27 Oct 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C: Low cloud again sometimes descending to mist. Began to lift and brighten (a relative term) after 10:00. Light south-easterly breeze. Mostly poor visibility at the lake: better at The Flash.

Sunrise: 07:57 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: 06:10 – 09:10

(222nd visit of the year)

Many things 'lost in the mist'.

Bird notes:
- 10 Goosanders circling low over in the mist at 08:00 may or may not have paused on the water. I have assumed not.
- No Wood Pigeons seen flying over. Only three seen in trees later!
- Three Starlings flew out of a roost in reeds alongside the dam.
- A Mistle Thrush sang lustily, albeit briefly, from along the South side.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 10 (?♂) Goosander
- 19 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 8 Redwings
- 10 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 8 Siskins: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 15 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- no count of Coots made
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Herring Gulls
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

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

Moths:
- *6 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)

Other things:
- *1 unidentified caterpillar / larva
- *1 winter midge
- *++1 fly with spotted wings Opomyza florum.
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis.
- 1 springtail Tomocerus minor.
- *1 presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala).
- *2 Tawny Soil Slugs (Arion owenii)
- *1 spider Clubiona sp.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 spider Metellina sp.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *4 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis.

Noted later:
- *2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) on the fence alongside Teece Drive.
- 5 male craneflies Tipula pagana on the walls of sailing club HQ.
- *1 female and three male craneflies Tipula pagana on the fence alongside Teece Drive.
- 1 (Great) Black Slug (Arion agg.) on the fence alongside Teece Drive.
- *fruits of Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea).

One of the many November Moth types (Epirrita dilutata agg.), this one for a change not twenty feet above the ground.

This one, on the Teece Drive fence, is an unusually well-marked example, almost tempting me to identity it as a real November Moth (E. dilutata). All the literature advises against separation without microscopic examination.

A caterpillar or a larva of what? There is a definite if rather indistinct pattern. Not one that Obsidentify could recognise.

This red-brown fly with spotted wings is, Obsidentify says, Opomyza florum. Checking with photos on NatureSpot it is indeed. A newly identified species for me.

Also on the Teece Drive fence was this female cranefly Tipula pagana. There were three males to keep her company.

It is not just craneflies and spiders that lose bits: this springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis has lost most of one antenna.

A slightly better photo of a presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala). I have subsequently worked out how to get Obsidentify to take a flash photo so perhaps I can get an even better picture and more definitive identification next time.

Another Tawny Soil Slug (Arion owenii).

It does not look very 'great' but it seems to be what the NatureSpot web site defines as a (Great) Black Slug (Arion agg.). The taxonomy of slugs is a not yet fully worked out and the number of species open to debate.

The abdomen shape identifies this as a spider of the Clubiona group. Which species requires genitalia examination.

Also requiring genitalia examination to specifically identify are spiders from the Metellina group.

A harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis at the bottom. One of the winter midges with it.

Missed from the 'fruits' gallery I showed a few days ago was Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea).

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:15 – 10:20

(208th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A trio of mostly-white geese again arrived with Greylag Geese.
- The Mute Swan cygnets spend much time away from their parents. They are often seen as two twos in different parts of the water.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- *19 Greylag Geese: arrived
- *3 mostly-white feral geese: arrived
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 41 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 25 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- *45 (2♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Herring Gulls: first and third winters
- 2 Grey Herons

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

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

Other things:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): many

Fungus:
- *Dark Honey Fungus (Armillaria ostoyae)
- *possible Southern Bracket (Ganoderma australe)
- *possible Bark Bonnet (Mycena speirea)

Plant/Fruit:
- *Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus)

The mainly white feral geese are getting closer. They will be taking bread next. Comparison of their bills with that of the attendant Greylag Goose suggests a common lineage at some stage.

A brownhead Goosander in need of a handkerchief.

A top view of a first winter Herring Gull.

And the underside.

Around the base of a large Willow (Salix sp.) there were dozens of Dark Honey Fungus (Armillaria ostoyae). The internet suggests that this fungus does not always kill its host. It would be a shame to lose the old tree where I found these.

I found two very different fungus issuing from a different large Willow (Salix sp.). This is possibly a Southern Bracket (Ganoderma australe), the most frequently occurring example of this genus.

I will try better next time (if I remember and if the fungus is still present). Obsidentify gave me two choices from the large Mycena group neither of which are referenced in NatureSpot. From that site I have selected Bark Bonnet (M. speirea) as a strong possibility.

These fruits are from a Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus).

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull
1000+ large gulls
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
11 Golden Plover
2 Kingfishers
16 Reed Buntings
5 Skylarks
8 Meadow Pipits
71 Redwings
457 Fieldfare
31 Siskins
1 Linnet
4 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
40 Tufted Duck
16 Pochard
2 Ruddy Duck
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
2 Goldcrest
42 Fieldfare
Willow Tit
14 Long-tailed Tits
(Martin Adlam)