30 Oct 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 10.0°C: A typical gloomy November day – oh: it is still October. At least it was mild for the date. Initially misty though it soon lifted to low cloud. A light southerly breeze developed. Poor visibility becoming moderate at best.

Sunrise: 07:03 GMT

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 08:15

(241st visit of the year)

I did not do my usual circuits as I needed to put the car in for diagnostic work.

Bird notes:
Best today was a Chiffchaff calling from the reeds and sedges in the north-west area. I am sure this species over-winters in very small numbers when it stays silent. This equals the latest date on which I have previously recorded call notes.

Other bird notes:
- 22 Canada Geese were on the water until they flew off East c.07:35.
- a pair of Mute Swans throughout, often but no always by last season's nest site. I never got close enough to see, let alone, read any rings.
- a group of ten Goosanders flew West at 07:10; a brownhead flew East at 07:30.
- three Great Crested Grebes found two of which were certainly adults. No begging calls heard.
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls were on the water c.06:30. Oddly although I didn't count them (I was busy with the Jackdaws and Rooks) I gained the impression that a larger number than this flew out East with an unknown number at this time on the football field. When I checked the field at 08:10 there were: just nine.
- c.130 large gulls were present at c.06:35 when the visibility was good-enough to see them. No Herring Gulls were noted at this time.
- later gull arrivals were 11 Herring and 72 Lesser Black-backs with small numbers also overhead.
- a party of just 12 Wood Pigeons flew South as if they were likely migrants.- c.80 Starlings flew out of a roost somewhere around the water at 06:55. A lone straggler left at 07:05. Then 53 were seen flying West in two groups.
- Redwing(s) calls were again heard at separate locations with just two birds seen heading South.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 11 Goosander: see notes
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- 249 Jackdaws
- 177 Rooks
- 53 Starlings: two groups
- 2 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 22 Canada Geese: departed together
- 6 (3♂) Mallard
- 54 (26?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens again
- Coots not counted
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Herring Gulls
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.80 Starlings

Found later on the Teece Drive fence
- 1 November Moth type Epirrita sp.

Elsewhere:

Fungus:
- just the same as yesterday including *Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
- 7 *November Moth type Epirrita sp.

Four-winged flies
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

True flies:
- 1 *wood gnat, probably Sylvicola punctatus [Clear-tipped Window Gnat]

Bugs:
- 1 *Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

Beetles:
- 1 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Earwigs:
- 1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata: dropped off the pole as soon as I shone my torch on it!

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 *harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

A trio of November Moth types Epirrita sp. clustered at the top of one of the street lamp poles.

On another street lamp pole a very different-looking November Moth type. I cannot recall ever having seen such a strongly-marked individual. So well-marked in fact that it sent me scurrying to various internet sites to see whether it might be something unfamiliar. It isn't.

And now for something else completely different but completely the same – another November Moth type. These may of course be different species within that group but could equally well all be the same species. Another one that both Obsidentify and Google Lens got wrong – both thought it a Seraphim Lobophora halterata and I have no idea why.

This is a wood gnat, and probably Sylvicola punctatus which is the only one of an otherwise confusing group that lacks dark marks at the wing tips. I note on one of the links from Google Lens this can be called Clear-tipped Window Gnat. Interestingly both Obsidentify and Google Lens thought ichneumon wasp and it was only by digging deeper I landed on this identity.

We all agree: a Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale.

Shadows make it difficult to see but this harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis has only seven legs. Leg #2 on the right side is missing.

Whereas this one has only six legs with #2 and #4 on the right side missing.

The smart Shaggy Inkcap fungus Coprinus comatus I photographed yesterday had been trodden on. This one was at the same stage yesterday and is now starting to deliquesce. Tomorrow (if I remember) it will be a dripping mess.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

A slightly better showing.

Moths:
- 1 *Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis: moved a short way since yesterday if it was the same one

True flies:
- 1 *male plumed midge, perhaps Chironomus plumosus
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- 1 *Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
- 1 *possible Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 5 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *unidentified small spider

A different(?) Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis. It had moved a short way since yesterday if it was the same one. Perhaps it was just the angle at which I took the photo. It looks more strongly marked.

Not much to show today so here is one of the many midges I sometimes see here. Today just this one male plumed midge, perhaps Chironomus plumosus though I would have expected a bulkier body. There is almost nothing I can find on the internet that covers midge identification.

A Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus. I get very confused with woodlouse identification. Perhaps they all are this species I see here.

A two-fer, neither identified. The snail may be a Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus. It is certainly not the harvestman that was Obsidentify's best suggestion: nor a Garden Cross spider, its next best suggestion (I edited out the spider before I asked Obsidentify what it was). As for the spider: I did not see it until I looked at the photo. It is very small: not apparently "money spider" shape.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:50 – 09:30

(238th visit of the year)

A shorter visit without a complete circumnavigation so as to catch the bus home!

Bird notes:
very quiet again though there always seems to be something of note.
- still just the single adult Mute Swan.
- a Little Grebe was by the island. I suspect it has been lurking unseen for the last few days.
- I noted five Great Crested Grebes. Two juveniles were chasing after an adult as it disappeared under overhanging vegetation at the top end. Another juvenile was on its own in the middle of the water. A bird near the Derwent Drive wall did not look like one of the full adults and was certainly not a juvenile from here.
- a group of seven Skylarks flew West.

An update via Martin Grant for the Mute Swan "4IAN" which I (badly) photographed here on 27th. It was ringed as a second year on 09 February this year at Waterways, Sankey Valley Canal, Warrington.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 28 (20♂) Mallard
- 25 (>10?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (1♂) Goosander: departed?
- 5 Moorhens
- 14 Coot
- 1 Little Grebe
- 5 *Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted around the area:
I did not visit the Ivy bank. It was almost certainly too early and dull for anything much to be about. 

Otherwise:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *harvestman Opilio canestrinii: two street lamp poles away from where one had been for the previous two days.

Of note:

Nothing else

Perhaps it is because is looking soggy that this Great Crested Grebe does not look quite like one of the usual smart resident adults.

A harvestman Opilio canestrinii seen two street lamp poles away from where one had been for the previous two days. I decided on a "full-view" to show just how long-legged this species is. Like all harvestmen it is pairs #2 and #4 that are the longest pairs.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Swans
c.60 Golden Plover
c.200 Starlings left a roost in the reeds at the W end
763 Wood Pigeons
3 Skylarks
7 Meadow Pipits
165 Fieldfare
9 Redwings
4 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
8 Wigeon
20 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
1 Goosander
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
100 Jackdaw
130 Rooks
1 Buzzard
Kestrel
c.60 Golden Plover
(Martin Adlam)

2005
Priorslee Lake
450 to 500 Starlings left the roost
11 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
Pair of Ruddy Duck
200+ Coot
1 Dunlin
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
100 Black-headed Gulls
Kingfisher
A Buzzard was seen feeding on earthworms and possibly beetles
2000+ Wood Pigeon
62 Redwing
54 Fieldfare
3 Song Thrushes
(Martin Adlam)