24 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 14.0°C: Moonlit start with cloud all across the sky by sunrise. A few breaks later. Calm start with light SW breeze later. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:58 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:25 – 09:20

(210th visit of the year)

Probably the most notable record was my second sighting this year of a Badger trundling along. As before I am not about to reveal where I saw it so as to minimise the chance of persecution of this wonderful animal.

Bird notes:
- Unusual sight of c.75 Greylag Geese in two concurrent skeins flying N. It is necessary to check such groups from now on: it will soon be time for the winter geese to start arriving. Whilst these do not stay in the area they do pass over en route to their wintering grounds.
- I made a special effort to locate Great Crested Grebes. I could find only two juveniles and they were from the oldest of the three broods. It is possible these can fly though I cannot recall seeing them do so. I am fairly certain that the other juveniles had not fledged. So where have they gone?
- I noted 181 large gulls flying from the NE/N/NW after 06:30. c.125 of these stopped for a wash and brush up.
- Reports on various web sites suggest there is a significant arrival of Jays from the Continent. This happens whenever the acorn crop fails in Europe. One of the Jays I noted today was flying unusually high W and I have logged it as a passage bird.
- Another significant post-roost passage of Rooks. again rather fewer Jackdaws.
- The first Skylark of Autumn passage.

Overhead:
- >75 Greylag Geese: 1 inbound; c.75 flew N
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 253 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.55 large gulls: see notes
- 5 Cormorant: two singles and a trio
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 35 Jackdaws
- 118 Rooks
- 1 Jay
- 2 Ravens
- 1 Skylark
- 3 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted:
- 5 Chiffchaffs: no song
- 2 Blackcaps: male seen

Count from the lake area:
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 14 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 67 Coots
- 8 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- *>250 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.125 'large gulls': see notes
- 2 Cormorants: one arrived and departed; another arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Kingfisher again

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)

Other things:
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- *1 'money spider' sp.
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- *4 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen

Otherwise noted

In dull conditions:

- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- *Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- 1 Badger
- 2 Grey Squirrels

The camera struggled with the contrast here however it dramatically shows how the clear skies on my arrival soon gave way to cloud rolling in from the W.

The sliver of clear sky allowed the sunrise to colour up. Part of the Mute Swan family in the foreground.

The sunrise at maximum colour.

Makes a change for me not to put Coots against the sunrise. Here are three Black-headed Gulls against the sunrise. The one in the foreground is a first-winter: the others adults.

The skeins of geese were rather far away for a positive ID through my binoculars and at this time of year it is possible they could be winter visitors. Luckily the camera was able to confirm what my ears suggested – Greylag Geese. The pale forewing and large all-orange bill are just about discernible.

Not the best of angles to get a decent photo of this Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria). This is my first of the winter of what is often a very abundant moth. The literature suggests October to January as the flight period so this individual is obviously anxious to get on with things.

Trying to hide underneath the leaf is this Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni).

Another individual on top of a leaf. There are many small black beetles that are hard to identify. Being on an Alder leaf is a clue as is the blue-black caste.

A tiny tiny spider – compare with the dew drop that is about to drown it (probably not!). There are several hundred species of money spider and none can be identified without microscopic examination.

Not entirely sure what is going on here despite much work with the photo editor. I think two Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen having a tussle – or perhaps mating?

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Dingy Dowd (Blastobasis adustella)
- 1 Beautiful Plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla)
- 1 pug moth to be identified

with:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
- plus various midges and the usual other unidentified spiders as usual

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:20

(190th visit of the year)

I seem to have made a pig's ear of this log yesterday
- I omitted the duck Teal from the list of birds on / around the water
- I placed the Shaggy Inkcap here rather than at the lake (though the photo caption was correct)
As my school-masters used to say with great regularity "must try harder"!

Bird notes:
- No sign of the duck Teal.
- Only two adult Great Crested Grebes found: one with the juveniles; the other was where the 'spare' bird has tended to hang out.
- My first Cormorant here since 20 March (though they have flown over on numerous occasions since).
- A Jay in squirrel alley was being attacked by at least eight Blackbirds. After they had got rid of the Jay they started to chase each other.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 13 Feral Pigeons: two groups
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 1 Jackdaw again

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff only: no song

On /around the water:
- 46 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 42 (27♂) Mallard
- 26 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons

On a lamp pole:
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman

Elsewhere:
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *2 Owl Midges (aka Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly) Psychodidae sp.
- *many probable Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus) fungus
- 2 Grey Squirrel

A typically fuzzy Owl Midge Psychodidae sp. This specimen (there are almost 100 different species in the UK) seems to have a fierce-looking face on the abdomen.

Not my speciality (but what is?) I thought these fungus might be Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda). The depression in the middle is typical. I had done some 'gardening' to remove most of the leaves that these pushed their way through. I saw these in the same position last year.

However the flash photo of the underside shows dense gills and a slight roll-rim. The Shropshire recorder put me on the right line and these seem to be Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus).

(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

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)