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FoPL Reports

Botanical Report

Species Records

17 Dec 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 10.0°C: Mostly cloudy at medium level with just a few breaks. Moderate south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:17 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:25

(263rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Gadwall pair was a new arrival as was a Great Crested Grebe.
- The small movement of Wood Pigeons is unusual at this date.
- The first c.200 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:20 with numbers building to at least 600.
- Fewer large gulls seen on the water. Also fewer overhead with a higher proportion of these Herring Gulls.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 42 Greylag Geese: 34 in two groups outbound; 8 in two groups inbound
- 6 Feral Pigeon: a single and quintet
- 162 Wood Pigeons: of these 16 flew North together; and then groups of 52 and 84 flew South.
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 12 Herring Gulls
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 7 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 6 Starlings: together
- 2 Fieldfares
- 2 Redwings
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.
- 32 Starlings: together

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 51 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 126 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.600 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: one chased away

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

Moths:
- 2 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- *4 Mottled Umbers (Erranis defoliaria)

Bees, wasps etc.
- 1 Braconid sp.

Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *1 wood gnat Sylvicola punctatus
- *1 non-biting midge Chironomus sp.
- *1 possible Drain Fly (Psychoda grisescens)

Bugs:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis

Spiders and allies:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 spider Neriene montana
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 3 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis: all on the same pole
- *1 possible harvestman Platybunus triangularis (also known as Rilaena triangularis)

Seen later:
- *one of the Myxomycota slime moulds

Noted later on the Teece Drive fence:
- 1 male and 1 *female Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

More cloud this morning. The best I could manage with the dawn colours.

The Robins here are not so friendly as those at The Flash, some of which can be hand-fed. This one staying behind barbed-wire!

Did I mention there is usually a branch in the way? A Long-tailed Tit of course.

No better here either.

Slightly better.

A female Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata).

A well-marked example of a Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria). One of four here this morning.

It is mottled and it is umber. Not such a well-marked example.

This wood gnat may be a Sylvicola punctatus. There are several species in this group, all the others have dark areas at the wing-tips (merely 'shaded' on this example).

A male non-biting midge Chironomus sp. One of the smaller species, whatever that is.

This may be the Drain Fly (Psychoda grisescens). It is a different shape from most of the Psychoda species I usually see.

Perhaps my best photo of a springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis.

This spider is Neriene montana.

I gave Obsidentify several goes at this after attempts to edit the photo to make it clearer. Eventually it gave me an identity that seemed reasonable. However this harvestman Platybunus triangularis (also known as Rilaena triangularis) is not one I have seen previously and it must remain a 'possible'.

One of the Myxomycota slime moulds apparently. I have no further information.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:55

(247th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A trio of Common Teal was seen beside the island with two drakes in dispute, I assume over the duck.
- The Common Buzzard was again attempting to perch in trees alongside squirrel alley with the resident Carrion Crows chasing it away.
- After two Ravens seen over the Balancing Lake on flew over here today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Common Buzzard (perhaps the bird seen in squirrel alley later?)
- 1 Raven

Noted on / around the water:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 38 Greylag Geese
- 1 mainly white feral goose
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 45 (29♂) Mallard [yesterday's total should have read 40 (28♂)]
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 3 (2♂) Common Teal
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 44 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 18 Moorhens
- 42 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 167 (gulp) Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: two third winters and *one first winter
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults and one first winter
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons: one departed

Elsewhere:
Nothing noted

A first winter Herring Gull.

The Common Buzzard seen overhead.

Perhaps the same bird in squirrel alley trying to ignore the Carrion Crows dive-bombing it.

 "Did you just take my photo?"

A wide black "zip" indicates this Great Tit is a male.

A Blue Tit. These are not so easy to sex.

Well: you can see the gold crest: just about.

(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
40 Golden Plover
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
4 Siskins
2 Redpolls
8 Pochard
83 Tufted Ducks
249 Coots
83 Fieldfare
54 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
Greater Scaup
1 Little Grebe
179 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake
30 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
11 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
Snipe
1 Water Rail
163 Coots
6 Redwings
227 Jackdaws
3 Redpolls
2 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Pochard
33 Tufted Duck
30 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
29 Swans
36 Pochard
97 Tufted Ducks
3 Water Rails
291 Coots
6 Redwings
c.230 Jackdaws
c.30 Goldfinches
7 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
18 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
35 Fieldfare
19 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
132 Rooks
11 Greenfinches
2 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backs
18 Pochard
77 Tufted Duck
7 Shoveler
5 Great Crested Grebe
2 Dabchick
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
40 Siskin
2 Redpoll
19 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)