21 Dec 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 13.0°C: Broken cloud early; fine for a while; then passing showers. Very strong and gusty north-westerly wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 08:19 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:35

(267th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No big arrival of gulls. They just sort of drifted in over a period.
- Of the c.180 Jackdaws noted c.130 were in a single tight group. For many years I used to look for roost dispersal groups several minutes after the first Wren's song. A few year ago they seemed to have moved roost and were slightly later and several minutes after the first Dunnock calls. Today they were at least 10 minutes ahead of any sound from either Wrens or Dunnocks.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: a duo South; a duo outbound
- 23 Greylag Geese: outbound in two groups
- 1 Stock Dove
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: together
- 2 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- c.180 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.
- 6 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 65 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull
- 14 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

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

Moths:
- 2 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 1 male Mottled Umber (Erranis defoliaria)

Bees, wasps and allies:
- 1 possible Gelis sp. (ant mimic ichneumon)
- 1 ant Lasius sp. possibly Negro Ant (L. fusca)

Flies:
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- 1 possible fungus gnat
- 1 Spotted-winged Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)

Beetles:
- 1 Notiophilus sp., perhaps N. biguttatus also known as Common Springtail-stalker

Spiders and allies:
- 1 spider Ero sp.
- 1 wolf spider Pardosa sp., possibly P. nigriceps
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

On the Teece Drive fence:

Nothing found

Broken cloud around a rather colourless sunrise.

Ice crystals in the high clouds were giving unusual colour patterns. Always hard to photograph due to the high contrast. The best I could do.

A barn-door, disguised as a Grey Heron, flies away.

This female Sparrowhawk had scattered all the local Wood Pigeons. Female Sparrowhawks can manage to catch and kill Wood Pigeons. The smaller males probably cannot manage this feat.

The low morning sun (its the Winter solstice today so it hopefully won't get any lower) lights up the underwing of the Common Buzzard.

A male Mottled Umber moth (Erranis defoliaria) sitting with one wing partially open. Another specimen sowing none of the usual wing pattern. The only confusion species lacks the dark mark towards the edge in the middle of the wing.

This may be a species of Gelis which are ant mimic ichneumons. It appears to have an ovipositor which supports that identification. Yet it does not seem too clear that it has the 'wasp waist' of ichneumons.

Now this IS an ant. On size perhaps a Negro Ant (Lasius fusca).

Obsidentify suggested this spider was one of the Ero species. Reference to the Naturespot web site does not help me get any closer to the full ID. Not does it help with the other spider lurking at the top of the photo. Perhaps the male of the species? Male spiders are usually smaller than females of the same species.

Even though it was at least 15' feet up a street lamp pole this seems to be a ground beetle. The large eyes indicate it is a Notiophilus sp., perhaps N. biguttatus also known as Common Springtail-stalker. I did not see any springtails today. Maybe it has eaten them all?

I am surprised how many different species of spider I have found on the street lamp poles in the last few months. This is a wolf spider Pardosa sp., and possibly P. nigriceps.

 (Non) Plane of the day! The aircraft disappeared in to cloud before I get a picture but the data from the aircraft's transponder shows something you won't see too often from a commercial aircraft – ground speed over 600 Knots (1122 Km/hour or 697mph). Normally jet airliners in cruise would be travelling at 500-540 Knots. Definitely "wind up its chuff". The data is for a Norse Atlantic Boeing 787 900 Series Dreamliner rushing from Los Angeles to Gatwick Airport.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:40

(249th visit of the year)

A few things probably hiding away from the strong winds.

Bird notes:

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 17 Canada Geese:
- 17 Greylag Geese also
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 34 (11♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 62 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 (1♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: third winters
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the ivy bank sheltered from the wind and in the weak sun:
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Blow Fly (Calliphora vicina)
- unidentified fly sp.

The sheltered Ivy bank was lit by weak sun and tempted this Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) to search for any remaining nectar.

I was particularly pleased to find several of these hoverflies. It means I have logged at least one species of hoverfly in every month this year. I have not managed that before.

One more.

 There were also several of these Common Blow Flies (Calliphora vicina).

 Ugly or what?

I could not get an identification on this much smaller fly. Obsidentify had one of its 'moments' telling me "100% Common Cranefly"! I always try and check its suggestions with another source. My best thought is one of the many confusingly-similar root-maggot flies.

(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
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
7 Pochard
74 Tufted Ducks
221 Coots
2 Fieldfare
65 Redwings
228 Jackdaws
119 Rooks
13 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall.
12 Pochard
12 Goosanders
51 Tufted Ducks
145 Coots
c.280 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
c.265 Jackdaws
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

The Flash
12 Goosanders
4 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
12 Goosanders
7 Coots
42 were Herring Gulls
44 Black-headed Gulls only on the water
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

Trench Lock Pool
32 Mute Swans
42 Tufted Duck
168 Coots counted
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
Little Grebe
8 Great Crested Grebes
22 Swans
1 Gadwall
51 Pochard
148 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Woodcock
274 Coots
8000+ gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
7 Redwings
16 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson/Martin Adlam/Jim Almond)

2005
Priorslee lake
9 Pochard
16 Tufted Duck
c.2000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.500 Black-headed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gull.
c.200 Coot
1 Water Rail
15 Pied Wagtails
243 Rooks
532 Jackdaw
31 Siskin
2 Redpoll
16 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)