28 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 22.0°C: Bright but often cloudy at several levels after a clearer start. Light, increasing moderate, westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:23 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:05 // 07:10 – 09:50

(168th visit of the year)

New bird species:
I made a very belated addition to my 2026 bird list for here when a Kingfisher dashed past me along the North side. Unusually I had failed to record this species here – or at The Flash - since the turn of the year. This year's species count staggers to an unimpressive 91.

Bird notes:
- 38 Canada Geese and two Greylag Geese departed before 05:30. 43 Canada Geese and 24 Greylag Geese flew in. More geese, especially Greylags, flew over.
- the third Mute Swan still present and only sporadically chased..
- no Mallard ducklings found.
- two Tufted Duck
- *the second brood of Great Crested Grebes juveniles comprises at three.
- a single Swift was seen briefly.
- at least 15 House Martins were high over the Ricoh estate c.07:20. No juvenile calls were heard.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: flew East as two trios
- 49 Greylag Geese: 22 flew East together; 25 flew West in three groups; a duo flew South
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 19 Racing Pigeons flew West
- 53 Wood Pigeons
- 196 Jackdaws
- 24 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 43? Canada Geese: 38 departed; much later 43 arrived
- 24? Greylag Geese: a pair departed; later 24 arrived
- 3 Mute Swans: the third throughout
- 48 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- *6 + 8? (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift: see notes
- c.15 House Martins: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 7 Chiffchaffs again
- 2 Reed Warblers
- 4 Blackcaps again

Also noted:
mostly cloudy conditions.

Butterflies:
- 1 *Small White Pieris rapae
- 7 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 3 *Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 4 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 6 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 7 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
now the Butterfly-bush Buddleja davidii is almost over the Red Admirals and some bees have found it!

Moths:
- 1 *Pale-streak Grass-moth Agriphila selasella [was Pale-streak Grass-veneer]
- 10 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
I sort of gave up looking at grass moths!
I tried to find more Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella around their favourite trees. I drew a blank/

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
mostly singletons again
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum [Eurasian Drone Fly]
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [was Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: two males and two females

True flies:
very few again today just...
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp.
and a few unidentified flies

Bugs:
- *Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
- ! *Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum [Sloe Bug]

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

Plant:
- *Lords & Ladies Arum maculatum [Cuckoo Pint]

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Pale-streak Grass-moth Agriphila selasella [was Pale-streak Grass-veneer]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 5 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum: on a very different street lamp pole from that seen

The first decent sunrise for a while as seen from the South side.

At maximum colour. It soon clouded over.

Not in front of the children! A frisky pair of Great Crested Grebes (tails held up) despite one have a trio of recently hatched juvenile "humbugs" on its back.

This Small White butterfly Pieris rapae was the exception to the many Green-veined Whites P. napi I noted.

One of three Speckled Wood butterflies Pararge aegeria I saw today.

Just about identifiable on one of the street lamp poles is a Pale-streak Grass-moth Agriphila selasella.

Only slightly better is this one stretched out on a leaf. The folded right wing is wrapped around the body which does not help show the markings. Note the long banded antennae held along at least half of the wing.

Possibly my best-ever photo of a Straw Grass-moth A. straminella. On this species the pale along the wing splits in to four "fingers".

Some look very pale as the scales wear off the wings. I turned the contrast down when editing the photo and the split in to fingers was evident. But everything else was too dark so I reverted to the normal contrast.

This was immediately noticeably "different" from the bumblebees I have seen recently. It is an Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum. The name is correct in that they do emerge early in Spring. There is a second brood later and individuals fly well in to September. Note the collar is white rather than the orange of some other species and the midriff band is absent or at best very faint.

A Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum which Obsidentify calls Eurasian Drone Fly. I saw one of these in Woodhouse Lane last month. This is my first around the lake this year.

I noted my first Wasp Plumehorn hoverfly Volucella inanis of the year yesterday. I found two today. This one and...

...this one.

Damselflies are in short supply at the moment though I usually record them in to September. This is a female Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum: one of just two males and two females I noted.

This Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp. ought to be called "humbug fly".

I was peering through a mass of vegetation and unable to get square-on to this Dock Bug Coreus marginatus and show its unique shape to full advantage.

Not an insect I find every year. It is a Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum also known as the Sloe Bug. There are many Sloes in the area. Note the short fat hairy legs [© Eric Morecambe]

A hen party! A trio of female harvestmen Leiobunum rotundum in close company. I hope they can untangle all those legs. These were on one of the street lamp poles around dawn. There were singles of the same sex and species on two of the other poles (and also one at The Flash).

