2 Oct 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 14.0°C: Broken cloud. A light shower c.06:00. A few sunny intervals later. Moderate south-easterly wind veering southerly. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:13 BST

* = 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 – 09:10

(222nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a pair of Mute Swans. These departed to the East 08:45 but were presumably the pair that arrived from the East a few minutes later.
- a Little Grebe seen again, briefly along the south side.
- Lesser Black-backed Gulls started arriving with inbound calling birds heard overhead before 06:00. I was doing reasonably well in keeping count of arrivals, albeit they were hard to spot early on. My count had just reached 450 when a huge arrival of at least 200 more in company with at least 450 Black-headed Gulls confused the issue. So at least 650. Many of these birds soon departed to the East making it impossible to tell whether, as there had been yesterday, there was any passage to the East.
- I visited the football field c.07:25 when at least 350 Black-headed Gulls were feeding and moving around on the grass – at least they were until three sparring Sparrowhawks appeared overhead. I noted no other gull species on the field.
- apart from a few Black-headed Gulls all the gulls had departed by 07:45.
- later I logged 2 Herring and 103 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arriving from the East, possibly birds returning. There was a minuscular passage of gulls overhead.
- five Chiffchaffs noted: no song.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 16 Canada Geese: flew East together
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew West
- 2 Herring Gulls again
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Sparrowhawk
- 30 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Skylark
- 259 Jackdaws
- 150 Rooks exactly
- 1 Pied Wagtail again
- 1 Chaffinch

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 14 (9♂) Mallard
- 6 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 36 Coot
- 1 Little Grebe
- 11 *Great Crested Grebes
- >450 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Herring Gulls again
- >600 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 2 *Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher again

Warblers noted:
- 2 Chiffchaffs: of these one in song
- 1 Blackcap: calling only

Also noted:
Very little. Stayed mostly dull.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
these all annoying me pre-dawn as I tried to count the gulls arriving

True flies:
- cranefly Tipula confusa
not a single other fly seen

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
The light shower while I was at the lamps no doubt affected the numbers as did the brisk wind.

True flies:
- 1 *female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- 1 *unidentified fly

Beetles:
- 2 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 unidentified spider
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

The sunrise just starting to colour. The specs above the distant trees are Black-headed Gulls leaving for the football field.

An expanse of colour developed.

Intensifying as the sun was about to rise.

As the sun did so the contrast became too great for my phone camera to handle and the "big camera" came to the rescue.

An adult Great Crested Grebe in threat posture. Several of the families have now dispersed with the remaining three families tending to use much of the lake rather than stick to the area close-by their nest site. Occasional conflicts occur.

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Usually the outer wing looks darker than the inner wing and I am not sure why that is not true here. What is obvious is that it has not quite completed its annual wing moult with the outer primary still growing.

It is the leasing bird here. The trailing bird has developed more extensive winter head-streaking. The strength of the streaking is variable and seems unexplained. A theory that older birds have more streaking has been debunked recently. What this bird also shows is a very ragged edge to the secondary feathers suggesting it too is still in moult.

Another variation. On this bird the outer three primaries have yet to be dropped with primaries #4 and #5 still growing. The secondaries on this bird are all in a neat line.

The same bird from underneath.

The Cormorant on the right had just finished swallowing a fish for breakfast. I thought it was about to usurp the one on the buoy. Not so. It was obviously still hungry and went off in pursuit of more fish.

"I've seen him off" Standing on the buoy looks a risky business.

One of the trio of Sparrowhawks over the football field c.07:25. Note the broad and rounded wings as well as the long tail - allowing exceptional manoeuvrability when chasing small birds.

Two of them sparring. Males and female are of very different size from which I deduce these are the same sex. I would not like to hazard a guess as to which.

A side-elevation view of a female (hence no plumes) plumed midge Chironomus plumosus.

An unidentified fly on a street lamp pole pre-dawn. There seem to be numerous fly species with brown at the base of the wings. I asked Mr. Google why this is so. Seems he does not know as the suggestions were mainly about butterfly wings! The closest I can get is the Noon Fly Mesembrina meridiana , one of the Muscid family. However that is both a more robust species and, as its vernacular name implies, mostly seen inactive, resting on fences etc. in the midday sun.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis : presumed same as yesterday

True flies:
- 22 midges of at least three species
- no moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- 3 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 4 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

The only moth of the day (as it had been yesterday) was this Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis.

