24 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 3.0°C: Barely broken medium-level cloud gradually melted away with good sunny spells. A chilly, fresh easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT again

Season's Greeting to you all. Thanks for reading.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:40 – 09:30

(312th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- an adult Mute Swan landed in front of me at 08:02 and was joined by another at 08:07. Whether they had arrived together and one stayed "at the other end" for a while is unclear. Neither of them had rings so neither was the pen that was a resident here this Summer.
- yesterday's drake Shoveler apparently gone.
- even fewer Coots today: only 17 and in good lighting. There were none on the south-west grass – neither were there any Moorhens there (usually about six). The grass is in very poor condition so perhaps food-related?
- both Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls started to arrive 07:35.
- four Cormorants arrived together. Eventually there were seven fishing together by which time one had already departed.
- only three Song Thrushes braved the early cold to sing. Later two were singing from different sides of one tree!

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 17 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 41 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 82 Jackdaws
- 46 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans: arrived
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 40 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 17 Coots only
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Too cold for us all!

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: sixth day in the same place

Beetles:
- *1 possible Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Seen later:

Nothing

A much better-looking start to the day.

Some good breaks in the cloud quickly developed.

 Even some colour.

What might, or might not, be a Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala.

Very little on the street lamp poles on a chilly morning. A harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis with anti-freeze in its blood – perhaps.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:35

(305th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the two Mute Swans stayed apart. No aggression noted.
- a drake Gadwall was a new arrival
- all ten Pochard located today
- two brownhead Goosanders noted.
- Coot numbers are lower than typical for this date but at the moment are holding steady.
- another Raven overhead.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls together
- *1 Raven

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- *1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 10 (6♂) Pochard
- 34 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 46 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 72 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third-winter
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, briefly
- no Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Around the area:

Nothing noted

While I was parking my car this drake Gadwall was paddling past very close. Once I had got and was more (dis)organised it was, naturally, a long way away and stayed that way.

Did someone mention food? The Black-headed Gulls thought so. The lowest bird and the slightly right of centre top are first-winter birds (dark tail band), the other seven are all adult-winter birds.

Hot on the heels of my first sighting of Raven here this year there was another today. Note the diamond-shaped tail and the well-separated outer primaries ("fingers"). It is the low sun causing the under-wing to gloss.

This species' large bill is (slightly) more evident here.

"Robin: wipe that dirt off your bill"

"Wanna make sumfink of it sonny-boy?"

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
7 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
204 Coots counted
123 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Grey Herons
126 Canada Geese
110 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes
2 Shoveler
71 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
125 Coots
>40 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
1 Tufted Duck
19 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
13 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
178 Coots
Peregrine
14 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
5 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
10 Swans
28 Pochard
77 Tufted Ducks
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
60 Herring Gulls
1 Water Rail heard
299 Coots counted
4 Redwings
2 Willow Tits again
c.5 Goldfinches
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/ Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Little Grebe
41 Pochard
38 Tufted Ducks
8 Redwing
2 Fieldfare
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

23 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 7.0°C: The weather forecast was correct: "thick cloud and a moderate (easterly) breeze". Good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:50

(311th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a drake Shoveler in breeding plumage was a new arrival. No Mallard seen though.
- I did count the Coots today and only found 21. The light-level was nit good but surely not that bad. Where are they all?.
- higher gull numbers today. The first arrivals were c.30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls at 07:42 with eventually c.100 present by 07:55 when a Grey Heron flying across spooked them and they all departed with only a few, all Herring Gulls, returning.
- Black-headed Gulls did not arrive until c.08:10 with c.200 present. Much later I noted 19 on the football field.
- the Great (White) Egret not seen. (None was at The Flash either.)
- 12 Fieldfare flew over heading East c.08:20
- only eight Song Thrushes were singing in today's cooler conditions.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 66 Jackdaws
- 127 Rooks
- 12 Fieldfare: together
- 12 Goldfinches: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- no Mallard
- 36 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 21 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 3 Grey Herons
- no Great (White) Egret

As a postscript to yesterday I am indebted to Martin Adlam for the identity of the fish falling victim to the Grey Heron. It was a Ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus. (me neither!). Sometimes called a Daddy Ruffe, Tommy Ruffe or Pope Fish.

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

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: fifth day in the same place

Flies:
- 1 "is it a fly or an ichneumon?"

Springtails:
- 3 springtails sp., probably Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 2 other springtails

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 possible Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Seen later:

Nothing

Today's breeding plumage drake Shoveler. Other than Mallard this is by far the most common species of dabbling duck to visit.

Twigs in the way but the Grey Heron probably wanted it that way. This alongside Teece Drive and near the gate to the lake. Whether this was one of the two I had noted around the edge of the water or a third is hard to say.

It took much photo-editing to produce this poor photo of two Siskins enjoying the Alder cones.

