25 Oct 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 7.0°C > 8.0°C: Low cloud sometimes descending to mist and giving occasional light drizzle. Light north-easterly breeze. Moderate visibility but poor whenever the cloud descended.

Sunrise: 07:53 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: 06:05 – 09:30

(220th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a drake Gadwall flew off well before dawn. At 08:00 four Gadwall and three Goosander were circling in the low cloud over the lake, leaving to the West. I do not think these had been on the water at any time.
- the tight group of eight Stock Doves that flew East was unusual.
- another day with a likely incomplete Coot count due to the misty conditions.
- I suspect that a Kingfisher might roost here some days. I heard it calling loudly from the North side well before dawn after which I heard it calling as it flew off.
- a single tight group of c.40 Jackdaws flying below tree-height was the only glimpse roost-dispersal Jackdaws / Rooks I saw. Other Jackdaws were heard but lost in the mist.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 (?♂) Gadwall
- 3 (?♂) Goosander
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 8 Stock Doves: together
- 29 Wood Pigeons: no migrant groups
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- c.40 Jackdaws
- 1 Fieldfare
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose: arrived
- *4 + 4 Mute Swans: a visiting pair brought two cygnets with them. They were not welcomed and did not stay long.
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 117 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls: five (near?) adults; four first winters
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults; one first winter
- 1 Kingfisher

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- *1 cranefly possibly Austrolimnophila ochracea.
- 2 winter midges
- 3 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis.
- *1 flea beetle possibly Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala)
- *1 spider Clubiona sp.
- *2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 3 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted later:
- 12 male craneflies Tipula pagana on the walls of sailing club HQ.
- *galls of the Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Biorhiza pallida).
- *flowers of possible Trailing Tormentil (Potentilla anglica)

The Mute Swan invasion. The cygnets seemed happy to get on with each other.

The resident cob charging at the invader.

The visitors preparing to leave.

The pen leaves...

...and the cob with two cygnets. Strangely the cygnets look browner and less well-developed than the residents but can clearly fly strongly.

A Common Buzzard floats over.

A gall of the Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Biorhiza pallida). As with most gall wasps the adults are rarely seen unless hatched from the galls in an enclosure.

It seems to me that this is too large to be one of the winter craneflies. It may be the cranefly Austrolimnophila ochracea.

It was not easy to get a photo of this small beetle. The notable feature is the swollen hind femur which I now know means they are a flea beetle, the swelling giving them the ability to escape by jumping like a flea. As to which species it is then the date suggests it is most likely a Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala). Many species are not easy to separate.

One of the spiders from the Clubiona group.

One of the two Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius) seen today seems to be having its breakfast, though since they are nocturnal perhaps its dinner.

This is a male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. It shows no hint of white around the eyes which is the separation characteristic of male harvestman L. blackwalli.

My app told me this plant is Trailing Tormentil (Potentilla anglica). The NatureSpot web site suggests that this plant is difficult to separate from Tormentil (P. erecta) and hybrids are common. How accurate the app is I have no idea.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:40

(206th visit of the year)

Very misty again for some of the time I was here with the island almost disappearing.

Bird notes:
- A trio of mostly-white geese has re-appeared with Greylag Geese.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 17 Greylag Geese
- *3 mostly-white feral geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 35 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 18 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- *48 (1♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 42 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Kingfisher

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Moths:
- 1 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Other things:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): just the one

Beetles
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Fungus:
- *++possible Russet Toughshank (Gymnopus dryophilus)
- *++possible Yellowing Knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum)

It was poor visibility at the time I took this photo. Just about identifiable are the three mainly white feral geese.

Another drake Goosander. This one shows a dark area at the front of its flank, yet to be moulted out.

Well it was some distance away in poor light. No mistaking a Kingfisher.

An unusual daytime view of a Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea). Note that it shows that the green abdomen has a dark mark on each segment.

I found two different species of fungus this morning. My app did not give me a positive identification for either. I used its suggestions and several web sites to try and get an idea of what I was looking at. This might be Russet Toughshank (Gymnopus dryophilus).

And the other fungus: it may be Yellowing Knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum). If you know better....

(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
Little Grebe
5 Lapwings
1487 Fieldfare logged, mostly flying W. 7 of the flocks estimated at between 110 and 130 birds
25 Redwings
Raven
56 Goldfinch
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
62 Swans
5 Wigeon
14 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
231 Coots
Great Black-backed Gull
3 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
27 Redwings
Chiffchaff
c.250 Starlings
8 Siskins
c.15 Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Cormorant
25 Pochard
72 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
1 Kingfisher
20 Robins
17 Blackbirds
15 Song Thrushes
59 Redwing
3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
5 Goldcrests
(Martin Adlam)