7 Oct 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 14.0°C: Mostly cloudy with a few breaks. Moderate southerly breeze fell away somewhat. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:22 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: 05:35 – 09:15

(244th visit of the year)

Yesterday was a busy day around the lake. Not only were some of the reeds being cut but a different set of contractors were making the final cut of the grass areas that Severn Trent are planning to develop in to a wildflower area. Despite the disturbance there were still reasonable numbers of ducks.

Bird notes:
- two visiting Mute Swans were quickly dispatched by the residents.
- the pair of Shoveler still present.
- now more drake Mallard than ducks. This may be due to all the immatures, previously difficult to sex, now having moulted in to adult plumage.
- *a duck Common Teal was present.
- *two Cormorants arrived together. A few minutes later a third appeared overhead and they all departed.
- a second Grey Heron arrived and was chased away. Neither bird returned.
- *a Great (White) Egret visited briefly.
- the Tawny Owl was calling alongside Teece Drive at 05:35 again.
- at two Skylarks were heard overhead when my view of the sky was blocked by trees.
- two Song Thrushes were tempted in to quiet song by the mild weather. I don't have a record for the date of "first song" for this species. It is always well before the turn of the year. This seems exceptionally early.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 40+ Greylag Geese: at least 40 flew inbound together. Much later a single followed.
- 7 Wood Pigeons only
- 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: see notes
- 84 Jackdaws
- 99 Rooks
- 2+ Skylarks: see notes
- 3 Pied Wagtails: singles again

Counts from the lake area:
- *4 Mute Swans: two of these visited briefly
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 24 (15♂) Mallard
- *1 (0♂) Common Teal
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls: 84 (of these?) seen on the football field c.07:25
- 4 Herring Gulls again
- 53 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants: arrived and departed together: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived separately and departed together
- *1 Great (White) Egret: arrived and departed

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler as usual
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs again

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

Moths:
- *1 Snout Hypena proboscidalis

Flies:
- *3 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *2 others unidentified spiders
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- *1 plumed midge, species not determined
- 1 other midge

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 43 spiders: usual suspects

Noted later elsewhere:

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
I again did not visit the European Hornet Vespa crabro nest site

Flies:
- *1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Mammals:
- a small bat flying around tree tops in the south-east area 06:45.

If it is clear tomorrow morning I may be able to photo the Harvest Moon as it sets in the West. Whether it will be the promised "super moon" will depend on the visibility. Today the moon was shining occasionally through the clouds before dawn.

Some Autumn colour.

More.

"Leaving so soon?". The unwelcome Mute Swans depart. There were three "missing" from The Flash today. Were these two of them? When they departed they went to the East and not back towards The Flash so perhaps not.

This morning's Common Teal. The white streak at the tail-side looks more extensive than I might expect on a duck but I see no other features favouring a still-moulting drake.

One of two Cormorants arrives. This is an immature. Neither stayed more than a few minutes.

The Great (White) Egret arrives. The equipment behind belongs to a Severn Trent contractor undertaking the third and final grass cut of the year. The un-mown area visible should be left untouched as I requested as it is the traditional breeding area for our Common Whitethroat.

And departs. Despite their size difference if there are no other birds around to provide scale then Little and Great (White) Egrets can be surprisingly tricky to separate. Greats have yellow at the front – the bill; and black at the rear – feet. It is the other way around on Little Egrets - back bills and yellow feet. We could of course see a Cattle Egret.... Let's not go there.

One of the local Common Buzzards seems to like this vantage point – until any of the dog-walkers come along that is.

Something you do not see too often: a Pied Wagtail standing at the very top of a tree and not running legs a-blur along the ground.

A well-named moth species: a Snout Hypena proboscidalis. A common moth that my 2003 Field Guide notes is single-brooded from the Midlands northwards. Not any more. I had a late September record last year and now this one, much later than the July / August flight period for he first brood.

It makes a change to see a moth fly Psychodidae sp. in daylight!

One of three winter craneflies Trichocera sp. on otherwise sparsely populated street lamp poles pre-dawn. Unlike the unidentified cranefly-like creature yesterday it does not have very long and banded antennae.

A "plumed midge" on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. It seems not to be the normal plumed midge Chironomus plumosus as the antennae are not bushy enough and the thorax pattern differs. So as Obsidentify so often puts it "unknown non-biting midge". With plumed antennae it is a male so it certainly won't bite.

One of two small spiders on the street lamp poles pre-dawn, neither of which I can positively identify.

Here is the other unidentified spider.

I can identify this spider as a male Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

The wind was not strong but was blowing directly through the tunnel, probably affecting things.

Flies:
- 19 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders: usual suspects

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(244th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- only nine Mute Swans noted.
- where were many of the Mallard hiding?
- only five Great Crested Grebes found again.
- *two Grey Herons flew over from the East and then sparred with the bird already here flying up and down the water. I think they all departed.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese: flew North together
- 1 Jackdaw
- 2 Pied Wagtails: together

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- Greylag Geese heard only from inside island
- 9 Mute Swans
- 13 (10♂) Mallard
- 17 (3?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 91 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes again
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, departed
- 14 Cormorants
- *3 Grey Heron: see notes

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

Noted around the area:
Nothing much in overcast conditions:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 money spider Erigone sp.

One Grey Heron arrives from the East...

 ...with another...

...and fly up and down with the incumbent giving chase. I don't know which of the three this is.

A money spider Erigone sp. on one of the street lamp poles.

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Ivy Bees Colletes hederae

An appeal. Could I ask those interested to keep an eye out for Ivy Bees Colletes hederae. This bee species was first recorded in England in 2001 and has rapidly spread North and West. It has been recorded from Shropshire but not (yet) locally. It only feeds on Ivy flowers. These three photos, taken by Martin Adlam, should give you an idea what to look for.

Superficially banded black and yellow like a wasp though more buff than yellow and with bright orange-buff hairs on the thorax.

f you see one can you please send a report saying when (date, time) and where (what 3 words?) to either FoPL@fopl.bsky.social or priorsleelake@hotmail.com. A photo would be great – due credit will be given for any included in a future blog post. Alternatively tell me when you see me. The large bank of Ivy by the academy is where I have looked so far without success.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Wellington
Fieldfare
(Jenny Hood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Shoveler
Chiffchaff
Grey Wagtail
Reed Bunting
Siskin.
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
50 Mute Swan
(Mike Cooper)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Swallow circling with swirling Starlings
(Ed Wilson)