24 Oct 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 9.0°C: A few scattered clouds: mostly clear. Moderate / fresh south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:53? BST [the site I have been using has changed its layout and tells me it is 06:58 today!]

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:10 – 09:30

(259th visit of the year)

Bird notes
Large Wood Pigeon passage: not much else moving.

Other bird notes:
- Coot numbers imperceptibly increasing.
- the Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at least 15 minutes later than yesterday which was a much darker morning. There were also only about half the number (c.500 at the time) with the majority arriving from the North / north-east.
- the first handful of what was eventually c.300 Black-headed Gulls appeared slightly earlier than yesterday.
- a large passage of Jackdaws and Rooks, particularly the former which continued in both small and medium-sized groups for well over an hour. It was a large total indeed but is nowhere near the four-figure numbers that were regular in Winter 20 years ago.
- a Reed Bunting was calling along the South side. None was noted at the West end roost site.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 79 Greylag Geese: 6 eastbound (quintet and single); 73 westbound in three groups
- 19 Canada Geese: westbound
- 1 Stock Dove: in with one of the Wood Pigeon groups.
- c.1950 Wood Pigeons: c.1925 of these estimated in 24 migrant groups
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants: two singles and a duo
- c.415 Jackdaws
- c.200 Rooks: see notes
- 1 Skylark
- 4 Fieldfare
- 6 Redwings
- 2 Pied Wagtails: singles
- 2 Siskins: singles

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 12 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 (3♂) Tufted Duck again
- 5 Moorhens only
- 52 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Herring Gulls
- c.600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: c.500 before 07:30: c.100 after 08:30
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 3 Grey Herons

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- none

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
The colder weather and the dew-covered poles diminished the haul.

Moths:
- 5 November Moth types Epirrita sp.

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina sp., likely M. segmentata
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Not visited

Noted later elsewhere:

All on the Teece Drive fence
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

A colourful sunrise for a change.

Obsidentify was 100% sure this cranefly is Tipula pagana. But note the antennae and...

...compare with this cranefly I photographed in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel this morning. Obsidentify was also 100% sure is T. pagana. With long antennae I could believe this identity which leaves the identity of the other one in doubt. It is not a sexual difference as only the males of T. pagana are fully winged.

This is a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina sp., likely M. segmentata. It is not the suggestion I got from Obsidentify a Meta menardi. That species is found exclusively inside caves and the like.

A harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus. Yet another without its full quota of legs. Seven here.

And another seven-legged D. ramosus/caudatus. Both of these on the Teece Drive fence.

I paused over the identity of this male harvestman. Is the white around the eye natural: meaning it is a Leiobunum blackwalli? Or is caused by camera-flash and it is an L. rotundum? I favour the former.

Another harvestman on the Teece Drive fence: this is a Paroligolophus agrestis, a species which I rarely see with leg(s) missing.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: day eight (if always the same individual)

Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana
- 57 midges of various species

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 spiders: both usual suspects

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:45

(255th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- nine Mute Swans at least: three flew off just as I arrived and disappeared behind the island. Whether they splashed back down and were part of my reported count is unknown.
- a / the Little Grebe was out and about on the water.
- no passage of migrant Wood Pigeons seen here.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 12 Canada Geese
- *4 Greylag Geese at least: more heard inside the island
- 9 Mute Swans: see notes
- 15 (11♂) Mallard: others in hiding?
- 9 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- *33 (2♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 87 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *47 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls: various ages
- *3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two (near?) adults; one un-aged immature
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 3 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
all in squirrel alley
- *1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
on the same Fire Hydrant sign as yesterday.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >20 wasps: both
*Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
*German Wasp Vespula germanica

Hoverflies:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *>2 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- >5 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Other flies:
- *>10 Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina or similar
- *>2 Greenbottles Lucilia sp.
- *other unidentified flies

Fungus:
- all the previously noted fungus has collapsed and is largely unrecognisable

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

A drake Goosander showing the steep forehead I only ever see on adult drakes and never on brownheads (ducks or juveniles of either sex).

For much of the time I was at The Flash many of the Goosanders were hauled out on the island. There is one drake and I reckon nine brownheads here. There are also at least four Greylag Geese in the background and four winter-plumage Black-headed Gulls in the foreground.

Something caught their attention. There are now twelve brownheads and the drake Goosander is at the left of the group.

The Little Grebe out on the open water again.

What is most probably a third-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. A third-winter because of the black in the bill. A Lesser Black-backed Gull because the inner primaries are not pale and there is a "mirror" on the outer primary only.

A Common Buzzard passes over...

...with "friends" in hot pursuit. The Carrion Crow was one of many crows and Magpies making much noise when they spotted and then harried the buzzard out of its resting place.

I said "hot pursuit" guys. You seem to have that wrong.

That is more like it.

The Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria was more aligned with the sign today. This specimen is certainly "mottled" but not very "umber".

Most of the insects investigating the Ivy were wasps. Note the yellow on the side of the thorax. It is parallel-sided so this is a Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris.

This, with a more triangular-shaped yellow area on the side of the thorax, is therefore a German Wasp Vespula germanica. There are other differences: the markings on the face for one – but who wants to look a wasp closely in the face? I find the thorax mark the easiest and most reliable feature to separate the two species.

"Please Miss, may I...?" A female Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax helpfully showing the colour of her foreleg to aid identification. Females are not so obviously "tapered" on the abdomen as males.

And a front view of the same hoverfly.

There were many Common Blow Flies Calliphora vicina or similar. Here we see below its red eyes the more orange-toned palps. These are sensory organs around the edge of the mouthparts.

One of several Greenbottles Lucilia sp. Also with its tongue on what looks to be a still unopened Ivy flower.

This will remain as unidentified fly.

Another harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus. It looks as if could probably only walk in circles. Five legs.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
733 Wood Pigeons
11 Skylarks
151 Fieldfare
20 Redwings
2 Brambling
2 Linnets
2 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
5 Wigeon
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Shoveler
1 Teal (female)
1 Common Gull
(John Isherwood)