20 Oct 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.0°C: Cloudy with some spells of light rain, drizzle and soaking drizzle. Light south-easterly wind. Variable visibility between good and poor.

Sunrise: 07:45 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: 06:00 – 09:25

(255th visit of the year)

Bird notes
Almost no movements overhead. Just one Fieldfare and one Meadow Pipit seen: and at least two Skylarks heard but lost in the cloud. Two Redwings flew out of trees around the lake.

Other bird notes:
- *the daily movement of westbound geese took place. I photographed two skeins totalling 72 birds. Judging by the number of geese at The Flash later I must have missed seeing some other skeins.
- I could not find the pair of Gadwall.
- the gulls seemed to be having a Monday morning lie in. The first three Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:16 with the first of four large groups arriving from the South at 07:25. In days of yore these gulls mostly arrived from the West from, I assumed, the large roost on Middle Pool at Trench. I wonder where they roost now?
- the first Lesser Blacked-Gull flew over at 07:20 with the first of just four birds settling on the water after 07:25. It was not until after 08:30 that any numbers of large gulls arrived.
- *a Great (White) Egret was present after 08:30.
- the Jackdaws and Rooks flew over in an almost continuous mixed stream on a broad front making a head-tally of two three-figure totals a hard mental challenge early on a Monday.
- no Chiffchaffs seen or heard.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *72 Greylag Geese, all westbound: see notes
- 28 Wood Pigeons: no migrant groups seen
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Skylarks: heard only
- 264 Jackdaws
- 235 Rooks
- 1 Fieldfare
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Meadow Pipit

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 26 (15♂) Mallard
- 6 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >550 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls
- c.115 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: only four early; c.110 later arrivals
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately and one departed
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret: arrived

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

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
A more modest offering after overnight rain and a breeze blowing on many of the poles.

Moths:
- 3 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- *1 caterpillar of moth / sawfly?

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 unidentified globular springtail

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

Other flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 1 possible Palloptera scutellata: a trembling-wing fly
- *1 fruit fly, likely Tephritis formosa
- more unidentified flies

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 unidentified money spider
- 1 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- *1 Yellow Cereal Fly Opomyza florum
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana

Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 red slug Arion ater-type
- *1 unidentified snail

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

Noted later elsewhere:

Nothing: the European Hornet Vespa crabro nest site was not active. What flew past me was probably a wasp.

There go the Greylag Geese: 45 of them.

And another 27. Look carefully: the top bird at the front is a first-winter Herring Gull!

Record shot. Big while bird with a large yellow bill = a Great (White) Egret.

A search of the images of caterpillars on NatureSpot and eakringbirds has failed to provide an ID for this specimen. It may be the caterpillar of a species of sawfly and not of a moth.

A springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis with antennae at a jaunty angle.

A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea somewhat rain-spattered.

On a wall of the Telford Sailing Clun HQ was this Yellow Cereal Fly Opomyza florum.

On the same wall was this male cranefly Tipula pagana.

This fly was too far up one of the street lamp poles to obtain a better angle. With strongly patterned wings it is one of the fruit flies and likely Tephritis formosa. This group are not all reliant on fruit, the larvae of this species feeds on Sow-thistles Sonchus sp.

Despite its colour this slug may not be a (Large) Red Slug. The only way to guarantee an identification is to examine its genitalia. It has to stay Arion ater-type.

This snail gives me the usual problem. It looks nothing like any of the photos on NatureSpot. Obsidentify's best suggestion of White- or Brown-lipped Snail is clearly wrong. Google Lens suggested an Asian species. I have rotated the image for easier(?) viewing.

It is not often I find a money spider on the street lamp poles. There is almost no chance of a more detailed identity from photos of members of this large family.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: moved several feet, if the same individual

Flies:
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- 36 midges of various species

Beetles
- * $$ larvae, possibly of Cobweb Beetle Ctesias serra

Arthropods:
- no White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

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

Is this the same Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria? If so it has moved several feet

I had to do a lot of searching around the web to find a possible identity for this. It was Google Lens that pointed me in the right direction. It is a beetle larvae, possibly of Cobweb Beetle Ctesias serra. This is in the same family of beetles as carpet beetles whose larvae are known as woolly bears.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(252nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the three mainly white feral geese were with at least 102 Greylags.
- 11 Mute Swans again
- Goosanders, Great Crested Grebes and Cormorants were diving around each other while all fishing beneath overhanging vegetation near the Derwent Drive lay-by making numbers difficult to ascertain.
- what I presume was the same Little Grebe first noted Saturday and hiding away yesterday.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 102 Greylag Geese at least
- 3 mainly white feral geese
- 11 Mute Swans
- 34 (24♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- *18 (1♂) Goosander: see notes
- 7 Moorhens
- 102 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Herring Gull: immature, arrived
- 8 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron: see notes

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *3 November Moth types Epirrita sp.