A few weeks ago five pumpkins were dumped on the "boxing ring" atop the dam. This being Telford two were quickly thrown in the water. The three survivors have been gradually getting smaller. I noted a culprit this morning – a Moorhen. I have no doubt the local Magpies have had a go as well.

The mystery "is it a fly or an ichneumon?". The similar "fly" I photographed a few days ago had spurs on its legs. It is hard to be certain with all the lichen on the street lamp pole but this one does not seem to have spurs. Not that this is any help with identification.

One of three globular springtails I noted. The abdomen pattern shows better in this photo than on most I have taken. Confirmation that it is Dicyrtomina saundersi depends on the pattern of light and dark on the antennae. Pass!

An unknown springtail. This is very small: I would judge between a quarter and a third the size of the common Pogonognathellus longicornis-type.

Similar remarks here though slightly a larger specimen. I am not sure whether I should be interested in what is top left!

Both Obsidentify and Google Lens gave Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica as the identity of this small spider. It doesn't look like any of the photos of the species on NatureSpot.

A male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli.

Trying to escape my torch-light is a harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis. It can be identified by the shape of the pale area at the end of the abdomen. The pale stripe down the abdomen is not visible here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:55 – 11:00

(304th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the first Greylag Goose for many days: and a very noisy on at that until it departed.
- one Mute Swan chased the other in to flight though it eventually splashed back down at the other end out of sight of its aggressor.
- no Goosanders noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 29 (21♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Pochard
- 29 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes still
- 54 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gull: third- and first-winters
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

Around the area:

Nothing noted 

The first Greylag Goose for several days deciding to leave us.

Not enough light for the camera to "freeze" the action but here the two-tone primary feathers can be seen – paler grey on the outer webs.

Serious chasing going on with the two adult Mute Swans.

This one...

...made two circuits...

...before splashing down out of sight of the aggressor.

This Herring Gull shows much black on its bill.

The pattern of black on the primaries suggests an adult and also rules out any thoughts of "Herring-type" Gulls (Yellow-legged, Caspian).

From this angle the extent of black on four of the primary coverts (along the leading edge of the wing) indicates it is most likely a third-winter bird.

A small amount of movement in the water prevents a perfect reflection photo of the Grey Heron.

A pair (one cannot presume!) of Collared Doves behaving as if it is Spring. Actually given half a chance they will attempt to breed at any time of the year.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter female Great Scaup

Horsehay Pool
Kittiwake

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
14 Pochard
29 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
178 Coots
2 Redwings
4 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Pochard
44 Tufted Duck
28 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
30 Mute Swans
40 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
161 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
18 Swans
4 Gadwall
41 Pochard
75 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
311 Coots
600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
12 Goldfinches
10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
3 Cormorants
32 Pochard
24 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
c.100 Black-headed Gulls
23 Redwing
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee lake
10 Pochard
15 Tufted Duck
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
1 Water Rail
20 Pied Wagtails
365 Rooks
325 Jackdaw
1 Kingfisher
51 Siskin
7 Redpoll
13 Greenfinch 13
12 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)

22 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 9.0°C: Surprise! More very low cloud. Brisk easterly wind fell light. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT again

I am pleased to say that all the photos withheld recently have now been added and can be accessed by scrolling down the web page and using the "older posts" link. As always I am hugely indebted to Martin Adlam for his hard work in making this possible.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:35

(310th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *six Canada Geese were again on the water at first light, soon leaving to the East. A pair came in from the East later, returning a few minutes later.
- yesterday's two Mute Swan arrivals were nowhere to be seen.
- in the murk I did not count the Coots today.
- Perhaps the lowest number of gulls I can recall. The first eight of an eventual c.75 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:43.
- Four Lesser Black-backed Gulls came from the South at 07:47, took a look around and flew off South again. Four more(?) did the same thing a few minutes later. A single adult arrived at 08:15. No others were on the water with just a small number passing over.
- a quartet of Cormorants arrived together. Another arrived later.
- the Great (White) Egret seen again. None of the three Grey Herons seemed interested.
- as yesterday a typical number of Rooks were noted passing on their usual flight-line but very few Jackdaws.
- I only glimpsed it briefly but it seemed a lone Starling flushed off the dam-face c.08:15. Most odd.
- not entirely clear how many Song Thrushes were singing today. Certainly 13 on my first walk around. Later two birds were singing at other locations when most of the original songsters had fallen quiet. New songsters or birds relocating?
- *at least 25 Redwings flushed out of trees around the Telford Sailing Club HQ c.09:15.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Herring Gull
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 48 Jackdaws
- 134 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- *8 Canada Geese: six departed together; two visited briefly
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 28 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- no Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull only
- 5 Cormorants: see notes
- *3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret

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

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: fourth day in the same place

Flies:
- 1 very small plumed midge

Springtails:
- 5 springtails sp., all probably Dicyrtomina saundersi

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

Later:

Nothing seen

Much the same weather as yesterday pre-dawn. Today a group of Canada Geese photo-bomb the view.

