11 Sep 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C: Mist and fog. Light SSE breeze. Poor / very poor visibility.

Sunrise: 06:35 BST

* = a photo from today

Priorslee Lake: 05:30 – 08:30

(194th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- For about a week two non-nesting Great Crested Grebes have been close together by the dam. They were not there today though the visibility prevented me deciding whether they had changed position or departed.
- Presumably the same juvenile Common Tern turned up in the same place as yesterday on one of the boat-launching platforms.
- A Blackbird was heard in quiet song. It is most unusual for this species between the end of its breeding season in July and the turn of the year.

Birds noted flying over here:
- Canada Geese heard only
- 4 Tufted Duck: sexes not determined: at 07:10
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 5 unidentified large gulls

Hirundines etc. noted:
- House Martin(s) heard only: lost in the mist

Warblers noted (no song recorded unless specifically noted):
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: persistently singing along the South side
- 8 Chiffchaffs: three heard in song
- 2 Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (1♂) Gadwall: back again (if they ever left)
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 8 Moorhens
- ? Coots
- 2 Little Grebes
- ? Great Crested Grebes
- 72 Black-headed Gulls: 47 of these were on the football field at 06:55
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Common Tern: juvenile

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 plumed midge, not perhaps Chironomus plumosus
- *1 unidentified fly
- *2 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman again

Noted later:

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Fungus:
- *a very delicate species, perhaps Petticoat Mottlegill (Panaeolus papilionaceus)

Mammals
- pipistrelle-type

I did not expect to see the juvenile Common Tern again after what I assumed would be considerable disturbance around the lake yesterday. Here it is, once again with an adult winter Black-headed Gull.

I managed to sneak up on.

It was happy-enough with me around and it continued to preen. Note the narrow black tips to some of the flight feathers.

A quick check of its surroundings.

"Did you just take my photo?"

I am not sure what this fly was up to. It was on a street lamp pole before dawn – the dark area is a small part of a '2', one of the digits of the lamp's identity. The green looks to be lichen but does not seem to be growing naturally where it is and I would not have thought the fly would have brought it.

This plumed midge seems too slender to be the usual Chironomus plumosus yet each body segment is pale-ended which is noted as characteristic of that species.

I see a number of springtails similar to this, probably all of the Pogonognathellus group. This looks the best candidate to be a P. longicornis.

This fungus was so delicate I dared not try and isolate it further from the grass for fear of damaging it. A trawl of the internet suggests it could be a Petticoat Mottlegill (Panaeolus papilionaceus). As usual none of the photos on the web are an exact match against mine.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:35 – 09:25

(190th visit of the year)

I noted that the Wesley Brook, as it runs alongside squirrel alley, remains dry. Seems it will take a lot more rain to get it back to normal.

I could see almost nothing on and around the island, especially on the island's East side where the Cormorants and any Grey Herons like to sit

Bird notes:
- Two of the adult Mute Swans are now behaving like a pair with the four cygnets in tow. The third adult remains out of the way at the top end.
- I am sure the two missing juvenile Great Crested Grebes were around somewhere

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:

All numbers 'best effort' - the island was mostly invisible

- 3 Canada Geese
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 16 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 21 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- no Cormorants seen

On / around the street lamp poles:
Nothing noted

Noted later:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *Horse-radish (Armoracia rusticana): a new plant for me here

I set the PlantNet app. to identify these giant leaves growing near the Priorslee Academy. Seems they are of Horse-radish (Armoracia rusticana). My Flora tends to agree noting that this native to Southern Russia is widely naturalised throughout Europe. It is the parsnip-like tubers of this plant that are grated when making horse-radish sauce.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 2 species of cranefly, likely Tipula paludosa and T. confusa. again
- 3 owl midges Psychodidae sp.
- 17 other midges of various sizes again
- 5 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)

(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

2 Snipe

Wheatear

3 Raven

(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Hobby

1 Sedge Warbler

3 Swift

2 Teal

1 Meadow Pipit

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

Black Tern

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)