19 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C: Mostly overcast. A few breaks early. A light shower as I departed. Moderate south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:39 GMT

+ = 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 – 09:15

(239th visit of the year)

Very quiet

Bird notes:
- two drake Goosanders were seen apparently leaving the lake to the West at 07:10. I had not seen them on the water and they could perhaps have been a low-level fly-through.
- a significant movement of large gulls both through and over the lake. I could not check every single over-flying bird: all those I saw well-enough were Lesser Black-backs.
- just two groups of Starlings came out of reeds: c.65 from the north-east area; then c.20 from the north-west.
- a Mistle Thrush was calling near the Teece Drive gate.
- *two Song Thrushes were tempted to sing by the mild weather.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 5 Greylag Geese: inbound
- 1 Goosander: a brownhead flew West before veering off South
- 22 Wood Pigeons: of these 11 flew high South together
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 229 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 34 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 3 Fieldfares

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.85 Starlings
- Reed Buntings heard from roost area but none was seen to leave

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: arrived as a duo and a single
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 46 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (2♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 134 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- *21 Herring Gulls
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 114 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

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

Moths:
- *1 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Otherwise:
- *1 fly from the Anthomyiidae family (Root-maggot flies)
- 1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 non-biting midge?
- *2 Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperia carnea)
- *1 black aphid sp.
- *1 leafhopper (Eupteryx urticae)
- *3 Common European Earwigs (Forficula dentata)
- *++1 weevil sp., possibly Parethelcus pollinarius
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis.

Noted later on the Teece Drive fence:
- *3 Alder Leaf Beetles (Agelastica alni)
- *++1 Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata)
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis.

Elsewhere
- *++1 ichneumon, probably Tromatobia lineatoria

New fungus found for here:
- *++Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis)

The four most prominent gulls here are an adult Yellow-legged Gull, left: two winter plumage (near) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, centre; and a bathing (near?) adult Herring Gull. The adult Yellow-legged Gull is characterised (when the legs are not visible) by the very white head even in winter (no streaking) and the mantle colour midway in tone between an adult Herring and a Lesser Black-back.

"Did I remember to put my feet on?" A Herring Gull checks to be sure.

A bit dark pre-dawn: a Carrion Crow seeing a Common Buzzard off its territory.

Is this one of the two Song Thrushes that were singing at dawn?

A party of Long-tailed Tits came close.

Difficult conditions for photography in a dark locations looking at the sky.

Another individual.

Sitting up straight.

Along with the Long-tailed Tits was an even harder to photograph Goldcrest, down amongst a dark tangle of twigs.

The best of about twenty attempts.

Later I came across another party of Long-tailed Tits in only slightly better light.

A Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata). Most specimens show the mid-wing band to a greater or lesser degree.

Obsidentify was 100% certain this female ichneumon is Tromatobia lineatoria. NatureSpot suggests "unless identified by an expert..." so?

This may or may not be a non-biting midge, the primary suggestion of Obsidentify. It has that general feel to it but I note there are spurs on the legs and a relatively long 'simple' (un-plumed) antennae, both more reminiscent of caddis flies.

Obsidentify told me this is a Root-maggot Fly from the Anthomyiidae family. Specific identification is not possible from photos.

A Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea) beginning to lose its colour – the go brown in winter.

This is definitely a black aphid. Whether it is a Black Bean Aphid [or blackfly] (Aphis fabae) or not is a good question.

This is the leafhopper Eupteryx urticae. At its scientific name suggests associated with nettles (Urtica). Thanks to Keith, the Shropshire bug recorder, for the ID.

A Common European Earwig (Forficula dentata). The very curved pincers indicate this is a male.

This is a female. The third I noted this morning was just a pair of female pincers projecting from a street lamp electrical control box.

A different view of an Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni).

The Obsidentify suggestion for this weevil was Parethelcus pollinarius. Looks good against several web-sites though there are several similar-looking weevils.

It is not, as my app suggested, a Cream Spot Ladybird (Calvia quattuordecimguttata) because it does not have the 14 spots indicated by its scientific name [which is sometimes rendered as C. quatuordecimguttata with one fewer letter 't's]. The individual in the photo has 16 spots and is an Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata). I have only previously recorded the larva of this common species.

This fungus is Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis). Compared with Trooping Funnel (C. geotropa) it is less 'funnel-shaped' and occurs as dispersed singles rather than in approximate lines. I did try some 'gardening' but the detritus was too firmly stuck to the fungus.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:15

(223rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- at least nine Greylag Geese were lurking inside the island. I could not see anything of a mainly white feral goose with them
- the Pochard was a first-winter drake.
- a bumper number of Tufted Duck. Many of these flew in, likely refugees from the Balancing Lake when the sailing club took to the water there.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Jackdaws
- 23 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Noted on / around the water:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 9 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 37 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *2 (1♂) Common Teal
- *1 (1♂) Pochard
- 87 (43♂) Tufted Duck
- *3 (0♂) Goosander
- *13 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 48 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 2 Grey Herons

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

Moths:
- 1 Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx): moved a bit: thirteenth day!
nothing else

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): six
Mild-enough for the insects to fly but without sun there would be very little nectar

New groups of fungus found:
- *bracket fungus Ganoderma sp.

Not a very good photo of a pair of Common Teal, the drake on the right.

A first winter drake Pochard with fine vermiculations along his flanks and on his back.

Two brownhead Goosanders. The bird on the left looks to be developing white feathers in the flanks as if it might be starting to moult in to drake plumage. The head is more rounded and lacks the plumes shown by the bird on the right which is typical of ducks.

Must be something good to eat in the grass as four Moorhens tuck in. Two adults closest to me; one first year behind. Not certain about the one at the back.

The bracket fungus Ganoderma sp. is the best I can do. This dead tree is in squirrel alley and the other side of the small valley from the path. From the base of the tree the fungus is too high to photo. From the footpath it is probably too far away and the fruiting bodies are always at eye-level, as here, limiting the detail visible.

(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
26 Greylag Geese
5 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
134 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
2 Water Rails
229 Coots
>400 Wood Pigeon
302 Fieldfare
88 Redwings
309 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
7 Pochard
17 Tufted Ducks
146 Coots
244 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged
c.145 Wood Pigeons
47 Redwings
82 Fieldfares
238 Jackdaws
2 Siskins
11 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2008
The Flash
10 Goosanders
c.30 Tufted Ducks
c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.200 Black-headed Gull
1 Buzzard
(Mike Cooper)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Gadwall
8 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
4 Goosander
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Woodcock
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
25 Greylag Geese
1 drake Teal
34 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
drake Ruddy Duck
11 Lapwings
>1080 Black-headed Gulls
1435 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
202 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
16 Blackbirds
142 Fieldfares
15 Redwings
158 Jackdaws
100 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
c.3000 Black-headed Gull
c.2000 Lesser-Black-backed Gulls
12 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
1 Wigeon
2 Ruddy Duck
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
5 Redwing
23 Fieldfare
13 Reed Bunting
8 Siskin
170 Rooks
220 Jackdaws
c.500 Starlings in roost
c.500 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)