6 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 8.0°C: Fine and clear with just a few wisps of high cloud. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:15 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: 05:45 – 09:35

(231st visit of the year)

Yet another day of busy Autumn skies. The Wood Pigeon passage seem to be past its peak. Today it was winter thrushes (Fieldfare and Redwings).

Bird notes:
- A single Starling again seen leaving a roost, a different site today, at 07:10
- The passage of winter thrushes started at 06:40 and was still going on until after 09:00. Some of the early groups contained both Fieldfare and Redwings and getting the 'split' of numbers correct was a challenge. I did my best. Some of these groups also carried a very few finches along with them. I did not hear any calls so was unable to identify them. Later the groups were entirely Fieldfare.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Canada Goose: outbound
- 7 Greylag Geese: a single and a sextet inbound
- 17 (?♂) Goosander: together
- 5 Stock Doves
- 1477 Wood Pigeons: of these 1415 in 31 migrant flocks heading South.
- 1 Herring Gull
- 89 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *6 Cormorants: two trios
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 251 Jackdaws
- 17 Rooks
- 20 Starlings: three groups
- 1154 Fieldfare: in 31 groups, all West / south-west bound, some groups mixed with...
- 262 Redwings: in 17 groups, all West / south-west bound
- 1 Skylark
- 1 Siskin

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose: arrived and stayed
- *4 + 7 Mute Swans: a visiting family of two adults and five cygnets did not stay long!
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 41 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 131 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants: arrived separately and stayed

The (semi) nocturnal community on or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
It was dew that reduced the community today:

Moths:
- 3 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- *1 Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)

Otherwise:
- *1 Muscid fly, either Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris
- 2 plumed midges: male and female
- *1 winter crane fly Trichocera sp.
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *5 springtails Tomocerus vulgaris
- *+1 globular springtail Dicyrtomina saundersi
- *3 spider Clubiona sp.
- 1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted later on the Teece Drive fence:
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Fungus found.
No new ones

Probably the last day (even assuming it stays clear) there will be enough light given off by the waning moon for photography.

The visiting family of Mute Swans (two adults and five cygnets) pass in front of developing Autumn colours as they gain height in order to...

...leave.

One of the two trios of Cormorants passing over. The one at the back is an immature with a pale belly.

This one was flying with the trio but veered off and splashed down in the lake.

I have seen more Common Buzzards circling overhead in the last few weeks than I can recall seeing most of the rest of the year.

This dew-covered moth is characterised by a rather triangular appearance and suggests it is probably a Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria).

This species of moth often stays in the same place for several days so I went back later. It has moved a bit, the dew has gone and the identification is confirmed.

A dew-covered Muscid fly, either Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris. It is an unusual visitor to the pre-dawn street lamp poles.

One of the winter crane flies from the Trichocera genus. Only one, which has a dark mark in its wings, is identifiable from photos: this does not show the dark mark.

With long antenna this is a springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis.

One of five springtails Tomocerus vulgaris this morning with shorter antennae.

These tiny globular springtails are hard to photo. I think this is a Dicyrtomina saundersi.

A brightly coloured specimen of a Clubiona spider.

I used to record these as a stretch spider sp. Looking at various web sites I think the better description would be a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

This harvestman Opilio canestrinii is the species I see least often.

"Six wheels on my wagon" on this harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus. [from an original idea © Bob Hilliard and Burt Bacharach]

"Seven wheels on my wagon" with this one. Do any of them ever keep all eight.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:55

(215th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- another quiet day with a dearth of Tufted Duck.
- also fewer Goosanders than a week ago. Have they eaten all the fish?

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- *33 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 21 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (0♂) Goosander
- 11 Moorhens
- 50 Coots
- *7 Great Crested Grebes
- 17 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: third winter
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

On / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- *Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- *+Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): 100's

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [Batman Hoverfly]
- *Grey-spotted Boxer (Platycheirus albimanus) [also known as Grey-spotted Sedgesitter]

Other flies:
- *Blowfly Lucilia sp.
- *Muscid fly, either Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- and many unidentified flies of several species that I did not bother with.

New groups of fungus found:
- *Clustered Toughshank (Collybia confluens syn. Gymnopus confluens)
- *unidentified Mycena sp.
- *Yellowing Knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum)

By popular demand (thanks Sue) here are some more Mallard photos, this time both of ducks.

Whee!

Interesting. These two first winter Great Crested Grebes (still some ghost striping on their heads) were getting friendly. Are they not siblings born here?

 I am used to seeing Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) in to November...

...but not Comma butterflies (Polygonia c-album), here drinking nectar.

This is how the species gets its name – the white mark on the underwing.

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

A Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea).

I thought this was rather small for a Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare). Looking at the edited photo I realise it is a Grey-spotted Boxer (Platycheirus albimanus).

An industrious Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris).

A frenetic morning for the wasps.

This is a Blowfly from the Lucilia genus. Counting the bristles is needed to specifically identify it! It looks rather 'bug-eyed' from this angle.

A Muscid fly, either Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris.

Lovely. A Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria).

With sunny conditions it was possible to get a photo of a whole troop of Trooping Funnel fungus (Clitocybe geotropa).

A new species of fungus for me. My app. identifies it as Clustered Toughshank (Collybia confluens with a synonym of Gymnopus confluens).

My app. could not give a positive ID on this fungus growing out of a large Willow (Salix) beyond it being a species of Bonnet (Mycena).

Nor give a positive ID on this fungus. Yellowing Knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum) was suggested as the most likely.

Plane of the day #1. This is a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee. It was built at Lockhaven in Florida in 1968. After service in Denmark it has had seven owners in the UK since 1990, now flying with an owner near Penrith.

Plane of the day #2. This is a Piper PA-23-250 Aztec F. Another Lockhaven-build, this time in 1977. It has been in the UK since c.1980 with a number of different registrations, G-XSFT originating when it was operated by SFT Aviation in Bournemouth. Its current owner lives in Perivale and it had spent the weekend at Hawarden Airport near Chester.

Plane of the day #3. This a Van's RV-8, a homebuilt aircraft from a kit supplied by Van's Aircraft in Aurora, Oregon, USA. Would you believe the owner's surname is Watson? He flies it out of Derby's Eggington Airfield.

(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
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Pochard
64 Tufted Duck
21 Moorhens
235 Coots
5 Song Thrush
19 Fieldfare
18 Redwings
439 Jackdaws
89 Rooks
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.110 Greylag Geese
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
32 Tufted Ducks
4 Moorhens
145 Coots
1 Great Black-backed Gull
c.1650 Wood Pigeons
51 Redwings
302 Fieldfares
c.375 Jackdaws
c.100 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
18 Stock Doves
3800+ Wood Pigeons
6 Skylarks
1 Meadow Pipit
238 Fieldfare
19 Redwings
91 Starlings
3 Siskins
11 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Yellow Legged Gull
2 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Yellow Legged Gull
2 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
26 Greylag Geese
Gadwall
5 Shoveler
3 Pochard
79 Tufted Duck
1 Lapwing
Snipe
2 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
16 Redwings
3 Fieldfares
9 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Cormorants
3 Shoveler
3 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
149 Coot
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
30 Pochard
111 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
47 Coots
c.562 Black-headed Gulls
63 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
89 Wood Pigeons
22 Pied Wagtails
20 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
27 Robins
31 Blackbirds
5 Song Thrushes
22 Redwings
16 Magpies
111 Jackdaws
68 Rooks
86 Greenfinches
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)