30 Fieldfare
c.24 Redwings
259 Jackdaws
232 Rooks
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)