3 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 11.0°C: Early cloud cleared and then mostly sunny. Light westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 07:10 GMT

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:25

(228th visit of the year)

Best in very busy skies was a Kestrel briefly over the dam at 07:20

Other bird notes:
- a best-effort count of Wood Pigeons with the passage starting early at 07:10 and fading away after 08:45. There were only five groups of >100 birds and most groups could be counted. However multiple concurrent groups to the East, to the West and overhead made that a challenge. Unusually there were more passing to the East.
- c.50 large gulls, almost all Lesser Black-backs, arrived c.07:00 from the East. Almost no other large gulls visited. Thereafter a steady stream passed over. They were mostly flying north-west.
- the Jackdaw passage, presumed roost-dispersal, started at 06:50 and small groups were still passing at 09:10 (and even later at The Flash). Only one group of >10 birds (42).
- in addition to the seven Starlings overhead a single flew out of a West end roost at 07:04 and two more from elsewhere around the water at 07:14.
- at least two Reed Buntings were calling from the West end roost site. I saw one fly off very low apparently staying close-by. Shortly afterwards another(?) was heard calling from the South side reeds.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 37 Greylag Geese: single outbound; two groups inbound
- 4 (0♂) Goosanders: together
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 4 Stock Doves: together
- 3545 Wood Pigeons: of these 3493 counted in 65 migrant flocks heading South.
- 18 Black-headed Gulls: South together
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 155 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: a single and a duo
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 234 Jackdaws
- 1 Kestrel
- 19 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 7 Starlings: two groups
- 54 Fieldfare: three groups
- 43 Redwings: three groups
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 4 Siskins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- *4 (3♂) Mallard
- 29 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 151 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.90 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: one apparently roosted and departed; another visited briefly; the third arrived separately and stayed

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Otherwise:
- *1 caterpillar possibly of a Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli)
- *1 Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
- 1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- *2 springtails Tomocerus vulgaris
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Later I noted these all on the fence alongside Teece Drive.:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

It was a day for looking 'up' so no new fungus noted.

 Mainly cloudy when I arrived: the moon popped out between the clouds briefly.

My weather app said "wall to wall clear". Not pre-dawn it wasn't. After all the recent rain I though "that will do". It did clear soon after.

A drake Mallard almost in its breeding finery: just a few brown feathers still on the crown.

Very funny.

My app's second choice on this was "Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli)". I dismissed that as the first suggestion had been "caddis fly". But then I thought "well perhaps it is suggesting the caterpillar of a Ghost Moth. This seems a good option though I don't have much literature on often similar caterpillars.

It is some days since I last recorded a Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). This, with the dark tips, is a male.

The patterned wings identify this cranefly as Limonia nubeculosa.

A couple of springtails Tomocerus vulgaris.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:55

(213th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- after the hectic time at the Balancing Lake it was peace and quiet here with nothing unusual.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 18 Jackdaws: 16 of these together

Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 44 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 54 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 (3♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 1 Kingfisher

On / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta): at least three

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): very very many

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Other flies:
- Common Blow-fly (Calliphora vicina)
- *++Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana)
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- *++the fly Thricops diaphanus
- and many unidentified flies of several species.

Fungus found

No new ones

This pair of Mallard were spinning around....

...ahead of (are we after the watershed?) a quick mating.

I have heard this described by an embarrassed parent to his small child as "giving her a ducking". Close.

A drake Mallard coming to splash down.

A gentle set-down by this different drake.

This duck Mallard makes a somewhat less gentle set-down!

And another drake.

Not a bird I see in flight too often. This is all-white feral duck, usually to be seen paddling about.

An adult Black-headed Gull.

Another also showing off its plumage. Not often noticed are the thin dark leading edges to the outer primaries.

Very aerobatic.

Another adult though the bill seems rather more orange than on many.

Two first-winters.

A first-winter looking for crumbs.

Always good to log butterflies in November. This is one of at least three Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta).

A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus).

Another. Not sure what is wrong with its left wing.

A Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax).

And another.

One more. Not sure how many more days these will be flying this year.

And a Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

With orange markings on the wing and orange on the face identifies this as a Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana).

This Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) seems to be blowing a bubble!

