28 Sep 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake

7.0°C > 11.0°C: Broken cloud. Light north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:07 BST

An abbreviated visit to the Balancing Lake only.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 08:40

(207th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the resident Mute Swans had 11 visiting swans to chase for their occasional skirmish.
- a trio of Skylarks flew over calling: my first of the Autumn passage.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 17 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 15 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Herring Gull
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 149 Jackdaws
- 25 Rooks
- 3 Skylarks
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 37 Canada Goose: 11 departed; 26 arrived
- 13 Mute Swans
- 17 (12♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens
- 141 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 85 Black-headed Gulls: some of these probably among the 67 on the football field c.07:15
- 3 Herring Gulls
- c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana: my first this year

Flies:
- >6 Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 2 plumed midges
- 4 other flies of different species

Springtails:
2 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 running crab spider Philodromus sp.
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis: my first this year

Sailing Club

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

Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 1 unidentified cranefly

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 32 spiders: all remained unidentified apart from one noted as 'different':
1 Lace-weaver Spider Amaurobius similis

Noted later:

Fungus:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus
19 fruiting bodies around the edges of the football field.
23 fruiting bodies at least on the grass in front of the academy.
Must be Autumn though the trees are still mainly green

Four of the Canada Geese, as usual at strange angles as they 'spill' the air from under their wings to make their target splash-down spot.

This moth is my first Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana of this year. There are plenty of wild, if not garden, roses in the area. I see this species of moth most years. Not all specimens have the dark central area.

There were at least six Spotted-winged Drosophila flies Drosophila suzukii on the street lamp poles this morning. Here are two: both males with the dark tips to their wings.

A wood gnat Sylvicola sp.

For some reason all but one of the craneflies I saw this morning were this species: Tipula confusa.

The exception was this one. A squat-looking species that I have been unable to identify.

Today's unidentified fly on the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

A different-looking spider among the many around the sailing club HQ pre-dawn. This seems to be a male Lace-weaver Spider Amaurobius similis.

I think this is a running crab spider Philodromus sp. Some species of crab spider lay in wait and jump on passing prey. Others, like this species, chase after prey.

My first harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis of the year. This short-legged species is most easily identified my the obvious difference in leg thickness between the basal part and the outer half. The pale stripe down the abdomen is not always so apparent as it is on the specimen.

Three of the many fruiting bodies of Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig fungus Coprinus comatus. This species deliquesces very quickly as evidenced by the black gunge dripping from the back two. It is likely that these appeared no more than three days ago

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 2 plumed midges
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa

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

Woodlice:
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 3 spiders not specifically identified

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Skylarks
3 Meadow Pipits
26 Pied Wagtails
7 Siskins
2 Redpolls
142 Greylag Geese
320 Canada Geese
Common Sandpiper
45 Robins
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Cormorant
A pair of Wigeon
220 Coots
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

2007
RAF Cosford
Juvenile Gannet flew over RAF Cosford
(Martin R Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
3 Redpoll
Siskin
5 Chiffchaffs
Blackcap
Kingfisher
Buzzard
2 Kestrel
Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson)