25 Sep 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 16.0°C: A few areas of patchy cloud; mostly clear. Light and variable breezes. Good visibility; rather hazy.

Sunrise: 07:00 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 09:25

(195th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Tawny Owl was calling from the Ricoh wooded area at 05:35.
- a Barn Swallow dropped down to drink at 08:10 and as it climbed away I noted there were at least 23 circling high overhead before moving away south-west. A check at 08:15 found at least 28 high overhead moving away south-east. Whether these were the same birds is hard to say.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 76 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 36 unidentified large gulls
- 127 Jackdaws
- 167 Rooks
- 10 Skylarks: flew South to the East c.08:30
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 4 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 9 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 28+ Barn Swallows: see notes
- 12 House Martins: one overhead 06:45; 11 flew high South 07:05

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 127 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 127 Black-headed Gulls: these on the football field 07:00. No more than 37, presumed of these, on the lake
- 1 Herring Gull: first winter
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: three adults; seven first winters
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 2 Spotted-winged Drosophila flies (Drosophila suzukii)
- 1 red-eyed fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 possible root-maggot fly Anthomyiidae sp.
- 1 plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- *1 midge with patterned wings (Ablabesmyia sp.)
- *5 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- *1 Common House Spider (Eratigena atrica)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 male spider sp. Neriene montana

The sailing club HQ area:

Not examined pre-dawn

Noted later: my 'Winter timing' means I leave the lake before many insects are around.

Butterflies:
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Orange-belted Leafwalker (Xylota segnis)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- none

Other flies:
- *mating craneflies Tipula confusa
- *either European Cranefly (Tipula paludosa) or T. oleracea
- *Muscid fly Graphomya maculata.
- *++fly Opomyza florum
- very many unidentified flies on the Ivy

Beetles:
- *Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Bugs:
- *Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

Spiders:
- stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *++money spider, just perhaps Tenuiphantes tenuis.

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) finds some of the remaining flowers. The flowers Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis).

A range of hoverflies today: this is a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus).

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

A Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus).

A Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis).

 Last one and a species I do not see too often. It is an Orange-belted Leafwalker (Xylota segnis).

This midge with patterned wings is likely one of the species in the Ablabesmyia family.

Mating craneflies Tipula confusa.

Probably a European Cranefly (Tipula paludosa). It could be one of the very similar T. oleracea: this is a male and the females are easier to separate as the female T. paludosa has shorter wings.

A possible root-maggot fly Anthomyiidae sp. complete with a spot of dew.

 A distinctive fly. I think the Muscid fly Graphomya maculata.

Another distinctive fly I have identified as a Opomyza florum.

One of the springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis I noted on the street lamp poles.

This one waving its antennae about.

An Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni) covered in dew. It is on the wooden fence alongside Teece Drive where there were at least 25 others.

 A Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus).

A Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina). Makes a change to see an adult.

A spider from the Eratigena family and probably Common House Spider (E. atrica). A lot of junk surrounding it some which looks like discarded exoskeletons. As spiders grow they cast off their existing exoskeleton and a new, larger one dries.

This male spider is certainly a Neriene species, most likely N. montana.

I found this small spider among the dew on the handrail of the 'boxing ring'. It has some resemblance to the money spider Tenuiphantes tenuis. There are so many to choose from!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30

(181st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- nothing special. The number of geese seems to have declined in the last few days

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Jackdaws: singles

Warblers noted:

None

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 37 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Goose
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 37 (24♂) + 4 Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 52 (>21♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 56 Coots
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
Nothing

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- *+German Wasp (Vespula germanica)

Hoverflies:
- *Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Bugs:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

One of several Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) I noted before it clouded.

The Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) are still busy.

When I looked at this photo I realised it was a German Wasp (Vespula germanica). I identified it as such by the yellow at the side of the thorax not being parallel-sided and the antennae are black to their base.

A few hoverflies here too: a Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis).

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

Other things:
- *1 possible root-maggot fly Anthomyiidae sp.
- *++1 cranefly Ormosia lineata
- *1 possible chrysalis?
- 9 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
- several other, unidentified, spiders

It is my best year for this moth species. Another Silver Y (Autographa gamma) I located on the roof of the tunnel.

I do not often see flies on the wall of the tunnel. This seems to be a different root-maggot fly Anthomyiidae sp.

A less-often seen cranefly Ormosia lineata. You can even see the socket where this missing leg fits.

I cannot work out what this is. It may be a chrysalis but I suspect it is a Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber) wrapped up by a spider.

(Ed Wilson)