20 Oct 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 11.0°C: Low cloud and light rain deteriorated further with steady rain and mist. Light E wind fell calm. Moderate visibility, poor or very poor later.

Sunrise: 07:39 BST

* = a photo from today.

All 'best effort' in poor conditions.

Priorslee Lake: 06:19 – 09:25

(228th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Possibly more than 110 Canada Geese. That total was taken from the dam top when it was impossible to see the West end. Some birds had been on the grass there earlier though they may well have moved away.
- I heard a drake Eurasian Wigeon call from the East end of the water when it was too dark and too misty to see. At 07:40 a group of 12 Eurasian Wigeon was noted circling overhead before departing to the West before returning shortly afterwards. They continued to circle for at least ten minutes, at times looking as if they might drop back in. They never did and I did not see where they went. I have assumed from the calls I heard earlier that these had been on the water at that time.
- Redwings were heard calling more or less throughout and remained largely unseen apart from two large groups seen flying, unexpectedly, East. No doubt some birds had been roosting, or at least resting while on migration, in trees around the lake.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 10 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn
- 37 Jackdaws
- 41 Rooks
- >90 Redwings: see notes
- 12 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: singing at the West end pre-dawn; presumed same calling along the North side later

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- - c.50 Starlings
- ? Redwings
- no Reed Buntings seen: several heard calling from the roost area: conditions too poor to see them leaving

Counts from the lake area:
- 110 Canada Geese at least: see notes
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 12 (>1♂) Eurasian Wigeon: see notes
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 17 (8?♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- no meaningful count of Coots possible
- 9 Great Crested Grebes again
- c.60 Black-headed Gulls again
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 113 unidentified large gulls: pre-dawn

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn

Another miscellaneous collection of mostly unidentified creatures!

- *several unidentified flies of different species
- *several unidentified gnats and midges of different species
- *two species of cranefly
- *1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- *1 planthopper, probably one of the Ribautiana
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata)
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 unidentified spider sp.
- 1 Mitostoma chrysomelas harvestman
- 2 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen

Noted later:
- Grey Squirrel

Another in my series of 'different-looking' flies. This one sports unusually long antennae for its size. It also has noticeably hairy legs.

One of the two plumed midges I noted. Probably a male Chironomus plumosus.

This may be another of the same species though the well-patterned abdomen looks different.

This green midge may be a Stenochironomus gibbus though that green species is noted as a Spring and Summer flying midge.

A common cranefly at this time of year is this Tipula confusa. It typically rests with wings folded together unlike T. paludosa which is the one that tries to enter houses during September and which rests with its wings held open.

My best suggestion for this would be one of the Trichocera group of winter craneflies. I have seen these long-legged insects frequently recently: photographing them is tricky as the camera usually wants to focus on the street lamp pole rather than the insect. Both seem in focus here, the mark on the lamp being part of the figure '6' of the lamp's identification number.

An owl midge Psychodidae sp. For reasons I cannot explain those I find on the street lamps always seem to have almost plain wings whereas those I find in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel usually have well-patterned wings.

This dark marks on this tiny green planthopper suggests it is one the Ribautiana group, the five species of which are not generally separable from photos.

This tiny spider was even smaller than the planthopper. I suppose all spiders are tiny when they hatch from the egg though I would not expect hatching at this time of year so I assume it is one of the several hundred species collectively known as money spiders.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:27 – 10:09

(220th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Four duck Common Teal were seen. These were very flighty, appearing anywhere around the water.
- The immature Great Crested Grebe had lost its facial stripes, still recognisable as an immature by a lack of head plumes.
- As I arrived a mixed party of 36 winter thrushes flew over and landed in the trees at the top of squirrel alley. Most were Redwings with just a few Fieldfare among them. I did not see or hear them again.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 20 Canada Geese: two of these arrived with...
- c.74 Greylag Geese arrived together
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 41 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *4 (0♂) Common Teal
- 5 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander
- 24 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: an adult and an immature
- *11 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) again

Noted later:
- Grey Squirrel
- another fungus, perhaps Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis)

In very murky conditions this can only be regarded as a record shot of one of four duck Common Teal that were present. The white strip on the side of the tail is obvious.

The spots on the water indicate it was raining smartly here and one raindrop is seen as a white streak in front of the brown head of this morning's Goosander.

With the Grey Heron safely sheltering on the island a group of Black-headed Gulls felt able to take over one of the heron's favourite perches.

I did not expect to find one of these November-type moths (Epirrita sp.) braving the rain on a street lamp pole in squirrel alley.

I found this fungus growing on its own and did not want to disturb it. It looks to match photos on the internet of Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis). The stem and underside would have been useful to confirm the identification but I did not want to disturb it.

(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

2010

Priorslee Lake

Water Rail heard

>500 Black-headed Gulls

>530 migrating Wood Pigeons

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

65 Mute Swans

7 Wigeon

7 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

47 Greylag Geese

56 Canada Geese

9 Pochard

19 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

236 Coots

4 Buzzards

Chiffchaff

27 Starlings

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Water Rail

Goldeneye

100 Fieldfare

(John Isherwood)