12 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 15.0°C: Some early breaks, especially to he E, otherwise cloudy. Very light winds, mainly from the E. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:38 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:55 – 06:50 // 08:00 – 09:20

(201st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- An amazing sound as c.750 Black-headed Gulls arrived low overhead all together in a tight group just before 06:30. They all settled on the water briefly alongside the c.120 already present, spreading out o allow me to make a reasonable estimate of the number. After less than five minutes many of them were off, mostly to the SW. Some of these were probably the >260 birds on the football field at 06:45.
- Smaller number of large gulls arrived. Three at 05:55 stayed only a few minutes and it was 06:20 before more arrived, eventually 94 were logged inbound. I did not notice any of these passing overhead, all apparently stopping to bathe and drink.
- When I arrived back from The Flash large gulls present comprised 20 Herring Gulls, all juveniles / first-winters and one adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Very odd. A group of 28 mixed age Lesser Black-backs dropped in later.
- A distant group of 26 post-roost Jackdaws was my first such movement of the Autumn. Mind you the visibility has been so poor most mornings recently that I would have been unable to see any.

Overhead:
- 8 Canada Geese: outbound in two groups; more heard
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 77 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Collared Doves: single and duo
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- ? large gulls: see notes
- 33 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 3 Starlings

Hirundines etc., noted:
None

Warblers noted:
- 7 Chiffchaffs: four in song
- 2 Blackcaps still

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- 10 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- >850 Black-headed Gulls
- 20 Herring Gulls: all juvenile / first-winter
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 97 'large gulls'
- 2 Grey Herons: one chased away

Moths at the lamps pre-dawn:
- *1 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana f brunneana)
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *1 Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata)
- 1 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)
- 1 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba): dead in a spider web

Other things:
- 1 caddis fly
- 1 green midge
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- *1 Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)
- *1 Large House Spider-type: Eritigena sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- 1 spider to be identified
- 5 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Nigel, the Shropshire spider man, identified Friday's red-tinged all-black spider as a Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)

Noted later: rather and very few flowers producing nectar now:

- 5 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Stripe-backed Dasysyrphus hoverfly (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)
- many White-lipped Snails (Cepaea hortensis)
- 1 Grey Squirrel

It was good to get a sunrise this morning even though the cloud soon returned. The 'long view'.

A different perspective. A very small part of the large arrival of Black-headed Gulls can be seen toward the right of the water.

About as good as it got. A few Black-headed Gulls 'photo-bombing' the sky.

This small moth is a Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana). This species comes in several distinct forms all demarcated centrally across the wing. This form, with the ground colour brown rather than black is brunneana. One of the other forms (aperana) that lacks the dark patch on the dorsum.

A Common Marbled Carpet moth (Dysstroma truncata). A very different-looking specimen to that with the brown central area that I photographed last week.

A male Large House Spider-type: Eritigena sp.

A Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) leaving a mucus trail as it ascends a lamp pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Brindled Flat-body (Agonopterix arenella)

with:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 5 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- at least five craneflies of different species: at least one a *Tipula lateralis.
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- various other unidentified spiders as usual

I found this small moth on the roof of the tunnel. It seems to be a Brindled Flat-body moth (Agonopterix arenella). It is a common and widespread moth though a new species for me so I will get my identification confirmed.

The wing marking on this cranefly are none too visible from this angle but the pale stripe running the length of the abdomen is sufficient to confirm this as Tipula lateralis. There were at least five different species in the tunnel this morning

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Chiffchaff just about in song by the upper pool

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:55 – 07:55

(181st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Big arrival of c.200 geese in one large group. No hybrids found.
- Both adult Great Crested Grebes were with their young today.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull: first winter
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one adult and one first winter
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling

Hirundines etc., noted:
- House Martins head high to E: included at least one juvenile begging

Warblers noted:
- 4 Chiffchaffs: one in song
- 1 Blackcap

On /around the water:
- *98 Canada Geese: 94 of these arrived together with...
- *105 Greylag Geese: no hybrids seen
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 24 (15♂) Mallard
- 14 (?♂) Tufted Duck only
- 8 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Black-headed Gulls once again
- 2 Grey Herons again: just possibly a third

On various lamp poles:
- *1 Double-striped Pug moth (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)
- *1 Common Marbled Carpet moth (Dysstroma truncata)
- *1 Tipula confusa cranefly
- *1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Also
- 1 Grey Squirrel

This is about half of the large flock of returning Canada and Greylag Geese. Some of the Greylags can be picked out from their pale forewings.

A few of the Canada Geese now 'on finals' with undercarriage down.

A Double-striped Pug moth (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata). A rather variable species and it is not always too obvious where the 'double-stripes' are across the wings.

Another Common Marbled Carpet moth (Dysstroma truncata). Very similar in colouration to the one at the lake this morning. Rather unusual for this very variable species.

Very much the season of craneflies at the moment. This Tipula confusa is one of the more distinguishable species with its well-patterned wings. It is not unique in holding its wings folded over its body at rest, but this does help separate it from many other craneflies.

This is a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus). Most specimens show a short pale horizontal mark at the front of the abdomen, making a cross with the interrupted pale streak running down the abdomen. Like all spider species the markings can be very variable.

(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
Priorslee Lake
9 Ravens
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 immature Peregrine Falcon
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
3 Wheatear
Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Arctic Tern
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Albino Wood Pigeon
3 Swifts
1 Sedge Warbler
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)