Slightly less appealing than the shiny red Lords & Ladies fruits Arum maculatum I photographed at The Flash yesterday. Still DO NOT EAT.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata

Flies:
- 2 midges only
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?

Arthropods:
- none

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

At last: a pug moth with an identity from Obsidentify with which I am entirely happy. It is a Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata.

A typical view around the light fittings in the tunnel. I often think there ought to be something interesting lurking but there is so much debris left by the untidy eating habits of the resident spiders it is hard to see what is what. The orange-bodied creature in the two o'clock position may just be a Large Rose Sawfly Arge pagana. Then again....?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:05

(166th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- after many recounts I settled on 16 Mute Swans again.
- an increase in the number of Mallard. There was no decrease in the number at the Balancing Lake so where had they come from?
- *a Little Egret present again

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 30 Canada Geese
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 16 Mute Swans
- 30 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- *46 Coot
- no Great Crested Grebe
- *8 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Little Egret

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 *Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum: on a very different street lamp pole from that seen yesterday

Fungus:
- *Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus

A study in black and white. A very white Little Egret with three Black-headed Gull and three Coots.

Another Swallow Prominent moth Pheosia tremula on a different street lamp pole at the top end from the individual I photographed ten days ago. The "bump" where the tips of the folded wings meet is the "prominent". "Swallow" is a corruption of "sallow" (more usually "willow" these days) on which the larvae feed.

How is the Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus coming along? I read this fungus is edible if cooked thoroughly. I'll pass thank you. And blame Google's AI if you try it and become unwell.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
17 Mistle Thrush including several juveniles
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)

27 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 18.0°C: Mostly cloudy with a few brighter interludes. Light / moderate westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:21 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:10 // 07:10 – 09:45

(167th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- fewer geese on the water first thing, probably because the sailing club disturbed them yesterday. 13 Canada Geese and three Greylag Goose all departed at c.05:20 leaving one Canada Goose behind. More of both species returned later. A few also flying over.
- the third Mute Swan present throughout again, still occasionally being put to flight by the resident cob but often left alone.
- *perhaps four part-grown Mallard ducklings from two broods noted.
- a single Tufted Duck was seen repositioning on the water c.05:30 but not noted at any other time.
- in addition to the previously noted three were juvenile dependent Coots there was at least one juvenile seen from a newer brood.
- *the first pair of Great Crested Grebes to hatch young now have a second brood: two seen on a parent's back but possibly more. All the other five juveniles seen.
- up to eight Swifts overhead much of the time after a lone bird seemed to power through c.05:20. Again a lone Sand Martin was with them: also a Barn Swallow and a House Martins. Four House Martins were see high over Teece Drive much earlier.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 28 Canada Geese: flew East in five groups
- 9 Greylag Geese: four flew East together; a single and two duos flew West
- 1 Herring Gull
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons: a trio flew East
- 87 Wood Pigeons
- 97 Jackdaws
- 32 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- >62 Canada Geese: 14 departed together; one remained; much later 61 arrived in several groups
- >7 Greylag Geese: three departed together; later seven arrived in three groups
- 3 Mute Swans: the third throughout: see notes
- 45 (?♂) *Mallard again: see notes
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 5 Moorhens
- 70 Coots: see notes
- 6 + 7? (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed: it, or another, arrived

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8+ Swifts: see notes
- 1 Sand Martin
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 4+ House Martins: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 7 Chiffchaffs
- 5 Reed Warblers
- 4 Blackcaps

Also noted:
Not much again in mostly cloudy conditions.

Butterflies:
- 4 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 3 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 5 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

Moths:
- 18 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
at least 11 other grass moths not specifically identified.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *German Wasp Vespula germanica
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
mostly singletons again
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]
- ! *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [was Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: just one

True flies:
very few today just...
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Muscid fly Phaonia tuguriorum
- *Awkward Clusterfly Pollenia rudis
and a few unidentified flies

Bugs:
- *Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Beetles:
- *Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva: dead!

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Another totally blank morning.

I am still not sure what to make of these six Mallard. The bird on the right seems to be a part-grown duckling. Nearest the camera is an adult. The bird ahead of it looks to be another adult. The other three seem to be more advanced ducklings all from the same (but possibly different) brood. The puzzling thing is that I haven't seen any ducklings for over two weeks and clearly these are too young to have flown in. So where have they been? And are the ducklings really from two broods or is the smaller one a "runt" of the same brood?

Not quite so much of a Mallard puzzle. The bill colour of these two indicates they are both drakes but they look very different as they undertake their annual moult. Exactly what the right-most bird will look like when it completes its moult is hard to say.