My friend the Grey Heron was by the Wesley Brook bridge again.

It looked at me.

Checking me out

And then got down to the serious business of fishing.

Success again! Not sure about the fish species. Obsidentify did not help: "Mountain Hare"!?!

Now the right way around for the heron to swallow. You have feel sorry for the fish but the heron has to eat.

The heron then wandered off, carefully watching me but unperturbed.

One of c.25 Redwings in trees at the West end.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:50

(303rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a second Mute Swan today. They took very little notice of each other.
- *until yesterday I had not seen or heard any Coal Tits for some weeks. Yesterday there were two singing and calling by the academy. Today three were chasing around alongside the lower car parking area – at least other than for a short break as everything dived for cover when a Sparrowhawk flew over.
- I counted 26 Redwings leaving trees at the top end and flying off East.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 34 (25♂) Mallard [yesterday's total was mistyped as 21 (19♂): it should have read 31 (19♂)]
- *10 (6♂) Pochard: yet again
- 34 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (0♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes again
- 50 Black-headed Gulls exactly
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted around the area:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata

There were again no insects on the bank of Ivy.

A drake Pochard again, edited to show the feather patterning to best advantage.

A poor photo of two sparring Coal Tits. The white stripe on their nape is visible – just.

And a very poor photo of the same two.

On one of the street lamp poles I found this spider. Perhaps a Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata. But I now read on the NatureSpot site that this species is "very difficult to distinguish from Z. atrica". It seems that around "window frames or car door mirrors" then Z. atrica is unlikely. Elsewhere separation needs an expert – which I am not. So I should probably record these in future as "Missing Sector Orb-web-type Spider from the species pair Zygiella x-notata / atrica".

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
78 Tufted Ducks
1 female Greater Scaup
222 Coots counted
Caspian Gull
2 Fieldfare
17 Redwings
429 Jackdaws
173 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard
110 Tufted Ducks
17 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
11 Swans
1 Shoveler
c.115 Tufted Duck
7 Goosander
129 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
51 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
21 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
12 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
181 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
16 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
32 Swans
114 Canada Geese
39 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
166 Coots counted
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3rd-winter American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe/Kriss Webb)

2011
Priorslee Lake
c.6000 Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Yellow-legged Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
Sparrowhawk
(Martin Adlam and Ian Grant)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
1 Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
42 Swans
2 Gadwall
51 Pochard
132 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
296 Coots
c.2000 Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30 Lapwings
50 Golden Plover
7 Redwings
8 Fieldfares
15 Goldfinches
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Lake iced over - 2009 (Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee lake
1 Great Crested Grebe
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
58 Coots
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
c.3200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
15 Pied Wagtails
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee lake
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backs
11 Herring Gull
7 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
1 Cormorant on the Lake.
200 Coot
1 Water Rail
18 Pied Wagtails
231 Rooks
323 Jackdaw
3 Redwing
c.50 Siskin
7 Redpoll
8 Reed Bunting
1 Willow Tit
(Martin Adlam)

21 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 8.0°C: More very low cloud. A short spell of rain c.09:15. Moderate easterly wind. Moderate visibility becoming good.

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT

Despite it being the Winter solstice and the shortest day it will continue to get lighter slightly later in the mornings for the next 10 days or so.

Photos will be added later

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:50 – 09:30

(309th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- six Canada Geese were on the water at first light, soon leaving to the East.
- two Mute Swans flew in from the West at 09:00.
- I only managed to find 26 Coots today. It would not be a complete explanation because Coot numbers at The Flash are also well down but I have been wondering whether when the contractors cut some of the reeds back in October the cut stems have blocked access to the birds' roosting sites inside the reeds and they have gone elsewhere.
- a Sunday lie-in for the gulls. Both Black-headed and Lesser Black-backs arrived simultaneously from different directions at 07:40. There were more Black-heads and fewer Black-backs with most of the latter having a quick wash and moving rapidly on.
- unusually there was a larger (re?) arrival of both species (along with a few Herring Gulls) c.09:00.
- Wood Pigeon is a species that will breed at any time of the year given the chance. Nevertheless three birds "singing" while it was still dark at 06:55 was unusual at this date.
- no Great (White) Egret seen here (or at The Flash later).
- a typical number of Rooks were noted passing on their usual flight-line but very few Jackdaws.
- a Blackbird joined in with the 13 singing Song Thrushes.
- I should not have mentioned a recent scarcity of Siskins yesterday. At least 10 birds were in Alders at the West end this morning.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew East pre-dawn
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 91 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 47 Jackdaws
- 122 Rooks
- 5 Redwings: two groups

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese: departed together
- 2 Mute Swans: arrived together
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 32 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 26 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- c.125 || 193 + 16 on football field Black-headed Gulls
- 7 || 13 Herring Gulls
- 65 || 88 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons
- no Great (White) Egret

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

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: third day in the same place

Flies:
- 4 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- 1 very small plumed midge

Beetles:
- 1 unidentified small ground beetle

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Later:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis on a wall of Telford Sailing Clun HQ.

