18 Dec 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 9.0°C:  Overcast. The forecast rain began on schedule c.10:30. Light south-easterly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise:  08:18 GMT

Photos will be added later

More or less back to normal hours thanks to the later arrival of today's deluge.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:25

(306th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Canada Goose flew in from the East c.08:20
- an adult Mute Swan was noted near the dam by 07:45 when another flew to join it. Whether this flew from the West end or was a new arrival I cannot say. Neither were the bird from The Flash that was still there later. When I first saw them together they did a short display in greeting.
- yesterday's pair of Pochard still present.
- a dire number of gulls this morning. The first Lesser Black-backs did not appear overhead until 07:47 and with none of the water they carried on. A very few were seen later. No Black-heads arrived until 08:05 with at most 45 being counted.
- a Great (White) Egret was already on the dam-face by 07:45 when another flew in from the north-east. After some sparring they were both present for a while until someone exercising their dog alongside the water (read the signs that Severn Trent erected on their private land) flushed one – probably the bird seen at The Flash later.
- unusually there were more Rooks than Jackdaws noted passing overhead on roost dispersal. I suspect many other Jackdaws were passing low and at some distance to the East and not visible from my position.
- a Mistle Thrush was giving its rattling call from a tree between the lake and Castle Farm Way.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gull
- 58 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 66 Jackdaws
- 95 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose: arrived
- 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 55 (37♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes as usual
- c.45 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls only
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls only
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great (White) Egrets: see notes

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
A bumper haul in the mild conditions.

Moths:
- 3 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

Springtails:
- 3 springtail sp., probably all Dicyrtomina saundersi
- 1 larger globular springtail sp., possibly Dicyrtoma fusca

Flies:
- 8 winter cranefly Trichocera sp., probably of two species
- 1 fungus gnat sp.

Beetles:
- 1 unidentified ground beetle
- 3 flea beetles, possibly Cabbage-stem Flea Beetles Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 money spider Erigone sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted on the Teece Drive fence:

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

One of three male Mottled Umber moths Erranis defoliaria on the street lamp poles this morning. This one at rest with its wings closed. With the low light-level all today's photos are from creatures on the street lamp poles.

There were at least eight winter craneflies Trichocera sp. around the poles. They were being attracted to my torch so it was impossible to keep track of them. Note the antennae on this one and compare them...

...with this one: much longer antennae. As far as I can determine sex does affect antennae length so I assume it is a different species.

I am 100% with Obsidentify's when it reported "98% unidentified fly/mosquito/gnat species". My best suggestion is it is one of the fungus gnats.

This globular springtail was about twice the size of the other three I noted and I presume a different species. Obsidentify suggests Dicyrtoma fusca.

An unidentified ground beetle. Not a great photo: it probably doesn't matter too much as ground beetles are almost impossible to identify from photos anyway.

This one of the three flea beetles I noted, another group not identifiable from photos. The most common at this time of year and hence the most likely is the Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala.

This tiny creature is a money spider Erigone sp. A male judging by the size of its palps.

A Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius. This species has, recently, seemed unusually scarce around the lights at the top of the poles.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. with the remains of a cranefly, one of the many winter craneflies Trichocera sp

A harvestman of the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus suffering from a lack of legs – two missing.

Possibly the most battered harvestman I have seen. Another from the Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus group with just three legs and both its pedipalps having seen better days. I found it on the Teece Drive fence.

A harvestman Opilio canestrinii should look like with all eight legs present and correct.

One of two harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis on the poles. Another six-legged special.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:40

(300th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- an extra pair of Pochard today.
- the Coot count is the result of my promised (threatened?) "concerted effort".
- a Blackbird was heard singing (along with four Song Thrushes).
- a lone male Siskin was feeding on Alder seeds along with a charm of Goldfinches at the top end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 34 (24♂) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Pochard
- 24 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (2♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 47 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 male Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria

A poorly-marked male Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
7 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
233 Coots
324 Black-headed Gulls
19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
6 Fieldfare
151 Redwings
284 Jackdaws
156 Rooks
4 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)


2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe.
4 Gadwall.
12 Pochard.
43 Tufted Ducks.
182 Coots
189 Wood Pigeons
20 Redwings
184 Jackdaws
3 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)


2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
29 Swans
42 Pochard
2 Water Rails
c.900 Black-headed Gulls
c.2200 large gulls
127 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Redwings
2 Fieldfare
16 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)


2008
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
13 Pochard
(John Isherwood)


2005
Priorslee Lake
c.2500 Black-headed Gulls
c.200 Lesser Black-backs
20 Pochard
58 Tufted Duck
A drake Wigeon
6 Great Crested Grebe
2 Little Grebe
c.200 Coot
2 Water Rail
202 Rooks
247 Jackdaws
11 Pied Wagtails
23 Siskin
5 Redpoll
19 Reed Bunting
(Martin R Adlam)