I am bemused by this. About twice the length of any millipede I have seen here. It also appears to have no legs as if it might be a slug or a worm. I am wondering whether it is just a felt-top pen scribbling though it did not seem connected to any of the other messages scrawled on the wall.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:30

(219th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- only two of the four "static" Canada Geese noted. 22 more arrived together
- I could only find five Mute Swans. This seemed to included "billy-no-mates" who is often tricky to spot.
- yesterday's Tufted Duck gone [not the additional birds at the Balancing Lake as no drakes were seen yesterday].
- *a drake Goosander with at least 44 brownheads. They were everywhere and sitting inside the island. Probably more.
- one full adult Great Crested Grebe was seen with two juveniles. A third juvenile has declared UDI and was at the top end.
- still five Little Egrets.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese: of these 22 arrived together
- 10 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- 5 Mute Swans: see notes
- 29 (18♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 45+ (1♂) *Goosander: see notes
- 6 Moorhens
- 21 Coot
- 1 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: near adult, briefly
- 5 Cormorants again
- 3 Grey Herons
- 5 Little Egrets again

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: no song

Noted around the area:
A short burst of sun tempted a few things out:

Butterflies:
- 1 *Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- >10 *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 2 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax [Tapered Drone Fly]
- 1 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]
- 1 *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]

Other true flies:
- 1 "bluebottle" Calliphora sp.
- 1 Muscid fly Phaonia sp.
- 1 *root-maggot fly sp.
several other species of fly even less identified

Beetles:
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

A brownhead Goosander among a patterned water-scape.

And here a brownhead with the only obvious drake. These have such contrasting plumage that even when there is no sun it is difficult for the camera to show clearly.

In a sheltered sunny spot a Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria was tempted to show.

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax tucks in to the Ivy blossom.

As does a Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

And not a wasp but a hoverfly – a Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis

One of the many root-maggot fly species most of which I cannot identify.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

1 Oct 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 15.0°C: Clear after overnight rain. A few puffy clouds later. The usual calm start with mist over the water. A light south-westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:10 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:15

(221st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Mute Swans.
- Mallard were very mobile flying in and out and repositioning. Possibly more than my count suggests.
- a group of 22 Goosander flew West c.07:15
- a Little Grebe seen briefly in the south-east area.
- gull counts once impacted by early low-level mist:
- many of the Black-headed Gulls seemed to make directly for the football field where my first scan at 07:10 gave me at least 300 before a Carrion Crow put them all to flight. Only(!) 179 returned this still more than the c.150 on the water by 07:00.
- no more than Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present by 07:00. I noted 36 arriving later with two Herring Gulls.
- at least 115 large gulls, likely mostly Lesser Black-backs, flew South to the far East before 07:00. Later just eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls and two Herring Gulls flew over.
- a Great (White) Egret flew in from the north-west at 06:55. I did not see it again!
- just two Chiffchaffs noted one of which was singing.
- a Song Thrush in quiet song (another at The Flash)

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 22 Goosander: together
- 2 Herring Gulls
- >120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants together
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 300 Jackdaws exactly!
- 111 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 24 (>8♂) Mallard
- 3 (0?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 28 Coot
- 1 Little Grebe
- 12 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls [but >300 on the football field]
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 61 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Kingfisher

Warblers noted:
- 2 Chiffchaffs: of these one in song
- 1 Blackcap: calling only

Also noted:
Very little. Soaking wet vegetation after overnight rain and the sun still low.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

True flies:
- *$ Root-maggot fly Hydrophoria lancifer
- cranefly Tipula confusa
numerous other unidentified flies

Slugs, Snails etc.:
- 1 *White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Other true flies
several unidentified flies of at least four species

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
The heavy dew after rain obscured the markings on some of the insects etc.

True flies:
- 1* planthopper Empoacsa sp.
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.

