15 Oct 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  06:15 –09:25
The Flash:  09:30 – 10:20
Trench Lock Pool:  10:50 – 11:05
Trench Middle Pool:  10:25 – 10:45 // 11:10 – 11:25

9.0°C > 10.0°C:  Initially very low cloud and drizzle in the air. Clouds slowly lifted, staying overcast. Almost calm. Poor visibility, gradually improving to good.

Sunrise: 07:35 BST

Priorslee Lake:  06:15 –09:25

(244th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- All the geese flew inbound together and the four Canada x Greylag Geese were seen later at The Flash with what appeared to be their Greylag and Canada parents.
- Forgot to count the Great Crested Grebes: all seemed to be present and correct.
- The very last juvenile Coot still has extensive white on the breast and belly – seems rather slow to develop? Chases around after one of its parents without any problem.
- The Jackdaws almost all went over in two large groups – at least 200 over the E end of the lake at 07:17; and then at least 160 over the Ricoh grounds at 07:22. Just three stragglers noted much later.
- Three Song Thrushes (sub)singing today
- Another day without any Chiffchaffs in the log. By this date birds have usually stopped calling. Likely that a few will be in the area all winter. Finding these when they don’t call will not be easy.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
***numbers affected by low cloud***
- 5 Greylag Geese (inbound)
- 1 Canada Goose (inbound)
- 4 Canada x Greylag Geese (inbound)
- 17 unidentified large gulls: too dark to ID
- 2 Stock Doves
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- >360 Jackdaws
- 24 Starlings (1 group)
- 5 Pied Wagtails

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake
- 4 Starlings
- 3 Redwings
- 4 Reed Buntings

Warblers noted
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 34 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe: other(s) heard?
- [Great Crested Grebes not counted]
- 7 Moorhens
- 119 Coots
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 16 of these first-winter birds
- 13 Herring Gulls: 11 of these first-winter birds

Pre-dawn sightings on the lamp poles:
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet moth (Dysstroma truncata)
- 2 springtails, likely Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 other springtail, perhaps Pogonogthellus flavescens
- 1 Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- two flies of different species, one perhaps one of the Psilidae (Rust flies)
- 3 spiders, all the same(?) unidentified species
- 1 White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- 3 small black slugs

Later sighting:
- 2 Limonid Craneflies
- 1 unidentified millipede

My attention was drawn to this first-winter gull by the apparent black ‘skirt’ along the edge of the folded wing and the very dark face. I have failed to find that it is anything interesting, just about within the range of Herring Gull.

Probably another Pogonognathellus longicornis springtail. I am finding many of at the moment.

This specimen has the same long antennae but differently marked body. Whereas ....

... the body is similar on this but the antennae are short. The Naturespot web site tells me that the antennae break easily. It seems unlikely here as they are the same length. Could be the less-common allied species Pogonogthellus flavescens in which the antennae are shorter than the body.

One of small flies found on the lamp poles this morning. This orange-toned species is less frequently seen. Looks a bit like a Psilidae (Rust flies), but ....

This has to be one of the Limonid Craneflies, a genus that holds it wings closed when at rest. That said this seems atypical in the length of the antennae for any Limonid species illustrated on the web. The wings are rather devoid of markings which also rules out most of the species in this group. Perhaps it is because this insect was at rest on the solid wall of the yacht club building and it is impossible to see ‘through’ the wing? Next to it was ....

... which, apart from apparently having lost two legs, looks superficially similar with a suggestion of markings in the wings pointing to Limonia nubeculosa. The antennae look shorter but still perhaps too long?

This looks like a Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge) even though it is does not seem to the plumes on the antennae. Perhaps it is a females as these do not have plumes. The cross-lighting provides a side-elevation view as well.

There were three spiders, each on different poles. They looked as if they were all the same species. Here is one, covered in droplets from the light drizzle.

This seems to be another though its markings are much clearer.

And the third specimen.

A slug, of course. Perhaps it is the way the light is catching it but there seem to be no tubercles visible which makes identification impossible.

A White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis).

Another failure: a millipede is as far as I can go. Apart from not having a stripe it fits the Striped Millipede (Ommatoiulus sabulosus) quite well!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:30 – 10:20

(231st visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- The hybrid geese were in a group and looked like the result of a cross between a Canada and a Greylag Goose. I will need to dig my earlier photos out but I am recall the previous family group as more closely resembled a cross between a Greylag and a Canada Goose – i.e. with different dominant genes.
- Rather fewer Tufted Ducks – had they decamped to the lake?
- At least initially the four Great Crested Grebes were as two pairs, one of which included an immature with remnant face stripes
- 12 Carrion Crows seen together over the wooded hill in the SE area. Unusual to see this number together
Other things:
on the usual lamp pole
- 1 Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
on a lamp pole in squirrel alley
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Redwing

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 39 Greylag Geese
- 12 Canada Geese
- 5 hybrid / feral geese
- 38 (21♂) Mallard
- 15 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 15 Coots
- 5 Black-headed Gulls

One of the Canada x Greylag Geese. To my eye this looks more Canada than Greylag. The head of a real Greylag Goose in the foreground.

The three other juvenile members of the family. These have even darker necks which fits with Canada Goose, though the bill is clearly derived from Greylag genes.

One of the two pairs of Great Crested Grebes seen. The bird in the foreground shows stripes on the face indicating it was born this year.

Now this is what I expect a Limonia nubeculosa cranefly to look like, with well-marked wings.

On the left is a well-camouflaged presumed Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa). To the right a seven-legged harvestman which seems to be a Paroligolophus agrestis.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:50 – 11:05

(45th visit of the year)

An even more depressing visit. Even the Mute Swans have gone. Cannot even blame the fishermen for creating a disturbance  – there weren’t any.

Nothing to note from here:

Counts from the water:
- 4 (1♂) Mallard again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes: ages?
- 3 Moorhens
- 8 Coots
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: one of these a first winter bird

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:25 – 10:45 // 11:10 – 11:25

(45th visit of the year)

Work to stabilise the N side embankment seems to be nearing completion. Very quiet.

Notes from here:
- Some of the Mallards were showing the yellow-green bills of drakes and with plumage otherwise like ducks. Perhaps first-winter birds yet to moult? Those I noted have been counted as drakes. Some may have ‘escaped’ my notice.
And
- At least three and probably four species of fungus found and photographed.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
None

Counts from the water:
- 15 Greylag Geese: arrived
- no Canada Geese
- 41 (27?♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white feral Mallard-type remains
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 8 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gulls

It is dark and damp at Middle Pool, ideal for fungus. Species #1, looking like a bonnet species, perhaps Clustered Bonnet (Mycena inclinata).

These large fruiting bodies seem to fit Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda).

Are these smaller and newer versions of the species #2? Not sure.

I think this is a third species even though they were very close to both the previous species. again I have no idea as to their identity.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Nedge Hill 
Location
2 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Gulls
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
87 Tufted Ducks
1 Kingfisher
23 Pied Wagtails
32 Robins
12 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
11 Redwings
c.130 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)