18 Nov 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 11.0°C: Mainly low cloud, lifting somewhat. Threatened to break c.08:45 but didn't. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:37 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:25

(264th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Fewer Tufted Duck today. Perhaps they had relocated to The Flash where there was an increase.
- Cannot say anything positive or negative about the Cetti's Warbler. If it has moved to the NE area I am much less likely to hear it as I spend little time walking through that wooded area.
- I was using a different vantage point first thing and did not expect to see any Starlings leave the W end roost. Nevertheless a well spread-out group passed a few feet above my head as they left - hard to judge numbers at the range and speed/
- The only Redwings today were at least two calling from trees as I checked the lamps for moths.
- A Mistle Thrush was in full song again. At one time it sounded as if it were coming from a small shelter belt of retained old trees around the housing development.
- A smaller number of Pied Wagtails heard overhead. No doubt partly attributable to combination of my different location and consequent extra noise from the M54. The first heard at the remarkably early time of 06:30 when still dark.

Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 3 Stock Doves: singles
- 44 Wood Pigeons only: just 6 of these in a loose group heading high 'N'
- 2 Collared Doves
- 1 Herring Gull
- 102 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 unidentified large gulls
- 5 Cormorants: single and quartet
- 91 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
- 1 Skylark: an unusually late date
- 6 Fieldfare: together
- >20 Pied Wagtails heard only again
- 1 Greenfinch
- 1 Lesser Redpoll again
- 5 Siskins

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- >200 Starlings: see notes

Warblers noted:
- ? Cetti's Warbler: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: throughout
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 18 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 50 Coots exactly
- c.300 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 76 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 53 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
Yesterday's total for unidentified large gulls on the water should have read
- 62 unidentified large gulls [and not 6 as mistyped]

At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
- *1 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria)
- *1 Scarce Umber (Agriopis aurantiaria)
And:
- *1 unidentified fly

Spiders and Harvestman:
- *1 Clubiona sp.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spider
- *1 Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman
- *1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestmen: species not determined
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Another 'won't win prizes' shot. In the cloudy conditions the camera was imploring me to "raise the flash". Rather pointlessly as this male Siskin was far too distant for the flash to have any effect. So hand-held on full zoom. I was pleased at finding a Siskin amongst the Goldfinches on the Alders - that is until a few minutes later when something spooked them and at least 30 Siskins and 20 Goldfinches erupted from where I had bee searching. Specsavers here I come.

A rather unusual view of a Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) and not really identifiable in this view. Luckily it had been at rest with wings open a few minutes earlier. This species is noted as sometimes seen walking up tree-trunks so seeing it do the same on a lamp pole is perhaps not original. Note the small spurs on some of the legs.

This is a real Feathered Thorn moth (Colotois pennaria). I cannot see whether it is male with very feather antennae or a female with simple antennae as they seem to be tucked up under the body.

And this is the moth I got wrong – a Scarce Umber (Agriopis aurantiaria). Despite its epithet the Moths Field Guide notes it as 'Common'.

An unidentified fly presented because it is rather different from any of the flies I usually find being longer (or narrower) and with longer antennae. No idea as to species.

One of the Clubiona species of spider. I have not noted any of these for several weeks. Nigel tells me the date is no help in effecting a more specific identification – only microscopic examination of the genitalia will help.

Compare and contrast time. This is a close-up of the body of a Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman with white-wall tyres around the eyes. This example is a male that has lost one of its palps. Females have differently-shaped bodies with dark markings.

And this is a close-up of the body of an L. rotundum harvestman with all-black eyes. This is also a male and again the females have differently-shaped bodies. Their dark markings are distinct from L. blackwalli and thus females of these species are more easily separable.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30

(239th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No Teal seen.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Jackdaws
- c.30 Starlings: one group
- 2 Redwings

On /around the water:
- 17 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 32 (21♂) Mallard
- no Teal
- 66 (31♂) Tufted Duck
- *2 (1♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 25 Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons once again

On various lamp poles:
- *2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria): in the same places as the two previous mornings.
- 1 presumed Phaonia pallida (Muscid fly)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

On / around the Ivy:
- Just 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): partly the dull weather but I am wondering how much Ivy blossom remains to feed the insects.

Also noted:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

The drake Goosander from this morning, still moulting in to full plumage

Another low-light special. One of the friendly Robins that almost want to have their photos taken.

I've tried to be clever to show these three similar moths alongside each other. Top left is a Scarce Umber; bottom left is a Feathered Thorn. On the right is a Mottled Umber some individuals of which can have a similar base-tone.

(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
1 Wigeon 
5 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
1 Pochard 
102 Tufted Duck 
1 Water Rail
229 Coots 
1 Snipe
>500 Starlings
127 Fieldfare
7 Redwings 
99 Jackdaws
1 Brambling
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Newport
1 Waxwing
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
1 adult Yellow legged Gull
2 female Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
36 Pochard
49 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
11 Lapwings
1 Woodcock
c.1700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>600 Black-headed Gulls
5 Herring Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
910 Wood Pigeons
22 Robins
21 Blackbirds
258 Fieldfares
13 Redwings
201 Jackdaws
158 Rooks
348 Starlings
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam / Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
c.1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
10 Herring Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Wigeon
(Martin Adlam)