Fungus:
- * unidentified fungus

A duck Mallard of course. Note the bill colour and compare with...

...this bird. On plumage another duck Mallard. Not with an all-yellow bill it isn't. But what is it? Well: I guess it is a first year drake very late in moulting. The crown does look to be acquiring the green of a drake's head. There is no sign of the curled tail-feather that is so characteristic of drake Mallards.

"Where are all the fish?" Two brownhead Goosanders. I am not certain whether to read anything in to their different brown tones. The front bird shows white between the bill and the eye which some Field Guides suggest indicates a first-winter. Perhaps the other is an adult?

The only drake Goosander I can say I positively saw today. The birds were hauling on and off the island and it was difficult to keep track. It will moult out the two black feathers along its flanks. All fuzzy I am afraid – it was taken in soaking drizzle.

Another take on the very variable November Moth types Epirrita sp. This one was at the top end. The two I saw yesterday on a street lamp pole in squirrel alley were still there today but had shuffled around to the leeward side.

These have popped up since yesterday (or I must book an appointment with Specsavers (other opticians are...)). You would think "easy"...

..but I am not happy with any of the suggestions from Obsidentify or Google Lens. The fungus is growing where a dead tree was removed earlier this year. For the last few years the trunk of that tree produced an impressive array of honey fungus. I assumed this fungus was the same, now growing on the roots left behind. Apparently not.

The BBC Weather web site has been full of comments about how the dry Spring and Summer is giving spectacular Autumn colours. This is about the best I have seen, on the small grassy area backing on to Hollyoak Grove.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail heard
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>530 migrating Wood Pigeons
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
65 Mute Swans
7 Wigeon
7 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
47 Greylag Geese
56 Canada Geese
9 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
236 Coots
4 Buzzards
Chiffchaff
27 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Goldeneye
100 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)

19 Oct 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 12.0°C: Amazing: stars visible when I arrived! Soon clouded with some occasional very light rain after 10:00. Moderate easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:43 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: 05:55 – 09:30

(254th visit of the year)

Bird notes
My first Fieldfare of the second-winter period flew over. There were also several small parties of Wood Pigeons that were likely migrants. Also several small groups of Redwings. And not to be outdone a small group of Skylarks flew over, oddly going East.

Other bird notes:
- two single Canada Geese arrived and soon after departed together.
- the daily movement of westbound geese took place. I photographed six skeins totalling 105 birds. There were also two singles. Amongst the skeins were the three mostly white feral geese, presumably those seen at The Flash later. On sound all the geese were Greylags: the photos are not clear-enough to confirm that and with a group of 16 Canadas noted at The Flash I have logged them all as geese sp.
- the pair of Gadwall remain.
- it was again mayhem early on with significant numbers of both Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. For a change it was a few Black-headed Gulls that were the first arrivals. Also many early Lesser Black-backed Gulls did not stop off, flying straight over.
- again there was a sizeable arrival of large gulls later on.
- the Tawny Owl was calling alongside Teece Drive c.06:00.
- two Chiffchaffs were noted with both seen as well heard calling.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *107 geese, all westbound: see notes
- 104 Wood Pigeons: of these 88 flew over as six apparent migrant groups
- c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: together
- 6 Skylarks: together East
- 168 Jackdaws
- 267 Rooks
- 13 Starlings: two groups
- 21 Fieldfare: also in two groups
- 54 Redwings: five groups
- 3 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived separately and departed together
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 27 (15♂) Mallard
- 8 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- >600 Black-headed Gulls: 72 (of these?) seen on the football field c.07:50.
- 19 Herring Gulls
- c.150 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: c.100 early and then c.50 later arrivals
- 1 Grey Heron

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

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
A more modest offering after overnight rain and a breeze blowing on many of the poles.

Moths:
- 5 November Moth types Epirrita sp.

Hoverflies:
- *1 probable Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]

Other flies:
- 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 possible Palloptera scutellata: a trembling-wing fly
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 1 "unidentified blackfly" (not a blackfly aphid sp.)
- *more unidentified flies

Bugs:
- *2 Common Froghoppers Philaenus spumarius

Beetles:
- *1 flea beetle just possible Ragwort Flea Beetle Longitarsus jacobaeae

Earwigs:
- 1 unsexed Common European Earwig Forficula dentata (jumped off before I could photo it!)

