24 Dec 23

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C: Almost overcast with occasional light drizzle. Fresh to strong westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT
For reasons I have had explained to me although we are past the Winter Solstice, and hence the shortest day, the sun will not rise any earlier until 2nd January.
* = a species photographed today

Seasons Greetings to all my readers

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 07:00 – 09:30

(270th visit of the year)

There are quiet days and then there is today.

A note relating to sightings from way back. Simon, the bee man, told me one of his relations brought along a bat detector when he visited and was able to confirm both Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipstrellus and Soprano Pipistrelle P. pygmaeus are present in the area. These species cannot be separated other than in the hand or by using a bat detector to analyse the frequencies at which they emit their echolocation calls. Pipistrelles around the edges of the lake are thought more likely Soprano Pipistrelles with the Common Pipistrelle more frequent in wooded areas and gardens.

Bird notes:
- c.550 Black-headed Gulls were settled on the water by 07:40. I did not see when they arrived. Another c.150 joined them.
- A single Lesser Black-backed Gull overhead at 07:50 was the only large gull seen until c.08:45 when birds started to drift in.
- Two Great Black-backed Gulls again, both adults today.
- Also two adult Yellow-legged Gulls again.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 5 (2♂) Goosander
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 74 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake.
None, though there were at least three Redwings in the usual roost area but they were still there at 08:45

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 64 (33♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 102 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- c.700 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Great Black-backed Gulls
- 37 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls
- *38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Heron: an arrival chased away

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

Moths:
- 1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata

Bees, wasps and allies:
- *1 unidentified ichneumon
- *1 possible Small Black Ant Lasius niger.

Flies:
- *1 Sepsis sp. fly
- *2 very small plumed midges
- *1 larger non-biting midge
- *1 possible moth flies from the Psychodidae family

Beetles:
- *2 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetles Psylliodes chrysocephala.
- *1 weevil, probably Sitona lepidus

Other insects:
- *1 possible Katiannidae springtail
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris

Spiders and allies:
- *1 money spider Erigone sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis

Fungus
New fungus found along the North side:
- *Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus

Noted on the Teece Drive fence:
- *1 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina.
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Behind the buoy and settling its wings is an adult Great Black-backed Gull. For comparison an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull is directly behind it (with a second winter Lesser Black-back in front of that).

An adult Cormorant showing signs of its breeding plumage with a hint of a white thigh patch and a few white head plumes starting to show.

An unidentified ichneumon. This is a male (no ovipositor).

The best I can do with an identification is Small Black Ant Lasius niger. It is certainly an ant. It is mostly black. But it doesn't seen that small. For some reason there does not seem to be such a thing as a Large (or Medium) Black Ant.

This small black fly with a round head and dark wing tip is from the species group Sepsis. One of the Ensign Fly family whose males dance around on leaves to impress the females. There are 24 species involved and with a microscope in one eye and the identification key in the other eye... I have not noticed this species previously.

My best photo (so far) of one of the very small plumed non-biting midges. I cannot identify these further.

A larger species non-biting midge. The antennae are not plumed suggesting it is a female.

I took what I thought was a blurred photo of this species of fly the other day. I now realise it is the fly that looks blurred. The best I can do with identification is a possible moth fly from the Psychodidae family. As I noted previously it looks very different from the usual more triangular individuals but then there are 99 species to choose from. Obsidentify was no help: Hummingbird Hawk-moth was its best suggestion!

On the Teece Drive fence I noted this Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina. The green areas are supposed to go brown in winter to camouflage it in the leaf-litter: too mild?

The thickened hind femur identifies this as a Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala.

This weevil is probably Sitona lepidus, a species associated with Clover Trifolium that grows abundantly in the area. Another new insect for me.

A minute springtail. The just-about-visible banding across the back suggests it might be one of the Katiannidae springtails. Apart from the difficulty of identifying anything this small the number of species and their separation features is still to be worked out. PhD thesis anyone?

This is the springtail Tomocerus vulgaris.

A money spider, probably of the Erigone genus.

I will not take a much better photo of a Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis than this.

I thought fungus season was over. Apparently not. Probably Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus though as so often there are other similar species.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:25

(252nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- There seemed to be sibling rivalry between some of the Mute Swan cygnets with one bird adopting a male 'threat' pose, wings arched, towards two of the others.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese:
- 44 Greylag Geese [yesterday's entry should have read: - 53 Greylag Geese]
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 34 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 3 (2♂) Common Teal
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 62 (38♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (1♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 40 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes
- 84 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: two first winter and one third winter
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 3 Cormorants: all arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

On the Ivy bank:
Nothing noted. Warm-enough but too dull.

Just the one: a Great Crested Grebe that wanted to be photographed.

(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
7 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
204 Coots counted
123 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Grey Herons
126 Canada Geese
110 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes
2 Shoveler
71 Tufted Duck
1 Goosander
125 Coots
>40 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
1 Tufted Duck
19 Goosander
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
13 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
178 Coots
Peregrine
14 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
5 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
10 Swans
28 Pochard
77 Tufted Ducks
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
60 Herring Gulls
1 Water Rail heard
299 Coots counted
4 Redwings
2 Willow Tits again
c.5 Goldfinches
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/ Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Little Grebe
41 Pochard
38 Tufted Ducks
8 Redwing
2 Fieldfare
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)