20 Sep 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 16.0°C: After a very few early clear spells progressively more and more low cloud rendered it a very dull morning. The Telford "hat" produced drizzle after c.09:45. Variable mainly southerly light breeze. Good visibility until the drizzle when moderate, even poor.

Sunrise: 06:53 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 09:20

(227th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- it is puzzling as to where many of the Canada Geese have gone. A single was briefly on the water today. For most of this week it has only been parties of Greylag Geese flying over. There has not been the usual number at The Flash either.
- the pair of Mute Swans again went for a short flight down the length of the water.
- *now a small group of seven Tufted Duck.
- >300 Black-headed Gulls noted by 07:00 with >200 of these arriving from the South - the most usual arrival direction is from the West. After many of these had started to disperse I noted c.130 flying in from the West. Whether these were returning birds or new arrivals is impossible to say.
- as yesterday a Cormorant was present of the south-west grass by 06:50. On neither day did I note it arriving. Is it roosting around the lake somewhere?
- three parties of what I have logged as Feral Pigeons. The first group of 11 birds was flying north-west, along the line often used by Racing Pigeons. However this was concurrent with a group of 20 Wood Pigeons and a big arrival of gulls, all apparently flushed from fields to the East. Also I have seen very few Racing Pigeons this year.
- two sizeable arrivals of large gulls with the second comprising over 300 birds. There were no Herring Gulls among the c.75 early arrivals whereas there was a small number with the larger group.
- I think it was the same single Barn Swallow I noted on several occasions.
- a Chaffinch was calling from the north-east area. It is many weeks since I last heard or saw one here.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- c.30 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 48 Feral Pigeons: three groups; one north-west and two eastbound.
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Grey Heron
- 185 Jackdaws
- 151 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose: arrived and departed soon after
- 2 Mute Swans
- 15 (9♂) Mallard again
- *7 (3?♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens again
- 62 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >300 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
-* >12 Herring Gulls
- *>375 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Cormorant: see notes
- *2 Grey Herons: the second arrived c.07:00

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 10 (1) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 small unidentified ichneumon

Flies:
- 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *1 Orb-web spider Metellina segmentata
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 2 European Craneflies Tipula paludosa

Beetles:
- *1 beetle, Lagria sp., probably Rough-haired Lagria Beetle Lagria hirta

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 43(!) spiders, with confirmed species:
Garden Spider Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]
*Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Noted later elsewhere:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: again at least 10 around the nest

Bugs:
- *Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale
- *$ final instar Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea

Mammals:
- 5 pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 other larger higher-flying bat

Another "as good as it got" photo around sunrise time with low cloud starting to spill in from the South.

The party of seven Tufted Duck. The left two birds are clearly drakes. I am not sure about #3 from the left. The other four are either immatures or ducks.

The usual gull puzzles. Among a host of different aged Lesser Black-backed Gulls are three Herring-types. An adult is in the centre of the photo. Behind and slightly right is a probable second-winter bird. The back- (mantle-) colour looks slightly darker. Perhaps not dark-enough for a Yellow-legged Gull. The other Herring-type is to the left of the second year bird and looks to be a typical first-winter Herring Gull.

A shot taken a few minutes later (at most) and the original bird now looks to have the darer mantle than the three other Herring Gulls in the shot. The angle of light is so critical making gulls very hard at times.

A third Grey Heron thought about visiting but moved on after a loud call from one of those already present...

...which celebrated by flying across the lake...

...only to fly back again and put many of the gulls to flight. I don't know why they seem so scared of the heron but I guess if one is spooked then the whole lot will go up.

This cranefly with heavily-patterned wings is Tipula confusa. I found this on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club's HQ pre-dawn.

A Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

And close-up and personal with it. I wonder whether anyone has investigated individual variation in the arrangement of the pitting. No: I am not volunteering but it would be interesting to know.

This a final instar of the Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea. Once again the Teece Drive fence provides an interesting insect.

This beetle was also on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club's HQ pre-dawn. It is certainly a Lagria species, most probably a Rough-haired Lagria Beetle Lagria hirta.

One that Google Lens got wrong. It is not a Garden Spider Araneus diadematus as it has no "cross" at the top of the abdomen but the pointed marking of a Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius. Obsidentify got it correct.

This Orb-web spider Metellina segmentata was attempting to pounce on a passing cranefly. Better luck next time.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths: [46 species here before today; no addition]
- none

Flies:
- *1 $$ possible cranefly Symplecta pilipes
- 1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa
- no moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 23 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
- 8 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 $ Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 24 spiders over several species: confirmed species were:
Garden Spider Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]
Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

With brown-toned and strongly-veined wings complete with some shading this looks to be a good candidate for the cranefly Symplecta pilipes. A new species for me that I found on the ceiling of the tunnel.

Just about the only slug I can reliably identify due to its unique longitudinal stripe is the Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii .

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25

(220th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
The fishermen will not be pleased. Not only were there eight Cormorants today (albeit mostly sitting in the trees) but Goosanders have returned: nine, all brownheads, noted.

Other bird notes:
- back to 11 Mute Swans: could I have overlooked three yesterday?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *5 Cormorants: in addition to the birds noted here
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese
- 36 Greylag Geese
- 11 Mute Swans
- 33 (22♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- *9 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- *9 (0♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens
- 87 Coots again
- 4 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: as yesterday a "missing" juvenile probably lurking somewhere
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult and two first-winters, briefly
- 8 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita : same as yesterday

Bees, wasps etc.
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Flies:
- *possible Minettia fasciata-type from the Lauxaniidae family

Fungus:
- *unidentified fungus

Two either immature or duck Tufted Duck. The bird on the left with the slight tuft is probably a moulting duck. The right-hand bird is in typical "angry bird" pose.

Do the few whitish feathers in the flanks suggest this is an immature Tufty that will moult in to drake plumage?

An adult drake with drizzle on his back. It will be a few months yet before his flanks will be gleaming white.

Goosanders are back! I thought it was early. My records show they first appeared in Autumn on 10 September last year.

Six of the nine here, all "brownheads".

"Brownhead" refers to ducks or immatures of either sex. Adult drakes in breeding plumage have a bottle-green head and bright white flanks. Some authorities suggest that birds that show white between the bill and the eye are immatures. Using that idea then the back bird is an adult duck, the front bird is an immature and who knows about the middle bird!

Five Cormorants circle just below the cloud base. These flew on. A sixth bird that had been with them when I first noted them had split off and joined the seven sitting in trees on the island.

This fly is possible a Minettia fasciata-type from the Lauxaniidae family. There are several similar species that require microscopic examination, all characterised by a greyish thorax and a pale brown abdomen with darker stripes. A species I have not recorded previously.

I cannot get an ID for this fungus. Obsidentify's best suggestion was a "puffball". I am not entirely convinced.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Scaup
(Richard Vernon)

The Flash
Scaup
(Stuart Edmunds)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)