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Nothing other than...

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

Noted later elsewhere:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 European Hornet Vespa crabro flew past me. None seen around the nest site

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

Two (four?) skeins of westbound geese. These all seem to be Greylag Geese except for the bird at the top-back of the front skein which is a mainly white feral goose.

Eleven more Greylags.

Another skein also with a mainly white feral goose as tail-end Charlie (or is that sexist?)

This hoverfly was not well-positioned for the camera to "see" through the folded wings to see the abdomen pattern clearly. Probably a Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus.

A 100% ID from Obsidentify: a Palloptera scutellata. If correct it is a new insect for me and one of a group known as trembling-wing flies. Per NatureSpot trembling-wing flies "because of the striking vibration of the wings in many species". Not this one while I was looking at it.

"Fly unknown" was the suggestion from Obsidentify. As a pedant I prefer the term "unidentified" since I am sure it is known, just not by Obsidentify (or me!)

One of two Common Froghoppers Philaenus spumarius that were on the same street lamp pole pre-dawn.

The other one.

A tiny beetle with swollen hind femurs suggests it is a flea beetle. The photo does not show much detail (it is only 2mm and tests the camera's built-in macro facility to the limit). The colour of the elytra would fit Ragwort Flea Beetle Longitarsus jacobaeae. There is plenty of Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris in the area.

The council may have mown down all the Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig fungus Coprinus comatus in the area around the football field but there are a few in the grounds of the academy. This taken by poking my phone camera between the railings – not something I'd attempt unless school was out.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: essentially at the same location but slightly re-orientated

Flies:
- 54 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

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

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:35

(251st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *three mainly white feral geese with the Greylags along the edge of the island.
- 11 Mute Swans again
- no sign of yesterday's Little Grebe.
- at least 18 Siskins flew over together. An unseen group was heard later when trees were blocking my view of the sky. Later still two flew in to tree tops.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Jackdaws
- 5 Starlings: together
- 18+ Siskins: see notes

Noted on / around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese
- *63 Greylag Geese at least
- *3 mainly white feral geese
- 11 Mute Swans
- 27 (18♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 22 (2♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens again
- 105 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- *52 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls: various ages
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; three adults, one immature
- *11 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *2 November Moth types Epirrita sp.

Nothing else

Eight Greylag Geese, three mostly white feral geese, two adult-winter Black-headed Gulls and an immature Cormorant.

A brownhead Goosander. The flanks were not really that pale. I blame the poor light.

This drake is not much better. It does show the bottle-green head of adult drakes.

One of my "record shots". There was only one November Moth type on the street lamp pole yesterday. Against the trend of many fewer this morning at the Balancing Lake there were two in squirrel alley this morning.

(Ed Wilson)

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2009
Priorslee Lake
63 Mute Swan
7 Wigeon
14 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
c.600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gull
1 Yellow Legged Gull
27 Redwings
3 Fieldfare
2 Willow Tits
(Mike Cooper / Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
>100 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rail
107 Redwings
176 Fieldfare
19 Siskins
4 Skylarks
3 Meadow Pipits
2 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Shoveler
37 Redwing
1 Fieldfare
250+ Starlings in the roost
11 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
202 Coot
5 Moorhen
(Ed Wilson)

18 Oct 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 11.0°C: Guess: another overcast morning.. Light south-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:41 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: 05:50 – 09:30

(253rd visit of the year)

Not new for the year here but worth highlighting. *My second Red Kite here in 2025 flew over at 08:50. A species that is spreading out from its stronghold in Wales and the Borders and will likely be seen more frequently in the future.

Bird notes:
- the erstwhile daily party of Greylag Geese did not materialise.
- *a trio of Shoveler were seen departing: at least one was a drake
- a pair of Gadwall remain.
- it was mayhem early on with large numbers of both Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Many of them put to flight by the Grey Heron moving around the lake with birds streaming out to the East and south-east becoming mixed up with a larger than usual passage of Jackdaws and Rooks. Possibly many more than I have estimated. In particular gulls seen moving south-east may not have visited at all.
- long after all the early gulls had all departed there was a sizeable arrival of large gulls and as seems to be usual at the moment it is only then that any Herring Gulls are noted. There could have been immatures earlier – they are harder to pick-out in the poor light.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 23 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 49 Lesser Black-backed Gulls at least
- *1 Red Kite
- 241 Jackdaws
- 248 Rooks
- 5 Redwings
- 4 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- *3 (1♂?) Shoveler: departed
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 23 (14♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens only
- 41 Coots again
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >900 Black-headed Gulls
- *20 Herring Gulls
- c.650 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: at least 500 early and then 150+ later arrivals
- 1 Grey Heron