Look carefully: there is the top of a head of a second juvenile Great Crested Grebe just visible on the parent's back. There could be more. The second brood for this pair with a lone survivor from the first brood now fully independent.

It is surprising how quickly the dark pigment fades as Black-headed Gulls moult in to Winter plumage.

Would you believe a Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius?

This a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris. There used to be an allied species, White-tailed Bumblebee B. lucorum, which lacked any sign of colour between the white tail and the black of the abdomen. Latest thinking seems to be that this is down to individual variation within a single species and they should all be recorded as B. terrestris – this scientific identity having priority.

The slightly triangular shape to the yellow along the side of the thorax identifies this as a German Wasp Vespula germanica, here chewing the wood of the Teece Drive fence to build the colony's nest.

Another day of mostly singleton sightings of hoverflies. A female Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.

This a male Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta also known as a Long Hoverfly. The "twist-tail" is more evident from this angle.

On a late-flowering bramble I found this Syrphus sp.

A Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens and...

...another!

This a Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis and not a Hornet Plumehorn V. zonaria because the three bands are all yellow. On Hornet Plumehorn the upper-band is orange as it is on a "real" Hornet Vespa crabro. My first this year.

This is the Muscid fly Phaonia tuguriorum. The bow in the leading edge of the wing identifies this from the genus Phaonia and the marking on the thorax identifies the species. Seems to be rubbing its hands with glee.

A common fly at the moment is Awkward Clusterfly Pollenia rudis best identified by the "golden?" hairs on the thorax.

A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. Frogs of course more crawl than hop but this species certainly does hop and the head-shape somewhat resemble that of a frog.

An Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni. Three years ago adults and larvae were everywhere. This year: decidedly uncommon.

Probably not having a rest. This is an ex-Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva. I did try turning it over for a different view but it dropped off the leaf in to the vegetation.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *possible Peppered Grey Eudonia truncicolella [was Ground-moss Grey]
- 1 *unidentified micromoth

Flies:
- 3 midges only
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- none

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

Obsidentify seemed sure this moth is a Peppered Grey Eudonia truncicolella . I am less sure and it would be a new species for me. I'll see what the Shropshire micromoth recorder has to say.

Another moth I found in the tunnel. Both of them were sitting on the glass covering one of the strip lights that, sort of, illuminates the tunnel. Another to tax the recorder with!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:05

(165th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- certainly 16 Mute Swans.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 39 Canada Geese
- 9 Greylag Geese
- 16 Mute Swans
- 21 (?♂) Mallard again
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Duck only
- 4 Moorhens
- 33 Coot only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 *Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
- 2 Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 *Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

Plant:
- *Lords & Ladies Arum maculatum [Cuckoo Pint]

The Grey Heron surprised me by sitting on top of the small trees between the water and the footpath at the top end.

This moth is a Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala. I last saw this moth four years ago though it is not uncommon.

This harvestman is a female Leiobunum rotundum with the dark saddle extending parallel-sided most of the length of the body.

They look good-enough to eat. DON'T! All parts of the plant Lords & Ladies Arum maculatum (or Cuckoo Pint if you prefer) are poisonous to humans.

(Ed Wilson)

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2006
Priorslee Lake
Redshank
(Ed Wilson)

26 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

18.0°C: Cloudy early with a very few spits of rain in the air. Sunny intervals for a while before more cloud with a light shower as "rain stopped play". Brisk westerly breeze. Feeling humid. Very good visibility except in shower.

Sunrise: 05:20 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:55– 06:20 // 07:20 – 09:15

(166th visit of the year)

Bird notes
Highlight today was a *drake Common Scoter. It might have been highlight of the year had I not already seen one on 07 March! The first year I have had two sightings.

Other bird notes:
- 43 Canada Geese and a lone Greylag Goose all departed at 05:25. As yesterday these(?) and more returned. A few also flying over.
- a third Mute Swan present throughout, occasionally being put to flight by the residents otherwise left alone at the other end of the lake.
- four Tufted Duck today.
- all five juvenile Great Crested Grebes seen: but only four adults noted.
- up to four Swifts appeared and disappeared from time to time over the East end and may or may not have been the same birds. A lone Sand Martin was, unusually for this date, with them for a while as were two House Martins.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Canada Geese: flew East as a single and two trios
- 17 Greylag Geese: 15 flew East in four groups; a duo flew West
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons: a single and a duo flew West
- 109 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: flew North together
- 125 Jackdaws
- 17 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- >49 Canada Geese: 43 departed together; much later 49 arrived in several groups
- >24 Greylag Geese: 1 departed with the Canada Geese; later 24 arrived in two groups
- 3 Mute Swans: the third throughout: see notes
- 45 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (1♂) Common Scoter
- 4 Moorhens
- 57 Coots: of these three were juveniles in a dependent brood
- 54 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts: see notes
- 1 Sand Martin
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 8 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers
- 3 (0) Blackcaps

Also noted:
Not much in the breezy and cloudy conditions with rain later.