This unusual fly is a Thricops diaphanus. One of the many and very varied Muscid flies.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013
Shifnal, Lizard Wood
2 Hawfinch
(Arthur Harper)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Several Herons
>3800 Wood Pigeons
11 Skylarks
2 Meadow Pipits
199 Fieldfare
32 Redwings
9 Siskins
1 Linnet
Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

Wrekin
Location
1 Crossbill
Several Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
21 Pochard
58 Tufted Ducks
2 Buzzards
>900 Black-headed Gulls
176 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
807 Wood Pigeons
16 Pied Wagtails
26 Wrens
14 Dunnocks
34 Robins
24 Blackbirds
213 Fieldfares
6 Song Thrushes
150 Redwings
5 Mistle Thrushes
1 Blackcap
447 Starlings
2 Siskins
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake only

Abandoned wet!

8.0°C > 9.0°C: Very low cloud and period of moderate rain. Light / moderate north-westerly wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 07:08 GMT

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 08:30

(227th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two single Greylag Geese flew outbound. A few minutes after the first flew over what I assume was the same bird returned to splash down on the water and stayed throughout.
- I saw no large gulls overhead early and none visited the lake. Only four seen later with the first, a (near?) adult Herring Gull, arriving at 07:25.
- I think a Cormorant roosted somewhere around the lake. I have occasionally suspected this in previous years but never identified the precise location. The first I saw of this morning's bird was it at tree-height and climbing c.07:10. It then circled gaining altitude before heading off East. I had not seen it arrive or in the water beforehand.
- A Grey Heron flopped on to the edge of the water at the south-west grass, noted me hiding from the rain in the sailing club shelter and immediately flew off. I did not see it again.
- At least one Reed Bunting was calling pre-dawn (there was no post-dawn!) from the usual West end roost site. I did not see it / any leave.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 14 Canada Geese: flew South to the East at 06:55
- 2 Greylag Geese: singles outbound
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- also 21 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived: see notes
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 33 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 134 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: departed: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: briefly

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- *2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Flies:
- *1 possible Scoliocentra villosa

Spiders:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Nothing else

Spiders noted in the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:
- *>5 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 Orb-web spider Metellina sp.
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)

And another fungus:
- *a webcap species possibly Cortinarius saturninus

Another of those November Moth types (Epirrita dilutata agg.). This one was four street lamp poles away from where two sat out yesterday morning's deluge (only one of those was still present today).

This fly with orange between the red eyes and a black-striped grey thorax seems to be Scoliocentra villosa. Naturespot tells me it is from the small family of Heleomyzidae flies whose larvae feed on decaying plant and animal matter.

A Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius) doing a good job of wrapping its victim. I wonder if I could hire it to wrap my Christmas presents.

Another, the right way up, and one of three species of spider lurking in the darkness of the sailing club shelter. There are two species of spider in the Larinioides genus. They are most easily separated by the colour of the prosoma. This is also known as the cephalothorax and refers to the fused head and thorax of most spiders. In this species it is grey, as seen here. In L. cornutus it is brown.

This is an Orb-web spider from the Metellina group. A microscope job to tell which species.

A Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica).

I did not go fungus hunting in the very wet vegetation though I did notice this glistening rain-soaked group. They are a webcap species, possibly Cortinarius saturninus. Species identification of webcaps is noted to be "difficult". This particular species is not in the Naturespot website. It is in UKNature. Beware of any in this genus but especially if my specific identity is correct as they would contain toxins that, if eaten, would dissolve both liver and kidney tissue!

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
Kestrel
Little Grebe
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
4 Yellow legged Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
36 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks
4 Lapwings over
c.200 Starlings roosted at W end
53 Wood Pigeons
249 Fieldfare
14 Redwings
7 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebes
17 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.170 Golden Plover
1175 Wood Pigeons
1 Kingfisher
16 Pied Wagtails
22 Wrens
10 Dunnocks
27 Robins
22 Blackbirds
298 Fieldfares
8 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
69 Starlings
12 Chaffinches
33 Greenfinches
11 Goldfinches
1 Redpoll
5 Bullfinches
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Adult Arctic Tern
172 Redwing
9 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
Siskin
Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

1 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 11.0°C: Early pulses of sometimes heavy rain; cleared c.06:40 and thereafter broken cloud with some sunny spells. Increasing southerly breeze, becoming moderate, even fresh. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:06 GMT

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:25

(226th visit of the year)

Highlight today were two Woodcock that flew past the sailing club HQ toward the M54. Unusually I managed to get my binoculars on one and positively identify it rather than log it as a 'what else could it have been' shape.

Other bird notes:
- yesterday's two drake Pochard gone.
- a group of >100 large gulls, almost all Lesser Black-backs, arrived c.08:10.
- three Common Buzzards seen overhead together was an unusual sight these day.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 72 Wood Pigeons: of these 30 in two migrant flocks heading South.
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 Cormorants: a single and a septet
- 3 Common Buzzards
- 50 Jackdaws
- 3 Skylarks
- 6 Rooks
- 5 Starlings
- 48 Fieldfare: two groups flew South
- 9 Redwings: two groups flew South
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Mallard
- 36 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 125 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 21 Herring Gulls
- 145 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- *2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
Nothing else was braving the rain sluicing down at the time (other than me!).