Springtails:
- 3 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 *$ ground beetle probably Leistus ferrugineus
- 1 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina segmentata

Mammals:
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat at this time
- 2 noctule-type bats at this time

The fast-waning moon.

Undercarriage down ready for splash-down. An adult-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull now with typical winter head-streaking.

A planthopper from the Empoacsa genus. There are several "mostly-green" species in this complex.

This fly looked "different" with an apparently strongly-tapered grey abdomen. It seems it is the Root-maggot fly Hydrophoria lancifer, a new(ly identified?) species for me.

This ground beetle is probably Leistus ferrugineus. It certainly is in that genus. As usual there are similar species. It would be a new species for me (it probably is anyway whatever its specific identity).

As soon as it rains out come the slugs and snails. Here a White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis.

This may well be a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina segmentata. Then again...

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

True flies:
- 14 midges of at least three species
- 4 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa

Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 3 *Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Slugs, Snails etc.:
- 1 *Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 21 spiders
1 *Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
15+ Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
5 *other spiders not identified

The second Rusty-dot Pearl moth Udea ferrugalis I have found in the tunnel this year. This is a migrant moth species occurring in very variable numbers from year to year.

Many spiders in the tunnel this morning. Many the usual Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata. Most of the others were unidentified though this is one of the Stout Sac Spider Clubiona group.

An unidentified spider.

And another.

A two-fer: a Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii and a Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:40

(218th visit of the year)

The recent rains have yet to start the overflow in to the Wesley Brook.

Bird notes:
- the four "static" Canada Geese supplemented by 27 arrivals in two groups.
- six Mute Swans still on the water. *Two flew South.
- a *Tufted Duck trio present.
- a *drake Goosander with 36 brownheads.
- one full adult Great Crested Grebe was seen with three juveniles. Two other immatures seen, one of which might have been the fourth juvenile having declared UDI.
- now five *Little Egrets: unprecedented here.
- at least two House Martins were overhead briefly. A late record for here long after the local breeding birds have departed. My previous log here was 16 August.
- a *Kingfisher here as well as at the Balancing Lake.
- two Grey Wagtails were on the Derwent Drive roadway and then on adjacent roofs. My previous log of this species here was on 14 June.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 *Mute Swans
- 5 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese: of these 27 arrived in two groups
- 6 Mute Swans
- 49 (30♂) Mallard
- 3 (0♂) *Tufted Duck
- 37 (1♂) *Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 18 Coot
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 40 *Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 4 Grey Herons
- 5 Little Egrets
- 1 *Kingfisher

Hirundines noted:
- 2+ House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 2 Chiffchaffs: no song

Noted around the area:
A few more things: the sun was out but possibly still too cool for some insects:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 2 Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- >25 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 4 *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax [Tapered Drone Fly]
- 4 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]

Other true flies:
- several species of fly not identified

Beetles:
- 3 *7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

These two Mute Swans flew straight through. The second bird is wearing a blue Darvic ring. I can only make out "7J..". Apart from it being clear it is not "7JUE" - the missing pen from the Balancing Lake – that is not helpful.

The trio of Tufted Duck went for a fly-around and are here splashing back down. All three have pale at the base of their bill suggesting they are ducks or immatures.

A well-posed brownhead Goosander. As previously noted some authors suggest that a white streak running from the bill to below the eye indicates an immature (born this year) of either sex.

At a distance: this is my first drake Goosander of the second-winter period.

Little Egret #4 joins #3 on the island. #1 and #2 were at the top end.

Little Egret #5 arrives pursued by a first-winter Black-headed Gull. [I could either make the brickwork level or the railings level. I decided on balance the brickwork was likely to be the best reference]

Another distant photo. A Kingfisher makes for the island.

A male Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax with an unidentified fly peeking over the Ivy flower. Only males show the obvious tapering to their abdomen and the females are more difficult to separate from...

...Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax. The abdomen pattern of brown and (almost) black is very variable on both species and not an identification feature.

Do I need to say?... 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata.

(Ed Wilson)

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2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Kingfisher
Grey Wagtail
40 Mute Swan
(Mike Cooper)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Shoveler
Peregrine
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Redwing
90 Golden Plover
87 Greenfinches
3 Chiffchaffs
Blackcap
Kingfisher
2 Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)