7 Nov 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 11.0°C: Alight shower as I arrived otherwise fine with cloud clearing away. A calm start with slight mist over the water; a light south-westerly breeze later. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:17 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: 05:50 – 09:25

(232nd visit of the year)

Not quite such a manic morning, possibly in part due to dark clouds pre-dawn.

Bird notes:
- A Little Grebe again – always assuming the previous one went away and has been hiding.
- At least 110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived around dawn (with apparently just two Herring Gulls with them). These all departed, mainly to the West. At c.08:40 at least 170 arrived from the North (with at least 18 Herring Gulls). Before I could get a complete count something spooked them and many of them departed.
- 18 Starlings left a roost somewhere around the water: not sure where.
- In addition to all the passing Fieldfare and Redwings the latter were calling in some number from the Ricoh copse as I arrived.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 11 Greylag Geese: a duo outbound; nine inbound together
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 5 Stock Doves
- 788 Wood Pigeons: of these 718 in 25 migrant flocks heading South.
- 39 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 16 Cormorants: a single, a duo and 13 together
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 87 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 4 Skylarks: together
- 28 Starlings: two groups
- 1615 Fieldfare: in 26 groups
- 137 Redwings: in 14 groups
- 2 Mistle Thrushes: together
- 5 Pied Wagtails

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 32 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 146 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.85 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Herring Gulls
- c.285 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and stayed

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

Moths:
- 2 November Moths agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.)
- 1 +Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria)

Otherwise:
- 1 small ichneumon sp.
- 1 Blow Fly sp., likely Calliphora vicina
- 1 plumed midge: male
- 2 winter crane flies Trichocera sp.
- 2 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 spider Clubiona sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Orb-web spider Metellina sp., likely M. mengei
- 9 Nursery Web Spiders (Pisaura mirabilis): six of these on one street lamp pole
- 1 money spider from the large Linyphiidae family
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 4 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Then in the sailing club shelter the following spiders:
(what do they eat? I rarely see any other insects there):
- Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- Metellina merianae
- Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)

Noted later on the Teece Drive fence:
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) var. succinea

Fungus
No new ones found

As the early shower moved away it still looked rather forbidding and I did not expect...

... a very reasonable sunrise.

You will have to take my word for it that these are Cormorants. Twelve of the group of thirteen that flew over.

Two Magpies are not very happy about the Common Buzzard perched in their territory.

My first Feathered Thorn moth (Colotois pennaria) of the year bringing my 2023 species total at the lake to 96. This is the only species of Thorn moth that rests with its wings flat which is probably why it is in its own genus.

A very small ichneumon. I know of no way to identify most of the more than 2500 UK species apart from a few large and distinctive species. This is neither.

As yesterday a normal 'daytime' fly was on a street lamp pole before dawn. The dew makes this Blow Fly species impossible to identify though it is likely Calliphora vicina.

A dew and rain spattered Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) var. succinea.

A tiny money spider from the large Linyphiidae family. If my app. can't identify it I certainly cannot.

This is an Orb-web spider Metellina sp., likely M. mengei.

My app. was confident this spider I found in the sailing club shelter is Metellina merianae.

Close-up and personal with a Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica), also in the sailing club shelter. I defy anyone to go in the shelter during the day and find a single spider. Pre-dawn there are usually more than twenty easily visible.

One of nine Nursery Web Spiders (Pisaura mirabilis). The only one not covered in dew.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:55

(216th 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:
- 2 Jackdaws
- 9 Fieldfare: together

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 20 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 49 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 20 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)

Other things:
- 1++ springtail Orchesella cincta

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
All around the Ivy where activity was frenetic as if they needed to get the last of the nectar.

Butterflies:
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

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

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Grey-spotted Boxer (Platycheirus albimanus) [also known as Grey-spotted Sedgesitter]
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Other flies:
- Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- I did not spend any time looking at any of the usual hordes of flies.

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

New groups of fungus found:
- unidentified fungus sp. Perhaps Spindle Shank (Collybia fusipes); perhaps a Honey Fungus (Armillaria sp.)

An adult winter Great Crested Grebe has been watching the Grey Heron hide in the reeds beside one of the footbridges. Grebes are normally rather shy.

Another sunny day: another Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). At least four were on the Ivy (Helix) this morning.

This moth is called a Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx). It is a new species for me at The Flash bringing my 2023 moth species total here to exactly 50. It was of course right at very top of the tallest street lamp pole in squirrel alley. UK Moths tells me "the English name 'Sprawler' comes from the larva's habit of throwing back its head in defensive attitude". Er?

A delicate Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

And close-up and personal with another.

Even closer.

A Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger). Sometimes known as the Migrant Hoverfly which is not a very helpful name. The population of many species of hoverfly in the UK is boosted by migrants from the Continent and many, including this species, then have several generations during the year of UK-born and raised adults.

This springtail Orchesella cincta was a double-surprise. Firstly it is unusual to see springtails after dawn. Secondly my app. identified it as a species I have not previously recorded. The feature confirming its identity is the single yellow band across its abdomen.

A 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata). Most of the ladybirds that are trying to get in my house to over-winter are Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis).

Another group of fungus I found. My app. suggested these might be Spindle Shank (Collybia fusipes).

I tried from a different angle and the app. then was inclined to identify them as one of the several Honey Fungus (Armillaria sp.). I cannot comment further.

(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
1 Little Grebe
4 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Pochard
56 Tufted Duck
23 Moorhens
233 Coots
600+ Wood Pigeons
6 Song Thrush
55 Fieldfare
55 Redwings
532 Jackdaws
167 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.150 Greylag Geese
2 Gadwall
9 Pochard
28 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
166 Coots
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.300 Wood Pigeons
29 Blackbirds
63 Redwings
120 Fieldfares
709 Jackdaws
182 Rooks
c.70 Starlings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
10 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Wrekin
Location
Firecrest
1 Crossbill
(Andy Latham)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
26 Pochard
86 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Redshank
c.750 Black-headed Gulls
128 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
20 Pied Wagtails
34 Robins
32 Blackbirds
16 Redwings
41 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)