4 Nov 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 10.0°C: Medium-level overcast with a few brighter moments developing. Light north-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:12 GMT

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:10

(245th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
I have just seen a photo taken here midday yesterday of what look to be three Whooper Swans. It is at least 20 years (pre-my fully computerised logs) since I saw a lone individual on just one day consorting with a group of at least 20 Mute Swans that spent much of that Winter, whatever it was, here. Well done to "JG".

A strangely quiet day apart from the number of gulls at dawn.

Other bird notes:
- the two Canada Geese throughout again.
- a pair of Mute Swans asleep at the West end at dawn. Again not visible by 08:00. Perhaps they roost here and fly out to feed in fields nearby (leaving while I am around the football field?). Does this indicate a lack of food for them here and is this why there are so few Coots? But then the Tufted Duck seem to be finding enough to eat. Perhaps they can dive deeper?
- a drake *Shoveler was a new arrival.
- the two Pochard again. It took several sweeps of all the continually diving Tufted Duck to find them.
- *a huge gathering of gulls well before first light carpeting about one-third of the water. There were some already leaving. A very rough estimate of c.1000 Black-headed Gulls and c.400 large gulls.
- at 07:10 I counted 285, all Black-headed Gulls, on the football field.
- subsequently 12 Herring and 56 Lesser Black-backed Gulls visited.
- two *Grey Herons again.
- of the 106 fly-over Wood Pigeons 100 exactly were in six small groups unusually heading West (one with a Stock Dove for company).
- two small groups of Fieldfare were strangely flying East. There are no berries for them to eat in this area. Last year the bushes to the East of Castle Farm Way were laden and both Fieldfares and Redwings were in large numbers feasting on them.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 47 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Stock Dove
- 109 Wood Pigeons: of these 100 in six groups flying West.
- 298 Jackdaws
- 89 Rooks
- 18 Fieldfare flew East in two groups
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: departed
- 15 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) *Shoveler
- 2 (1♂) Pochard again
- 64 (>29♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 *Moorhens
- 21 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- c.1000(!?) Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls
- >450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 2 *Grey Herons
- 1 Kingfisher

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:

None- I was not well-positioned to see any birds leaving roosts around the lake.

Later on the Teece Drive fence:

Nothing found

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
- 4 November Moth type Epirrita sp. again: all on the same pole today

Four-winged flies:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

True flies:
- 1 *small, male plumed midge
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *wood gnat, probably Sylvicola cinctus
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- 1 $ *springtail Allacma fusca
- 1 *springtail Orchesella cincta
- 1 *very small and unidentified springtail

Beetles:
- 4 *Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica

A new arrival today was this smart drake Shoveler. The two drakes were still at The Flash.

Something you do not see too often: a Moorhen in flight. Their large feet enables them to walk very easily and they can sometimes be found miles away from any water bodies.

A volunteer to count them.... This was taken on my Samsung Galaxy's Night setting. 100s of gulls well pre-dawn and after some had departed.

I walked along the North side toward the Wesley Brook bridge and came face to face with this Grey Heron.

We looked at each other for a few minutes and the heron wandered off along the bank.

The two Magpies were getting very upset at the presence of the Common Buzzard who remained unfazed until someone else walked too close to the tree it was sitting in.

One of the smallest midges I see and a male with the plumed antennae.

This is the size and shape of the wood gnats in the genus Sylvicola. However all those have spotting on otherwise clear wings. Unidentified!

This is a wood gnat and probably Sylvicola cinctus, a species in which the shading at the wing tip is weaker than on the wing edges. NatureSpot cautions that genitalia examination is the only way to get a 100% identification.

At the time I expected this to be a small beetle, different from the flea-beetles as it did not appear to have the swollen hind legs for jumping. Enlarging the photo shows that the shape more resembles that of the globular springtails. Thanks to Obsidentify, confirmed on the NatureSpot web site, I now know it is the springtail Allacma fusca. A new species for me.

The springtail Orchesella cincta.

A flea-beetle that I identify as a Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala. This species seems to like to sit on the identification labels attached to the street lamp poles – or is it just that they are easier to see there? The beetle is only about 3mm: just behind it is a very tiny insect. I think a springtail but...

This seems to be a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica sitting in its web alongside one of the street lamp poles. Apparently this species, which hides away during the day, constructs a new nest every evening.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 4 unidentified midges
- 1 male Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata

Arthropods:
- 1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *crab spider, probably Xysticus cristatus
- 7 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

The only different inhabitant I noted in the tunnel was this crab spider, probably Xysticus cristatus, though NatureSpot gives this species as active March to August and mainly Spring.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:35

(243rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was told today that the recent lone Mute Swan was taken in to care after becoming entangled in fishing line.
- still the two drake Shovelers and pair of (Common) Teal found: one drake
- no Goosanders seen.
- a *Little Egret was present: I think it departed.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws
- 23 Fieldfare: flew East together
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Greenfinch

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 2 (2♂) Shoveler
- 38 (23♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) (Common) Teal
- 15 (6♂) *Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 15 Coot again
- 13 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Cormorants
- no Grey Heron
- 1 *Little Egret: departed?

Noted around the area:
Cool and cloudy with a slight breeze on the fast-fading Ivy flowers.

Moths:
- 1 !*Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata
- 2 November Moth type Epirrita sp.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 30+ wasps Vespula sp. More than I expected to see.

True flies:
- 1 *Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
- 1 *unidentified root-maggot fly
no other flies seen

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

 A duck Tufted Duck. It is usually well in to the New Year before the Tufties are brave-enough to join the throng of Mallard at the bread feasts.

Don't look at me in that tone of voice!

A couple of shots of this morning's Little Egret.

Very smart.

Butter wouldn't...

It makes a change. A new moth for the year: it is a Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata. My previous two sightings here were 26 October 2025 and 31 October 2024 so a very typical date. Moth species #53 for me here this year.

Another November Moth type Epirrita sp. On a different street lamp pole to any I have seen over the last week or so.

This Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina seems to have a bit of a problem. Destined to fly in circles or, probably, not at all.

At the other end of the size scale is this root-maggot fly not specifically identified.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
Yellow-legged Gull
Kingfisher
400+ Jackdaws
17 Fieldfare
7 Redwings
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
24 Pochard
81 Tufted Ducks
c.180 large gulls
5 Redwings here
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)

2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Pochard
4 Wigeon
8 Tufted
42 Mute Swan
400+ Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)

Wrekin
Firecrest
2 Brambling
(Dave Barrow / Andy Latham)

2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
650+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
134 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
450 Wood Pigeons
15 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
13 Dunnocks
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
85 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
14 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)