15 Oct 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 18.0°C: Scattered below barely broken high cloud. Moderate / fresh south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:35 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20

(230th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a party of 16 Canada Geese flew in from the East, spending over an hour before heading off toward The Flash.
- as yesterday the pair of Mute Swans "appeared". I am still not sure whether they emerged from the reeds or flew in: I favour the former.
- most of the Mallard flew in as a large group, probably from the storm pools to the East. Most of them soon flew out again.
- no Tufted Duck today.
- at least 250 Black-headed Gulls arrived after 07:10.
- c.120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present by 07:00 with c.200 present by 07:15 with five Herring Gulls among them.
- I did not visit the football field.
- later I logged 23 Herring and 133 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arriving (back?) from the East.
- any overhead passage of gulls remains almost non-existent.
- no Wood Pigeons passage today. Too windy?
- a pair of Ravens flew over.
- a bumper number of Jackdaws and Rooks flying South on roost dispersal. These high numbers are almost certainly under-recorded as there was a concurrent departure of many of the gulls from the lake making finding them a challenge; and there were unidentified distant bird, probably of these species.
- a single Chiffchaff heard calling.
- a small passage of Redwings flying East.
- at least 35 Starlings emerged from a reed-bed roost on the North side c.07:35.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 17 Wood Pigeons
- 521 Jackdaws
- 230 Rooks
- 2 Ravens
- 52 Redwings
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the lake area:
- 16 Canada Geese: came and went – see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 (14♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes again
- c.250 Black-headed Gulls
- 28 Herring Gulls
- >330 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: calling

Also noted:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

True flies:
- 1 Limonid cranefly

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.

Fungi:
- *Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 1 *dance fly from the Hybotidae family
- 1 *blowfly Melanomya nana
- 1 male midge sp.
- 1 *Root-maggot fly
- 3 other unidentified flies

Springtails:
- 2 *springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
- 1 *other flea beetle type
- 1 *unidentified weevil sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- 1 *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina segmentata
- 1 *Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 2 other unidentified spiders
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Not from the best position. It looked cloudy so I was not expecting a sunrise!

This small fly with the slender body and well-separated head is a dance fly, probably from the Hybotidae family.

This is the blowfly Melanomya nana. The brown-tinged wings help identify it.

A Root-maggot fly. There are many similar species.

It seems this has to be a springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis even though it looks "different". There are only very faint bands across the abdomen which has an unusually pale tip; the legs have white "knees". No other species in photo-galleries on the internet has such long antennae.

This flea beetle with the thick hind femur (for jumping) was about twice the size of those I have been recording as Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala. It also has brown areas on the elytra. I cannot identify it further.

Another I struggled with this morning both trying to get a photo and then trying to decide what it is. At the time I thought a small spider and indeed Obsidentify thinks it is. But it only has six legs however hard I try and find two more! It is in fact a weevil, the two eyes looking down the curved snout with the beetle's left side antenna sticking out. What species? Good question!

Just about the smallest spider I can recall seeing, hence the poor photo. No idea as to species.

A distinctive-looking spider. As often is the case my apps disagreed as to the species, indeed the family. I think they were both wrong and it is a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina segmentata.

One of few spiders I can confidently identify: a Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis

This fungus is Glistening Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus. Looking at the photo I see there is an unidentified fungus gnat on one of the fruits.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 7 midges of several species
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Arthropods:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- 13 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Well it was a cranefly, probably Tipula lateralis. A meal for a spider.

Nothing special: just a harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis. I think my first for the tunnel, found on the ceiling.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 11:00

(229th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
It is difficult to correctly count the Cormorants, herons and egrets on the island when the path across and between the bridges is not available. With even a small change of position birds can appear or disappear behind the geese or / and vegetation.
- just four Greylag Geese: plenty of Canada Geese again.
- as yesterday eight Mute Swans, one of which was a first-winter cygnet.
- now 11 Tufted Duck.
- another smaller number of Goosander than a week ago with no drake seen. Four birds were noted flying off.
- thanks to a very noisy calling bird I found a trio of Little Grebe beneath overhanging vegetation around the island.
- one full adult Great Crested Grebe was seen close by two dependent juveniles. Another full adult was on its own.
- *a third-winter Herring Gull briefly.
- at least six Grey Herons!
- back to four Little Egrets.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Jackdaws together

Noted on / around the water:
- 97 Canada Geese: of these seven arrived and six departed
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 8 Mute Swans: see notes
- 51 (29♂) *Mallard
- 11 (4?♂) Tufted Duck
- 36 (0♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 22 Coot
- 3 *Little Grebe
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 *Herring Gull: third-winter, briefly
- 8 Cormorants again
- 6 Grey Herons
- 1 *Great (White) Egret
- 4 *Little Egrets

Warblers noted:

None

Noted around the area:
Weak sun at best. The Ivy patch was in the breeze.

Butterflies and moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 3 *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- 1 *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- >20 wasp Vespula sp. [after yesterday's German Wasp I better be careful! None specifically ID-ed]
- 1 *$ ichneumon, possibly Listrodromus nycthemerus

Hoverflies:
- 2 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]
- 2 *Syrphus sp.

Other true flies:
- 1 Common Housefly Musca domestica
- 1 *Tachinid fly Tachina fera
- 1 greenbottle sp.
several other species of fly not identified

Beetles:
- 2 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- 1 *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- 1 *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. spectabilis

Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 *Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus

The recently arrived "ducklings" have now matured so they can be sexed even though the drakes have yet to moult in to breeding plumage. From bill colour the two left-side birds are drakes (almost uni-coloured bills) and the other bird will be a duck (darker bill with orange-tinged edges).

Two more: a duck leading a drake.

The only one of the three Little Grebes that was not camera shy.

The back on this Herring Gull looks much like an adult: the extensive dark on the bill suggests it is a third-winter bird.

Compare and contrast. At the top a Little Egret with a black bill and yellow feet. Below a Great (White) Egret with yellow bill and black feet. A Magpie photobombing.

A male (red on the nape) Great Spotted Woodpecker at work. Note the powerful feet to hold it in position.

A Honey Bee Apis mellifera. It is just about the end of the flight season for this species. Continuing mild weather might mean they are around on sunny days for a while yet.

A Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum. The white tail and the bare centre to the orange "pile" of hairs on the thorax identify this species. On size this is a queen. Steven Falk's Field Guide notes that males of this species can be seen in to September with queens sometimes seen "into early Winter".

Not sure about this. It is an ichneumon and possibly Listrodromus nycthemerus with two yellow(?) areas on the abdomen and a red area on the legs just below the joint. A new species for me whatever it is.

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax in close-up.

A Syrphus hoverfly. I cannot see the hind legs clearly-enough to determine the species.

One of my favourite flies! The Tachinid fly Tachina fera

A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis of the very variable form succinea: an unusually pale specimen. The "flowers" are Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica.

A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis I think of the form spectabilis, though most of these illustrated on the internet show a dark semi-circle slightly intruding the front red circle on each elytra.

A Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Nedge Hill
2 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Gulls
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
87 Tufted Ducks
1 Kingfisher
23 Pied Wagtails
32 Robins
12 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
11 Redwings
c.130 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)