14 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 13.0°C: Overcast with rain from 06:10 to c.09:00. Light ENE wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 06:41 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 09:25

(203rd visit of the year)

I checked the rainfall radar before I left home. The overnight rain had gone through and no more rain seemed to be approaching: wrong! I just had time to check the tunnel and the lamps at the W end and it started to rain.

Two highlights this morning
- A female Peregrine flew low and fast in front of the dam in hot pursuit of a Wood Pigeon that wisely landed in the NE trees and hid. The Peregrine, a female on size, was unsuccessful as disappeared to the E.
- At 08:30 two Common Terns arrived and stayed well down the 'other end'. I was sheltering in the car in the Castle Farm Way lay-by and managed a few record shots out of the car window – I did not want to get the camera wet. Luckily the Black-headed Gulls stopped harassing the terns whenever they sat on any of the buoys. After 09:00 when the rain eased I was able to get closer for a few photos, albeit in very dull light.

Other bird notes:
- Unusual to find more duck Mallard than drakes.
- Counts from the water are 'best-effort' in dull and wet conditions. There were certainly fewer Coots out on the open water
- All gulls were very late arriving and in low numbers. Three large gulls flew high over at 06:14 with another a few minutes later, apparently nothing to do with the local roost dispersal. The first of just 10 large gulls from the roost appeared at 06:29, one minute ahead of a lone Black-headed Gull. This was not joined by any others until 06:34 and only c.75 were noted.
- I should record that last year the post-roost arrival of the large gulls took place from the NW, with birds appearing over the centre of the N side. This year they are arriving from the W and over the Ricoh buildings. I assume this means that the roost location, thought to be the roof of Halesfield factories last year, has moved.
- A Blackcap in sub-song is unusual at this date.

Overhead:
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 206 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Peregrine: female
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >4 large gulls: see notes

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Warblers noted:
- 4 Chiffchaffs: three in song
- 2 Blackcaps: one in sub-song

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 46 Coots only
- 9? + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls: all immatures again
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: first-winter
- 61 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: various ages
- 16 'large gulls' only: see notes
- *2 Common Terns: juveniles
- no Grey Heron

Moths at the lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata)
- 1 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba): still in same position with a Noble False Widow spider in attendance

Other things:
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus): female
- *1 Tephritid fly Anomoia purmunda
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Noble False Widow spiders (Steatoda nobilis)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 female Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen

Noted later: too damp and dull for much.
- 1 Common Wasp
- 1 bumblebee sp. in flight
- many White-lipped Snails (Cepaea hortensis) as usual

I had a fine time trying to get photos of the two Common Terns in the rain, in poor light and at long distance. Both of them showed a dark carpal bar – along the inner part of the forewing; and a pale forehead indicating they are juveniles. As such they will have short tails and separation of Common and Arctic Terns is therefore not easy. Any adult with a white forehead at this date has to be a Common Tern as Arctic Terns only start their head moult after they depart on migration.

The rather smudgy black trailing edge to the under-wing is a good clue this is a Common Tern.

Both together from below

Compare and contrast time. Showing the size difference as a first-winter Black-headed Gull (black tail tip) disputes the right to sit on the green buoy.

Luckily the rain stopped and I could get the camera (and me) out of the car and get closer to the (in)action. The leg-length alone rules out Arctic Tern which looks almost leg-less at rest. Note the dark tips to the folded secondaries.

The other bird was not so close and harder for the camera to focus on with all the water patterning. This bird shows some juvenile plumage with the back having faint gingery tones. Another separation from Arctic Tern is that the carpal bar on the latter species is usually less distinct.

It is not easy to see but this fly that I found on a lamp pole pre-dawn has rather unusual wing markings. It looks like the Tephritid fly Anomoia purmunda.

Not much clearer from above. I have never recorded this species previously. The green in the eye is likely iridescence in response to my LED torch.

This looks like the springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis. May be a foreshortening effect but the antennae look too long and thick for the head to support. Must have strong neck muscles!

I think this can only be a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) starting to acquire its winter colours – they become completely bronze-brown before they hibernate.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:

None

with:
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus): female
- 2 lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- plus craneflies and *spiders as usual

One of the many spiders here.

What looks to be a spider of the same species has caught its breakfast. It was a cranefly now of an unrecognisable species.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:15

(183rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan adopted the threat posture toward the two cygnets. These are spending an increasing amount of time well away from any of the adults and also seem to have fallen out with their Canada Geese friends.
- A flock of c.40 Goldfinches was seen circling over the island

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 5 Chiffchaffs: two in song
- 1 Blackcap

On /around the water:
- 79 Canada Geese: some of these arrived
- 14 Greylag Geese: most of these arrived
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 28 (19♂) Mallard
- 30 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens again
- 23 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Grey Herons

On various lamp poles:
- 1 caddis fly sp.
- *1 lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

A lacewing sp., perhaps Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea). I have no idea of the source of the red patches on the wing tip.

The same individual in side-elevation. I placed this on the side of the photo as I am sure you did not want to read the graffiti on the lamp pole.

(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

Water Rail

Hobby

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

Snipe

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Sandwich Tern

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Green Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)