6 Oct 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 18.0°C: Cloudy again at low/medium level with some early very light rain. Clearing somewhat with the odd sunny spell after 10:00. Moderate south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:19 BST

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

I am removing the daily tabulated entry for hirundines etc. If I do see any more this year they will appear in the notes. For the moment I will leave the separate entry for warblers.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:35 – 09:20

(204th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- slightly fewer Coots today: probably because I couldn't find them due to the rather poor light.
- perhaps a few more than the 165 Black-headed Gulls I counted. I was just about through with checking them all on the football field when a displaying male Sparrowhawk put them all to flight.
- all the early gulls passed overhead today. It was c.07:15 before any stopped off.
- the Cetti's Warbler sang three times c.06:55 along the North side. I did not hear him later: nor did I see him.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 3 Stock Doves: together
- 52 Wood Pigeons
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 151 Jackdaws
- 101 Rooks
- 8 Starlings: together
- 5 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 4 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 116 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.165 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls
- 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- *1 ichneumon sp.
- *1 Tachinid fly probably from the genus Gymosoma.
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
- 4 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 springtail Tomocerus minor
- *1 weevil, possibly Clay-coloured Weevil (Otiorhynchus singularis)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
*1 female harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
- +*1 male harvestman Mitopus morio
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

A pipistrelle-type bat appeared once at 06:55. It seems odd this is the only one I have seen for about 10 days when the weather has been so mild for the time of year.

Noted later: another poor result in equally dull conditions.

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

The small ichneumon seen on a street lamp pole pre-dawn.

The Obsidentify app. was 100% confident that this fly is from the genus Gymosoma. This genus is in the Tachinidae family. However I can find nothing about any members of this genus from the usual web sites I use.

I was guided by the Obsidentify app. to the genus Otiorhynchus for this weevil. Further research on the NatureSpot web site suggests Clay-coloured Weevil (Otiorhynchus singularis) as the most appropriate.

This is a female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli. The photo shows the shape of the dark mark on the saddle clearly. Less clear is the white rim around the eyes. Quite why the species with 'white wall' eyes has the scientific name 'blackwalli' seems perverse.

The shape of the dark mark on the saddle is the best feature to identify this as a male harvestman Mitopus morio. Poor thing is missing two of its legs, an apparently not uncommon occurrence in harvestmen.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30

(191st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A pair of Gadwall again. Probably the birds seen here Tuesday (and earlier) but at the Balancing Lake on Wednesday.
- Perhaps even more brownhead Goosanders. I counted 23 fishing in a group [with a Cormorant joining in]. I noted two singles later but was not in a position to tell whether these were different birds or refugees from the mob.

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

Warblers noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese: of these two arrived together
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 37 (26♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *31 (>10♂) Tufted Duck
- *23? brownhead Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- *Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Other flies:
- *Muscid fly Phaonia pallida

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Bugs:
- Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

Fungus:
- ++*Peeling Oysterling (Crepidotus mollis)

What I think will moult in to a drake Tufted Duck. The 'tuft' looks too long for a duck and there are white blotches appearing in the flanks. Oddly the bill shows no dark tip with sub-terminal white band that might further clarify which sex it is.

This may or may not be the same bird. The same comments apply.

 Just a small part of the flock(?) of 23 Goosander fishing together with a Cormorant.

One caught wing-flapping here. On adult drakes the white panel extends forward across the whole wing. The paler feathers on this bird suggest that it might be starting to moult in to drake plumage.

A brief sunny spell and suddenly at least six Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) appeared from nowhere to feed on the small amount of Ivy that is flowering.

As did a Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)...

...and a Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

 A fly that is not too difficult to identify. It is the Muscid fly Phaonia pallida.

This long-legged harvestman is Opilio canestrinii. This species was first seen in the UK in Essex in 1999 since when it has spread across most of mainland Britain and has largely displaced our two native Opilio species.

Another winner from my Obsidentify app. which was 100% confident this fungus is Crepidotus mollis for which NatureSpot uses the vernacular name Peeling Oysterling. The 'skin' on the cap can apparently be easily peeled and stretched to twice the size before it tears. 'Oysterling' for its oyster-like shape. It is also known as the Soft Slipper Mushroom. It grows on dead wood, here on the trunk of a tree that fell down last winter.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 2 craneflies Tipula pagana
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- *1 possible spider Gibbaranea gibbosa
- also the usual array of unidentified spiders

A White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger). This was the only one in the tunnel that does not look as if it is desiccated so is the only one I have included in the totals.

The Obsidentify app. was over 80% confident this is the spider Gibbaranea gibbosa. What can I say?

(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

2014
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter Caspian Gull.
(Observer Unknown)

2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
100 Tufted Duck
Water Rail heard
39 Lapwings
Kingfisher
3 Redwings
Redpoll
Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
49 Tufted Duck
1 Chiffchaff
Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)

6 Oct 06 - Wesley Bridge under water (Ed Wilson)