These all on the fence alongside Teece Drive.:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) pupa (case?)
- *1 Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata) [used to be lumped in with F. auricularia]
- *3 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

And some more fungus:
- *+The Deceiver (Laccaria laccata)
- *++possible Stump (or Pear-shaped) Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme)
- *++Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata)
- *+Fragile Brittlegill (Russula fragilis)
- Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum)

 After having got soaked first thing I did not expect this.

 These two November Moth-types (Epirrita dilutata agg.) sat out the deluge and were still present later.

Probably the same Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata) as yesterday showing that it is waterproof. This is a female – males have pincers with a stronger curve.

This harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus is making the most of only seven legs.

Whereas this is staggering on with six.

Not much on the lake so it was mainly "to the woods" to look for fungus. I found this fungus, The Deceiver (Laccaria laccata), at The Flash yesterday. My first here.

Obsidentify was not too confident about this fungus. Checking with Naturespot it does seem credible that this is Stump (or Pear-shaped) Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme).

Inside the wood it is very dark. I had to use photo flash to get any sort of image of this fungus. It is Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata).

This is Fragile Brittlegill (Russula fragilis).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:55

(212th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Once again fewer Goosander though they were being very mobile and hard to keep track of.
- Still six Great Crested Grebes.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 5 Jackdaws: together
- 11 Starlings: together

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 2 + *4 Mute Swans
- 39 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 33 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- *7 (1♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- *49 Coots
- *6 Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Herring Gulls: one first winter and one third winter
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): very many

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *+Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Other flies:
- *Common Blow-fly (Calliphora vicina)
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Fungus: 

Again all different groups from those recorded earlier though some species are repeated
- *Angel's Bonnet (Mycena arcangeliana)
- *Common Bonnet (Mycena galericulata)
- *Bleeding Oak Crust (Stereum gausapatum)
- *probable Yellowing Knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum)

Mute Swan cygnet formation flying time.

A drake Tufted Duck about to splash-down. When they are swimming you do not realise how large, proportionately, their feet are.

A brownhead Goosander. Look at the base of the bill. I think it is a growth.

Zoomed in and enlarged.

It seems to be only on one side so it is not, as I initially suspected, that the bill has become entangled with discarded plastic.

A Great Crested Grebe showing the white in the wings usually only evident in flight.

Always up for a flight. A Coot looking belligerent.

A first-winter Herring Gull. Unlike most Lesser Black-backed Gulls at this age the dark bill has a pale tip.

Whereas this is a third winter – I think. The amount of dark in the tail band is rather more extensive than usual as is the extent of the dark marks in the inner part of the wing. However the wing-tip pattern is typical. I would never be able to make such fine judgment without a photo.

A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) tries to access nectar from what is now a seed-head of Ivy (Helix sp.).

Another individual persisting.

I apologise this is not sharp but it shows something not easily seen on flies – the vestigial hind wing that acts as a gyroscope to tell the insect about its orientation.

Not as I thought at the time, a Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax). It is not 'tapered-enough' and the pale bands across the abdomen do not fit either. It is a Stripe-faced Dronefly (E. nemorum) and my first here this year!

Why do Common Blow-flies (Calliphora vicina) often rub their front legs together?

Aren't they wonderfully horrid? A Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria). Not sure about the other fly photo-bombing the image.

 More fungus: this group is of Angel's Bonnets (Mycena arcangeliana)

Whereas these are Common Bonnets (Mycena galericulata).

One in close-up.

These are more Common Bonnets which I found as one of what I thought were two species of fungus growing on a dead limb of an otherwise healthy tree. I did not, at the time, note the white inflorescence which is an as yet unidentified third species.

This was the second species. At the time Obsidentify was 99% sure it was Serpula himantioides. That species is not in Naturespot. From Wikipedia I learn it is related to dry-rot fungus. However it looks to me like a 'crust' and when I showed the app this edited photo it gave me the option of Bleeding Oak Crust (Stereum gausapatum). That seems more likely.

This is another probable Yellowing Knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum).

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2010
Priorslee Lake
Brambling
3 Fieldfares
12 Redwings
5 Siskins
2 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Cormorant
14 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
Female Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Willow Tits with the Long-tailed Tits
Kingfisher
Jays
Skylark
Siskin
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)