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

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

Moths:
- *1 Oak Longhorn Carcina quercana [was Long-horned Flat-body]
- *17 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- *1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Flies:
- 1 male mosquito, perhaps Culex pipiens
- 5 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- 2 aphids
- *various unidentified flies

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *2 Nursery Web Spiders Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 other spider
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

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

Flies:
- 1 unidentified plumed midge
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana

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

Noted later elsewhere:

Flies:
- *1 possible Scoliocentra villosa

Nothing else: I spent about three minutes near the Hornet nest site and saw nothing

A trio of Shoveler departing. It is not possible to be certain of the bill shape at this range. Identification is by a combination of the curving white area in the centre of the wing and, especially prominent on the middle bird, the pale (blue!) forewing. So this bird is a drake. The angle of the wings of the other birds is not helpful. The forewings look less pale and these two are probably ducks.

"I want to stand on the buoy. Get off" Two first-winter Herring Gulls dispute who is going to be "King of the Castle".

Yet another "record shot". This time a distant Red Kite.

Could be worse?

An Oak Longhorn moth Carcina quercana. "Where's the longhorn (antennae)?" I hear you say. I have no idea!

I got half-way yesterday with a November Moth type Epirrita sp. wings half closed. Here is one with the wings held, unusually, over its back at rest. The bright area on the head is eye-shine from the camera flash. Would the red-eye setting work on insects?

I noted yesterday that not all Mottled Umber moths Erranis defoliaria are either mottled or umber. A case in point here. The distinctive wavy cross-line, here a band, is the identification feature.

A female plumed midge which I am almost certain is Chironomus plumosus. There is little information about midges on most web site I use and the terms midges and gnats seem to be used indiscriminately.

The only insect I saw away from the pre-dawn street lights was this fly on the Teece Drive fence. I suspect a possible Scoliocentra villosa with the red eyes, grey thorax and banded orange abdomen.

A cranefly Tipula pagana on a wall of the Telford Sailing Clun HQ.

A winter cranefly Trichocera sp. with a friend: an aphid perhaps.

Fly unidentified #1. I am a bit pushed for time today. I may have another look later.

On the right fly unidentified #2. On the left another aphid perhaps.

If it had red eyes I might suggest this is a female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii. As it hasn't is becomes unidentified fly #3.

This plumed midge looks too slender in the body to be a Chironomus plumosus. So it becomes unidentified fly #4. No doing too well am I?

Today's Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Very smart. A Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: same location as yesterday

Flies:
- *1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 56 midges of various species

Arthropods:
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

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

A "regular-looking" moth fly Psychodidae sp., though one of very many indistinguishable species.

Another "no real idea" small fly. The long wings suggest an aphid. I am not all sure this suggestion is supported either by the long antennae or the V-shaped dark area on the abdomen.

A White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger. Most of my recent sighting have been of puny individuals so this well-developed specimen was worth a photo.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:45

(250th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 14 of the Canada Geese flew in with the lone Greylag for company
- 11 Mute Swans again
- the two drake Goosanders were noted on the island with four brownheads for company. 18 other brownheads were on the water.
- *a Little Grebe was probably a new arrival though this often secretive species could have been here a while.
- a large cohort of Herring Gulls; why?
- two Skylark heard over
- my first Siskins of the Autumn here flew over.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 23 Canada Geese: 14 of these flew in with....
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 11 Mute Swans
- 29 (20♂) Mallard
- 8 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 24 (2♂) Goosander: see notes
- *8 Moorhens
- 102 Coots
- *1 Little Grebe
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Herring Gulls: various ages
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; two adults, two immatures
- 13 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 November Moth type Epirrita sp.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris: hanging in web

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge

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

Small bird a long way away on a dull morning. That's my excuse for this photo of a Little Grebe. A Moorhen has photo-bombed the top right.

This Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris does not look too happy hanging in a spider's web.

On the labels of the street light overhang I noted this Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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2008
Priorslee Lake
992 Redwings
203 Fieldfare
Siskins
Redpolls
6 Pochard
c.150 Tufted Duck
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
18 Pochard
98 Tufted Ducks
1 duck Goldeneye
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Kingfisher
20 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
46 Robin
20 Blackbirds
6 Song Thrushes
42 Redwings
1 Chiffchaff
12 Starlings
52 Greenfinches
9 Goldfinches
2 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
8 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
30 Robins
(Ed Wilson)