6 Oct 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.0°C: Mainly cloudy with a light shower c.09:40. Light south-easterly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:21 BST

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:40 – 09:20

(210th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 14 visiting Mute Swans initially. The resident cob seems to have more or less given up chasing them. That said they remain congregated in the south-east area where I assume there is, for the moment, enough food for them. What happens when the food runs out...
- a tight group of at least 300 Black-headed skimmed in above the M54 at 07:05. Historically early arriving groups have skimmed in from the West over the Ricoh grounds. Some of these may have been among those seen on the football field later though some of these were noted arriving from the West, possibly from The Flash.
- *a Great (White) Egret dropped in for c.10 minutes c.08:15.
- my first Redwings of the Autumn flew over. Strangely none of the birds was heard to call.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 5 Goosander: together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- >150 large gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 283 Jackdaws: see notes
- 64 Rooks: see notes
- 13 Redwings: two groups
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
- 11 Starlings

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 43 Canada Goose: 41 departed in five groups; two stayed
- 16 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 13 (10♂) Mallard
- 5 Moorhens
- 168 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >300 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- *7 Herring Gulls
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret

Birds on the football field c. 07:35
- 129 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons only

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 November Moth agg. Epirrita dilutata agg.

Flies:
- 2 Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 fungus gnat from the genus Mycetophila
- 2 wood gnats Sylvicola sp.
- *1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- *1 as yet unidentified spider
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Sailing Club

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

Flies:
- *1 fungus gnat Macrocera vittata
- *1 Muscid fly, likely a Phaonia sp.
- 2 wood gnats Sylvicola sp.
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 38 spiders: none specifically identified

Noted later:

Bugs:
- *Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus

Fungus:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus
at least 13 fruiting bodies not seen previously
It has been so wet recently I would have expected to see other fungus

Also
One of the fishermen showed me a photo of large beetle he had photographed in his bivvy last night. My photo of his photo is not the best but it is likely
- Common Sexton Beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides

A first winter Herring Gull showing the white tips to the feathers of the wing coverts. These white tips will soon be worn away.

The Great (White) Egret is escorted in by a trio of Jackdaws.

Here it comes and...

 ...there it goes.

My first of the November Moth agg. Epirrita dilutata agg this year. This group comprises Autumnal, November and Pale November Moths which are not separable except by genitalia examination. It is moth species #88 for me here this year – whatever it is.

An unusual find on the wall of the sailing club HQ was this fungus gnat Macrocera vittata notable for its very long antennae, plain wings and banded abdomen. NatureSpot tells me that the larvae of this genus spin with droplets of acid fluid which they use to ensnare and kill springtails (among other small creatures).

The dark markings on the wings identify this as a fungus gnat from the genus Mycetophila. As so often there are several species that require detailed examination of the genital structure to separate.

I had hoped the distinctive wing markings might enable me to identify this fly. The best I can suggest is one of the Muscid flies and probably a Phaonia species with P tuguriorum a possibility as an Autumn-flying species.

Smaller than the 'regular' craneflies and very plain-looking are all the so-called winter craneflies from the genus Trichocera.

I took this photo of a springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis without realising there was another tiny creature lurking at the bottom of the photo. I have no idea as to what it might be.

This shieldbug was not at a very helpful angle on a street lamp pole. Most shieldbugs overwinter in brown colours and the best identification clue here is the orange band on the penultimate antennal segment. This means it must be a Bronze Shieldbug Troilus luridus.

I am leaving this small (little fingernail-sized) spider as unidentified. Obsidentify seemed confident it is a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica. The spider is so small the abdomen markings are not clear-enough for my liking. It also seems very small though I do know all spiders are very small when they hatch from the egg.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- *1 mosquito Culux pipiens
- 2 plumed midges

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

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 8 spiders not specifically identified

The extensive plumes and a proboscis identify this as a mosquito. The all-dark legs identify is as Culux pipiens. Most other species likely to be seen in the UK have banded legs. I only ever seem to find mosquitoes on the wall of the tunnel.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:20

(212th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Greylag Goose numbers 'best effort' as many were jammed together. Strangely I saw none of the (mainly) white feral geese.
- seven Gadwall (four drakes) were recent arrivals.
- conditions were not good but there does seem to have been a reduction in both Tufted Duck and Coot numbers since the middle of last week.
- as I was leaving a brownhead Goosander flew off. I have no idea where it came from.
- one of the Great Crested Grebe was a first winter bird so it must have flown in as there were no juveniles noted here this year.
- I have no idea why so few Black-headed Gulls are present at the time I visit.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 Chiffchaff

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- c.140 Greylag Geese
- no (mainly) white feral geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 39 (26♂) Mallard
- 102 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: see notes
- 14 Moorhens
- 124 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 3 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Fungus:
- Dark Honey Fungus Armillaria ostoyae: some now fading away

Plants:
- *fruits of Black Bryony Dioscorea communis (poisonous)

The fruits of Black Bryony Dioscorea communis. Beware: they are poisonous.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years
2014
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter Caspian Gull.
(Observer Unknown)

2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
100 Tufted Duck
Water Rail heard
39 Lapwings
Kingfisher
3 Redwings
Redpoll
Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
49 Tufted Duck
1 Chiffchaff
Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)

6 Oct 06 - Wesley Bridge under water (Ed Wilson)