Looking West from the dam with the light pollution from Telford providing a glow. The Ricoh sig providing the only colour. The lake is devoid of birds at this time: the gulls are yet to arrive and the Coots are still hiding in the reeds.

Well it is near Christmas so we must have a Robin.

A small male plumed midge. This one no more than 5mm long. No idea as to the species,

A springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis. Apparently it is not unusual for these to lose part of, or sometimes all, one antenna.

One of very many (about 350 if Google AI is to believed) species of ground-beetles in the UK. This was smaller than many and about all I can say.

One of two harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis I noted this morning. This, on one of the street lamp poles, shows only an ill-defined pale stripe down the abdomen. I asked Obsidentify what it thought. It said Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis. I have no idea why it thought that. Even if I had got the species wrong it is most certainly a harvestman and not a spider as it has no cephalothorax (the joined head and thorax that are distinct from the abdomen on spiders).

The other Paroligolophus agrestis, this one on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. The pale stripe down the abdomen is more obvious on this specimen.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse area

I made a short visit here, mainly to look at the two storm pools to see whether the Mallard were still hanging out there. Despite both pools having very brown and discoloured water I found:
on the lower pool:
- 25 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 Coot
on the upper pool:
- 2 (1♂) Mallard

The only other birds of interest in the area were:
- a Mistle Thrush was giving its rattling call from a tree near the Priorslee Lake sluice exit (it later flew across Castle Farm Way and started to sing in the south-east area: and was presumably a different bird to one calling alongside Teece Drive much later)
- a Meadow Pipit was heard to flush from the grass. A species that has been scarce this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:45

(302nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no sign of the drake Shoveler.
- a fifth Great Crested Grebe noted

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Redwing

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 21 (19♂) Mallard
- 10 (6♂) Pochard: again
- 23 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 46 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 71 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: two (near?) adults; one first-winter
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons, the second seen arriving
- no Great (White) Egret

Noted around the area:

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

Beetles:
- 1 pupa of a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Fungus:
- Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa
- Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes

Unsurprisingly there again were no insects on the bank of Ivy.

An odd-looking duck Mallard, slightly more rufous than usual and with the feathering less well-defined. I am amazed at how many slightly unusual Mallard have turned up over the years, often not staying very long. It suggests that there is more of a movement in and out of this apparently sedentary species than might be expected.

This duck Mallard is more or less dead-centre of this feeding frenzy.

Six of the Pochard went for a fly-about. Of the centre four the leader and the one at the top are clearly adult drakes with paler wings.

Two as they fly back the other way. I cannot explain why the tail feathers are being held differently.

I classified this as a (near) adult Herring Gull. There seems to be too much dark on its bill for an adult-winter yet there is no sign of any remnant dark in the tail. Third- or fourth-winter I suggest.

There were four Song Thrushes singing away here. This one decided that tossing leaves around looking for food was a more worthwhile pursuit.

A Christmas Robin here too.

Unexpected at this date is a pupa of a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis. Whether there is anyone home is impossible to say. It looks "fresh".

I found two species of fungus today - seems a bit late in the year. This is Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa.

It is fortunate that the Priorslee Academy is not in session. Poking my camera through the fence might be misconstrued even if I was only photographing the Velvet Shank fungus Flammulina velutipes .

Here showing the underside.

Worth another view from a slightly different angle.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
7 Pochard
74 Tufted Ducks
221 Coots
2 Fieldfare
65 Redwings
228 Jackdaws
119 Rooks
13 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall.
12 Pochard
12 Goosanders
51 Tufted Ducks
145 Coots
c.280 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
c.265 Jackdaws
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
12 Goosanders
4 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
12 Goosanders
7 Coots
42 were Herring Gulls
44 Black-headed Gulls only on the water
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool
32 Mute Swans
42 Tufted Duck
168 Coots counted
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
8 Great Crested Grebes
22 Swans
1 Gadwall
51 Pochard
148 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Woodcock
274 Coots
8000+ gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
7 Redwings
16 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/Martin Adlam/Jim Almond)

2005
Priorslee lake
9 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gull.
c.200 Coot
1 Water Rail
15 Pied Wagtails
243 Rooks
532 Jackdaw
31 Siskin
2 Redpoll
16 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)