24 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 13.0°C: Mostly cloudy at medium level. A few holes early – I even saw the moon. Light north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:00 BST

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:25 – 09:05

(206th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the resident Mute Swans had the occasional skirmish with the seven visitors to show them who was boss. Most of the time the residents were elsewhere minding their own business.
- all change with the gulls today. It was Black-headed Gulls that were first arrivals with 16 at 06:25. The first of very few large gulls were some 10 minutes later. More of those few large gulls flew straight over than stopped off.
- a Tawny Owl was giving its wavering call as I arrived at 05:25. It was not heard later.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 4 Stock Doves: together
- 71 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 220 Jackdaws
- 57 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Barn Swallows at least flew West at 08:55.

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 7 (1) Chiffchaff
''nominal' warbler:
- 1 (0) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 28 Canada Goose: nine departed; one stayed; 18 arrived together
- 9 Mute Swans
- 6 (2♂) Gadwall: departed together
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 159 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls: some of these probably among the 116 on the football field c.07:05
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 unidentified abdomen being eaten by a spider

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 braconid wasp probably from the Microgastrinae family.
- 1 ichneumon sp.

Flies:
- 1 Dryomyza anilis
- 1 Phaonia sp.
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 4 other flies of different species

Springtails:
1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Sailing Club

Around the outside of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:

Flies:
- 2 craneflies Tipula confusa

Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii
- 1 Chestnut Slug Deroceras invadens
- 1 unidentified slug
- 2 Girdled Snails Hygromia cinctella

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 46 spiders: most individuals not identified though the following species were confirmed:
- Garden Spider Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]
- Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Noted later:
***the vegetation was still very wet and battered from the recent rain.

Flies:
- European Cranefly Tipula paludosa

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Fungus:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus
- possible Weeping Widow Lacrymaria lacrymabunda

A surprise appearance by the half-moon. It did not last.

Naughty spider tucking in to the abdomen of a sizeable moth. Not enough detail to identify either.

It was only when I edited the photo that I realised this had a 'wasp waist' and was not a fly. Trawling the internet I think it is a braconid wasp probably from the Microgastrinae family.

A small and unidentified ichneumon on one of the street lamp poles.

This is a wood gnat that is the same overall shape and size of those in the Sylvicola group. There are none on the NatureSpot internet site that shows other than a black or dark grey thorax so I cannot identify it.

A very fresh springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis showing plenty of scales on the back. These usually soon wear away.

I think I have these right: a Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii and...

...a Chestnut Slug Deroceras invadens

But what is this?

A fungus I can do by myself. Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus.

From this top view Obsidentify was unsure but Weeping Widow Lacrymaria lacrymabunda was an option.

When I showed it the underside it was 100% sure.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata
- 1 Snout Hypena proboscidalis

Flies:
- 7 plumed midges
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 1 caddis fly, probably Stenophylax permistus

Centipedes & Millipedes:
- 6 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Woodlice:
- 1 (Common) Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 Greenhouse / Balkan Three-band Slug Ambigolimax valentianus/nyctelius

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 7 spiders not specifically identified

My first Red-green Carpet moth Chloroclysta siterata of the year. An Autumn-flying species with the females over-wintering as an imago.

Sitting at a rather awkward angle on the ceiling was this Snout moth Hypena proboscidalis.

This large caddisfly is probably Stenophylax permistus.

I think this is one of the species-pair Greenhouse / Balkan Three-band Slug Ambigolimax valentianus/nyctelius only separable by dissection.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:10 – 10:15

(209th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Mallard and Tufted Duck were the only duck species I could find today.
- I have rarely seen Barn Swallows on Autumn passage here. At least 11 flew West as I was climbing in to my car to depart.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Jackdaws
- 2 Ravens: presumably it was the same two that flew back a few minutes later.

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 11 Barn Swallows at least flew West at 10:15

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 4 (1) Chiffchaffs
''nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests

Noted on / around the water:
- 69 Canada Geese
- 58 Greylag Geese: arrived in four groups
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 55 (34♂) Mallard
- 120 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 6 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 122 adult and immature Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull only
- 1 Cormorant: departed
- 2 Grey Herons: one departed; presumed a different arrival from a different direction

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 2 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris

Flies:
- 1 European Cranefly Tipula paludosa
1 unidentified cluster fly

Beetles:
- 2 Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni

Bugs:
- 6 Common Green Shieldbugs Palomena prasina

Fungus:

Possible identities
- Dark Honey Fungus Armillaria ostoyae
- Peeling Oysterling Crepidotus mollis

Greylag Geese adopting strange angles as they try to lose height to their chosen splash-down site.

The Grey Heron that was here when I first arrived seemed to fly off. This was a replacement arriving.

"Cronk". A Raven passes over calling. The large head and bill; the well-separated 'fingers' at the wing-tip; and the long tail help to identify any non-calling bird from Carrion Crow. An all-black bird against a grey overcast does not give the best of photos.

Close-up and personal with a male European Cranefly Tipula paludosa.

There has to be an unidentified fly: I think a species of cluster fly.

At the base of the large mostly dead Ash tree I found these Dark Honey Fungus Armillaria ostoyae.

And these.

And these which seem to be just emerging (or whatever the correct term is). Any honey fungus on a tree is bad news for its future as is the Ash dieback that seems to have killed this one.

I also took a photo using Obsidentify on my phone which was 100% sure this fungus is Peeling Oysterling Crepidotus mollis. When I showed it the edited camera's photo, as here, it was unsure!

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)