15 Dec 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C: Medium / low cloud with very few breaks. Light SW wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:15 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:25

(289th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The first 22 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:40. Many more than yesterday with at least 250 present.
- The outbound Jackdaws mainly in a single tight group – c.250 in that group? 20 later.
- The Cetti's Warbler calling along the N side at 07:35. It, or another, then sang several times as it moved away toward the NE area.
- The Mistle Thrush on its song post alongside Teece Drive. A Song Thrush in partial song in the same area.

Overhead:
- 3 Greylag Geese: single outbound; duo inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon again
- 71 Wood Pigeons: 61 of these in two loose groups flying W along the line of the A5 to the N
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 59 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants together
- 1 Common Buzzard
- c.270 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Fieldfare
- 1 Redwing
- 5 Pied Wagtails heard

Roost sites
Not visited at appropriate time.

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: calls and song

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 45 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 1? Little Grebe: heard only again
- 3 Moorhens
- 53 Coots
- c.250 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

Around the street lamps pre-dawn in mild conditions:

Moths:
- 10 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 2 Mottled Umbers (Erranis defoliaria)

Also:
- 1 Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum)
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 fly sp.

Spiders or harvestman:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- 1 other spider sp.

Noted later:
Nothing

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:25

(264th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- After several weeks of drake Goosanders equalling or outnumbering brownheads there was an excess of brownheads today.
- Coal Tit and Blue Tit in full song. A Great Tit was trying.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Sparrowhawks: male and female, separately
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

On /around the water:
- 22 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard again
- 34 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 26 (6♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes as ever
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

On / around different street lamps:
- 2 Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Around the Ivy
Nothing

One of four Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria) seen this morning, three of them very different from each other. This specimen from the lake has the black spots in the forewing and a shadow of the wavy cross-band.

This is a 'classic' specimen with black spots in the forewing and both cross-bands strongly contrasting with a pale background. This and the next example were at The Flash.

The other end of the spectrum. A more or less unmarked specimen with just some mottling against a very dark background. I have no idea why one species should be so variable when visually inseparable moths (the November-moth complex for instance) can be different species. Answers on the back of an envelope...

This is one of the Anthocoridae family of plant bugs. Most cannot be identified to species level: this one can: a Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum).

My first Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus) for a while. The plumes on the antennae are easier to see on the shadow.

Possibly the smallest fly I have seen. This photo was taken on macro and has been enlarged as much as I dare before it pixelates.

A tiny spider here – about a quarter the size of my little finger-nail. It has lost one leg and I asked about that as I have seen several such spiders. It is worth quoting in full the response from Nigel – the Shropshire Spider Man: "It’s an adult male money spider but I can’t go any further.
Spiders shed legs as a defence mechanism if they are trapped by a leg. Males often lose them to females when trying to mate. There are special break points which are immediately sealed by muscular action to prevent fluid loss which is not just to preserve body fluids but some spiders extend their legs by hydraulic action so can’t afford to lose the precious fluid. The missing leg will grow back in immature spiders after each moult but starts off complete but very small and may never grow to be of much use. If the leg is lost after adulthood the leg will not grow back as they have no more moults to go!
Harvestmen are even more prone to shedding legs and the shed leg will continue to kick to distract predators – a bit like some lizards tails.
Limb shedding as a defence is called autotomy – at least in arachnids."

(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
48 Magpies
2 Ravens
134 Starlings
1 Siskin
6 Gadwall 
2 Teal 
6 Pochard 
115 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail 
235 Coots 
258 Black-headed Gulls
27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
24 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
32 Fieldfare
96 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
4 Pochard 
198 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
6 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
4 Gadwall
8 Pochard
50 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Water Rail
168 Coots
296 Wood Pigeons
3 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
203 Jackdaws
41 Rooks
4 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Heron
34 Swans
2 Shoveler
1 Pochard
41 Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
170 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
Curlew
2 Fieldfare
23 Redwings
c.25 Siskins 
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
33 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Goosander 
1 Common Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black necked Grebe
30 Mute Swans
2 Gadwall
27 Pochard
93 Tufted Ducks
1 Teal
263 Coot
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
600 Black-headed Gulls
Goldcrest
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Herons
25 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
64 Coots
>500 Black-headed Gulls
>1700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
35 Robins
30 Blackbirds
c.30 Fieldfare
c.24 Redwings
259 Jackdaws
232 Rooks
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)