Butterflies:
- 2 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

Moths:
- 11 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
very few other unidentified grass moths flying away to hide.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
again a singleton of each species
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
one unidentified dragonfly seen in flight only

True flies:
very few today just...
- *bluebottle Calliphora sp. aka Blow Fly
- *Tachinid fly Eriothrix rufomaculata aka Red-sided Eriothrix
- *greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Muscid fly Musca autumnalis aka Face Fly
- *$ possible female Tachinid fly Thelaira solivago
and a few unidentified flies

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *! White Crab Spider Misumena vatia [Flower Spider]

Mammals:
- Pipistrelle-type c.05:00 at West end

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]

Today's highlight: a drake Common Scoter. The duck of this species has white cheeks and lacks both the swelling and colour on the bill. Drakes of this species leave their northern breeding grounds long before the young are ready to leave with their mothers.

Another view. There is a closely-related New World species known as Black Duck which can be identified by the yellow on the bill covering the swollen base. It is a rare vagrant to the UK but obviously I had to check.

A moulting adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. It seems to have only the outer five of its ten primary extant and on the inner part of the wing there are a few new and dark secondary coverts. Most of the other feathers have yet to be dropped and regrown.

Today's bird of prey (raptor) photographed against the light and needing the photo editor to highlight the markings.

Just two hoverflies seen this morning: this Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus...

... and this Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens.

With little else to photograph I looked for "interesting" flies. Here is a bluebottle Calliphora sp. aka Blow Fly. To identify the species I would have needed to photograph the face to see whether there are hairs that resemble a ginger beard (C. vomitoria) or not (C. vicina).

This is the Tachinid fly Eriothrix rufomaculata aka Red-sided Eriothrix.

Another chance to see a greenbottle Lucilia sp. I had hoped that Obsidentify or Google Lens might suggest a particular species. They did not.

This fly seems to be the Muscid fly Musca autumnalis. It is sometimes called the Face Fly as it is frequently on the face of cattle feeding on tears and sweat. It also takes nectar. I am sure I have seen this species previously though it was not in my master log file.

This may be a female Tachinid fly Thelaira solivago. The males have orange marks on the abdomen with a dark central stripe. Another species I have not knowingly seen previously. It has a southern distribution, North to the Midlands.

This is a White Crab Spider Misumena vatia also known as a Flower Spider for obvious reasons. There are two broad types of crab spider: those that run after their prey and those, like this, that lie in wait to pounce. NatureSpot notes "It can change colour from white to pale green to yellow to match the flower it is hiding on". Apparently not to lilac(?) to match the Knapweed!

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *! Red Underwing Catocala nupta

Flies:
- 1 midge only
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 possible *! Snake-back Spider Segestria senoculata
- 2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

This moth on the ceiling of the tunnel is a Red Underwing Catocala nupta. It is a species I find here most years. There are a number of similar moths that show strong colours as they fly away if disturbed. It is thought this is to alarm predators and allow them to escape.

I am not sure about the identity of this spider. The only spider I can find of this shape with speckling as well as larger dark markings on the abdomen and banded legs is the Snake-back Spider Segestria senoculata.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:15

(164th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Highlight here was a *Little Egret present throughout.

Other bird notes:
- again I am not 100% sure about the number of Mute Swans. I think 15 mainly bunched up at the bottom end.
- the smaller number of Coots that remain have forsaken the island and are mostly spread out at the top end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws: singles

Noted on / around the water:
- 26 *Canada Geese
- 13 *Greylag Geese
- 15 *Mute Swans: see notes
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck only
- 8 Moorhens: this includes three juveniles – two dependent and one independent
- 37 *Coot: of these two juveniles just about independent
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 *Little Egret
- 1 Grey Heron: departed?

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted:
- 1 Blackcap: no song

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 ! harvestman Opilio canestrinii

Stepping out around the island is this morning's Little Egret, showing its diagnostic yellow feet.

Here it is flying over a gaggle of 14 Mute Swans (the 15th was on the island). [I read that the preferred collective noun for Mute Swans is a bevy. I'll drink to that]. Look carefully to see two Canada Geese, six Greylag Geese and two Coots.

My first harvestman Opilio canestrinii of the year. Identified by the broad pale area down the centre of the body.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)