22 Sep 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 9.0°C: Clear skies. Light northerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:56 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

Geese seem to have gone AWOL. The five non-flyers were at The Flash: a single Greylag Goose briefly visited the lake. Otherwise none seen or heard.

The change in temperature seemed to inhibit the spiders from emerging from wherever they hide. Many fewer today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:35 – 09:15

(230th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- another visiting Mute Swan needed to be chased away.
- difficult to know how many Black-headed Gulls there were. At most 45 on the water; another c.40 flew directly over to the East around dawn. 37 were counted on the football field c.07:00. Much later there were 45 on the south-west grass: all or some of these may also have been present earlier.
- I cannot explain the continuing decline in Coot numbers when at this date numbers are usually increasing. I could surmise that the continued presence of blue-green algae is affecting things: there are many fewer Mallard and geese no longer visit in any number as they did a month ago. The forecast cold night might have an effect on the algal bloom.
- Jackdaws and Rooks were again difficult flying high and early against the clear sky. Jackdaws in particular certainly under-recorded.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Feral Pigeon: all-white bird circled to the West
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: singles
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 41 Jackdaws: see notes
- 116 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: briefly
- 3 Mute Swans: see notes
- 7 (2♂) Mallard
- *7 Moorhens
- 57 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- c.100? Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: present throughout on a boat-launching pier
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 9 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Everywhere was wet after yesterday's rain.

Moths:
- none.

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis

Flies:
- *1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa

Bugs:
- *1 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- 1 Orb-web spider Metellina segmentata
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Moths:
- *1 Copper Underwing agg. Amphipyra pyramidea/berbera

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 11 spiders only: usual suspects.

Noted later elsewhere:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: again at least 5 around the nest

Beetles:
- *7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

A Moorhen goes a-scrumping – in the older sense of the word when it only meant stealing apples from trees. Moorhens are very agile climbers.

A surprise find on the wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ was this moth that has to be recorded as Copper Underwing agg. Amphipyra pyramidea/berbera. The West Midlands Moths web site notes "The two Copper Underwings are tricky to identify. The safest way is to examine the underside of the hindwing. This is not easy on live specimens but unless it is done then records of the two have to be grouped under this aggregate." I noted up to four individuals of this species in the same place in late August 2024.

I am sure this springtail is Pogonognathellus longicornis . If not I'd like to see one with a "longericornis"!

This was the only fly I could find after daybreak. It is a Muscid fly and may or may not be Phaonia errans – there are many similar species.

Covered in dew but enough can be seen to identify it as a European Cranefly Tipula paludosa.

Not much else around this morning: here is a 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata.

A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius on a street lamp pole pre-dawn.

Find of the day? What is it? I am reliably informed it is a cushion. What was it doing deep in one of the wooded areas? It isn't there now.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

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

Flies:
- 2 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 24 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- 5 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 spiders only

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(222nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- back to 11 Mute Swans today.
- a few more Tufted Duck noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese seen or heard
- 11 Mute Swans
- 28 (16♂) Mallard
- 17 (7?♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 83 Coots
- 2 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: still a "missing" juvenile: now two adults not found.
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- *7 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Kingfisher

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita: fourth day

Bees, wasps etc.
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- none

It was Cormorant action time today. This one is typically swimming low in the water preparing to...

...dive. Many of my photos end up looking like this.

When these heavy bird take off by pattering across the surface the sound is very distinctive.

Two birds having a dispute.

An immature banking at 90 degrees but keeping the eyes level.

The ventral view of the same bird.

I wonder what it is thinking? About fish probably.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Common Redstart
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
The drake Mallard x Pintail has returned for the 5th year at least
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Gadwall
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)