23 Sep 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 11.0°C: Medium / high patchy cloud. Light northerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:58 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 – 09:15

(231st visit of the year)

One that probably didn't get away. What I expected to be a Goldcrest was calling loudly and persistently along the North side. I am none too confident in being able to separate Goldcrest from the rarer Firecrest on call. Since I had read a review of the Merlin app that praised its ability to do so I fired up the app to see what it made of the calls. "Goldcrest" it said immediately but after a few seconds added "Firecrest" and continued to suggest that both were calling. I was unable to locate the bird so I tried playing Firecrest calls to see what would happen. Nothing. I think it was just a noisy Goldcrest.

Bird notes:
- a "duck" day. A group of six Tufted Duck was noted c.07:30 but not thereafter. Then a trio of drake Eurasian Wigeon was noted in the north-east area c.08:00 and also not thereafter. [a single drake Eurasian Wigeon was seen later at The Flash.]. There was also more Mallard than in recent days.
- again difficult to know how many Black-headed Gulls there were. c.150 streamed in from the South c.06:40 with, at that time, none having arrived from the West. These birds mostly dispersed and were likely the origin of the 62 counted on the football field c.07:00. At least 25 more were seen to arrive from the West thereafter.
- along with the Black-headed Gulls at least 75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from the South to join c.65 that had already arrived from the East. Just two Herring Gulls were with these birds. Later a small group of Lesser Black-backs and Herrings arrived. Very few large gulls were seen flying over.
- a party of 20 Feral Pigeons flew West at c.08:00. Strangely these seemed to be all "blue morphs" - blue-grey birds with white only on the rump. Groups of "roof" birds and "Racing Pigeons" usually include birds with rufous and / or white plumage.
- the Tawny Owl was calling again by the Priorslee Avenue tunnel c.05:45,
- Jackdaws and Rooks were once again difficult flying high and early. Jackdaws again certainly under-recorded.
- after a few relatively quiet weeks the Cetti's Warbler is now in full voice, usually around the western part of the area.
- a Reed Bunting was heard calling from the South side c.08:45

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 20 Feral Pigeon: West together – see notes
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 44 Jackdaws: see notes
- 102 Rooks: see notes
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (3♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 17 (8♂) Mallard
- 6 (2♂?) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 48 Coots only
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- *>180 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- *5 Herring Gulls
- *c.160 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: one present throughout; another arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

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

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

Moths:
- none.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 24 spiders: usual suspects.
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted later elsewhere:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: again at least 8 around the nest

Flies:
- *female midge Chironomus sp.
- *cranefly Tipula confusa

Bugs:
- *Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes

A brief red sunrise this morning. Not taken from the best position.

A motley collection of gulls, the majority being Black-heads. There are three obvious adult Lesser Black-backs two of which are showing winter head-streaking. On the left a first winter Lesser Black-back. Between the three adults is a second winter Herring Gull and at the back an adult Herring (with a Black-head partially visible behind it).

Record shot of the (very distant) trio of drake Eurasian Wigeon. The orange tone identifies the species. The white flash identifies the sex.

A Chiffchaff trying to hide.

Still trying.

This is, I think, a different bird: there were two jumping about in the same Willow sapling. Quite why this shows a dark ear patch is unclear. I suspect it is the shadow of a leaf.

This female midge Chironomus sp. was resting on the boxing ring on the dam top. The banded abdomen suggests it is most likely C. plumosus. Males are easier to identify as different species show slightly differently shaped antennae.

I found this cranefly on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ before dawn. The strong markings on the thorax and the patterned wings point to this being the cranefly Tipula confusa. It is an Autumn-flying species.

And here is another. I found this also on the boxing ring.

A Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes had swapped the warmth of the wooden fence alongside Teece Drive to cool its feet on the metal of the boxing ring.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

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

Flies:
- no moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 17 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 4 spiders only

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:20

(223rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- now only eight Mute Swans today.
- as remarked above a drake Eurasian Wigeon present but illusive.
- all five juvenile Great Crested Grebes noted. Only three of the adults logged.
- a trio of first winter Herring Gulls visited briefly.
- difficult to be sure how many Cormorants there were. They would fish for a short while then fly to the island and sit on the edge or up in the trees while other birds flew down to fish for a while. Certainly eight but I think nine.
- a late record of a Blackcap calling.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 8 Mute Swans
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 9 (5?♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 87 Coots
- 3 + 5 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: first-winter birds, together and briefly
- 9 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

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

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita: fifth day

Bees, wasps etc.
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

A slightly better photo of a drake Eurasian Wigeon. This bird just "emerged" from the reeds and promptly disappeared back inside. Since the three at the lake had apparently departed it is tempting to suggest that the others could have been inside the reeds.

A juvenile Moorhen with what I assume is a parent. The juvenile must be from one of the last broods to hatch as most juveniles I have seen recently are starting to show a red shield. Probably from a second brood – most Moorhens have two broods.

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax. The Ivy has yet to flower. When it does I would expect to see many hoverflies of several species on sunny days.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Whinchat
3 Snipe
1 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Kingfisher
696 Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martin
55 Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson)