8 Oct 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 14.0°C: Extensive albeit thin areas of high cloud making any sun very hazy. No wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:23 BST

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

Highlight today was the trio of Barn Swallows heading south-west over the Balancing Lake at 08:35.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 08:50

(205th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Cetti's Warbler sang initially from the north-west area. Later I heard presumably the same bird singing along the North side.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: outbound together
- *1 Mute Swan: immature overhead 08:00
- 5 Feral Pigeons: duo and trio
- 29 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 218 Jackdaws
- 127 Rooks
- 1 Starling
- 5 Pied Wagtails

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 135 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.125 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- *+1 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata)
- *1 Blood-vein (Timandra comae)
- *+1 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii)

Other things: another big haul with several more small insects that were quite beyond me!
- *2 species of ichneumon
- *1 probable Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- 2 Spotted-winged Drosophila flies (Drosophila suzukii)
- 1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 springtail Tomocerus minor
- *1 Common House Spider (Eratigena atrica)
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted later:

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Molluscs:
- *White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Fungus:
- *++Dog Sick Slime Mould (Mucilago crustacea)

Not very elegant. An immature Mute Swan overhead. I saw it flying high South at 08:00. A few minutes later it circled back overhead before heading off East. The residents made no effort to raise their wings in threat.

My excuse for this rather poor photo it that this moth was at least 20 feet up the tallest lamp pole just outside the Teece Drive gate. There is just about enough detail to confirm it as a Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata). On this species the colours fade very quickly and the chances of seeing any green, especially, are never good.

An unusual date to find a Blood-vein moth (Timandra comae). It would suggest this is a specimen from a third brood, a partial brood that occurs mainly in southern England.

I have only one previous record of this moth here, back in December 2018. It is a Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii). The species is on the wing all winter. The key feature is the dark mark at the inner edge of the kidney mark (the rear-most of the two marks near the wing edge). It is unusual for this species to sit with wings slightly open to show the banded abdomen. [A springtail is lurking under the back of the right wing]

One of the two unidentified ichneumon wasps on the street lamp poles before dawn.

A hoverfly asleep on one of the street lamp poles. It looks to be the size and shape of a Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare) but I cannot confirm that as no markings are visible.

A cranefly Tipula confusa that has been in the wars. Losing legs is not uncommon. To lose three is careless.

This White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) lives in a smart house.

Common House Spider (Eratigena atrica). It is not in your house!

A Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica).

A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). One of the easier species of spider to identify though this one is not holding each pair of its front legs together as they frequently do.

Don't blame me: I didn't name it. And as I have no dog I have no idea whether it is an apposite name. This is Dog Sick Slime Mould (Mucilago crustacea). If you wish read all about it here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:55 – 10:00

(192nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Gadwall not seen. The duck Common Teal was noted again.
- at least 17 brownhead Goosanders had all hauled out on to the island before I arrived. Possibly more hidden from view?
- a Collared Dove was heard calling. They have been silent for me for several weeks. Perhaps the mild weather induced it to sing.

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

Warblers noted:
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff

Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 35 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 29 (>10♂) Tufted Duck
- 17? brownhead Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

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:
- *Platycheirus sp., perhaps Slender Boxer (P. angustatus)

Newly found fungus:
- *Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus)
- *Hebeloma sp., perhaps Veiled Poisonpie (H. mesophaeum)

A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) sticks its tongue in a tiny flower to get some nectar.

A hoverfly from the difficult Platycheirus group. Without the wings being open to show the abdomen markings more clearly I cannot suggest a more definitive identification, but it may be a Slender Boxer (P. angustatus).

They come and they go. This is third group of the same fungus on the same long-felled tree stump. They last about three days at most. Today I tried Obsidentify 'live' (rather than on the pictures on my PC) and it came up with a 100% identity of Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus).

 Another view of them.

Obsidentify was 80% confident this fungus was a species in the genus Hebeloma

When I showed it this one that had already been knocked over it thought probably Veiled Poisonpie (H. mesophaeum). They were growing out the base of tree trunk at the North end. [Apologies for the dirty fingernails!]

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

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

Other things:
- *3 craneflies Tipula confusa
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- also the usual array of unidentified spiders

The first of what I will be logging as November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.). There are four species in this group: Autumnal Moth (E. autumnata), Small Autumnal Moth (E. filigrammaria), November Moth (E. dilutata) and Pale November Moth (E. christyi) that are unreliably separated by flight date and only reliably identified by genitalia examination. I am sure over the next few weeks I will find a better specimen that this one that was on the roof of the tunnel. They are not much to look at though.

A close-up of the salient bit of a cranefly Tipula confusa: one with all its legs! The species of cranefly that occur in large numbers in September are mostly no longer around. This species is normally found into November.

(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
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
2 Kingfisher
5 Redwing (Celestica Site)
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
51 Golden Plover
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
45 Golden Plover
42 Lapwings
2 Wigeon
7 Pochard
6 Song Thrush
6 Redwings
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)