4 Oct 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 12.0°C: Mostly cloudy at medium/high level. Lower cloud for a while 06:30 – 08:30. Moderate south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:16 BST

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

Highlights today were:
- *a pair of Gadwall new in at the Balancing Lake
- many more gulls than recently at The Flash (though fewer, earlier, at the Balancing Lake)

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:33 – 09:25

(203rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- difficult to be certain how many Black-headed Gulls there were today as they commuted between the lake and the football field. I never counted more than 53 at any one time.
- single first winter Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls joined the Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.07:20
- a Tawny Owl was calling from far away in Ricoh c.05:35: perhaps as far as the Co-op area?

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Canada Goose: outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 4 Feral Pigeons: single and trio
- 1 Stock Dove
- 68 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 112 Jackdaws
- 137 Rooks
- 5 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- *2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 125 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.60 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 56 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
Yet again the vegetation and lamp poles were again very wet.

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 4 Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
- *2 flies with plumed antennae
- *1 other fly sp.
- 1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- *6 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *2 springtail Tomocerus minor
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 unidentified spider, an orb-weaver
- 1 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli

Noted later: a poor result in dull weather.

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

A thin layer of high cloud took the edge of the waning moon.

The pair of Gadwall went for a fly around only to return to settle just as far away as ever. Just about identifiable.

Obsidentify suggested this small insect is a fly of the Hilara species. It isn't but I see why it chose this. Hilara flies have front legs with bristles on them. Look closely and none of the three pairs of legs has bristles: it is the antennae that have the bristles. They look rather different from the usual midges.

A different individual is on the right. On the left IS a plumed midge though it is an unusually small species.

Another unidentified fly I am afraid.

They wouldn't get closer. The top one is what I am calling the springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis. The smaller one at the bottom is, I believe, the springtail Tomocerus minor.

Apparently another spider species here. I have not been able to track down any identification for it.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:27 – 10:28

(190th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I counted all the Mallard when they were scattered around the water. Then just before I was about to leave someone arrived with food and they were all on the water right in front of me – quite a few more than I had found earlier!

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted:

None

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 30 Canada Geese: of these 29 arrived in three groups
- 3 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 47 (31♂) + *4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 1 (0♂) Common Teal
- 30 (>7♂) Tufted Duck
- *16 (?) brownhead Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 86 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Herring Gulls
- *3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
- +*1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Fungus:
- +*Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus)

I had trouble counting the number of Goosanders today. When I arrived they were diving for fish and being harassed by the Black-headed Gulls that wanted to snatch a meal. Later they all climbed out on to the island. I think I can see 14 here. [there is a Great Crested Grebe preening in the water].

I took this photo of this Wood Pigeon because I thought it demonstrated the development of the white neck mark as an immature moulted in to adult plumage. Not so. The bird looks scruffy as if it has been in a fight with a predator.

Numbers of gulls have been low this Autumn: that changed today with a record number of Black-headed Gulls and also some large gulls. In the middle a third winter Herring Gull with a drake Tufted Duck, a Coot and two Black-headed Gulls.

And an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (with a Coot).

My first harvestman Opilio canestrinii of the year.

A species of fungus I noted at the Balancing Lake a few days ago. It is a Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus).

Plane of the day. It is a Robinson R44 Raven II with a private owner in the Malvern area. Robinson helicopters are built in Torrance, California with the capability of making 1000 helicopters of three models. It was founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson and delivered over 13000 helicopters to date.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)

Other things:
- *1 winter cranefly / winter gnat Trichocera sp.
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- the usual array of unidentified spiders

It is a bit late in the flight period for this Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa). This year has been by far my best for this species. Here on the roof of the tunnel.

Known as winter craneflies or winter gnats this is a species of Trichocera, not identifiable from photos. The most salient difference from a 'real' cranefly is that the head is not obviously separated from the thorax.

(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
Candles Landfill Site
1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2008
Trench Lock Pool
1st- winter Mediterranean Gull
c.150 Black-headed Gulls
15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Shoveler
(Ed Wilson)