12 May 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 12.0°C: A clear and chilly start with variable cloud and sunny intervals later. Light westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:18 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 06:35 // 07:30 – 09:50

(114th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- as you were with the seven Greylag Geese goslings.
- *in addition to the two very well-grown Mallard ducklings another group of four new ducklings was seen.
- it is strange: on my first lap for several days I have seen just one drake Tufted Duck. Later there are many more. Do they hide in the reeds?
- two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the football field c.06:15.
- the Grey Heron seen early only.
- the usual warbler update but note whether it was the chilly start or whether as sunrise becomes earlier the dawn chorus was very sparse this morning. This means I have difficulty on my second lap trying to decide whether I have heard any bird previously.
just seven singing Reed Warbler.
no Garden Warbler heard but that doesn't seen to mean that much with this year's intermittent songster.
only Common Whitethroat with the recent arrival along the South side heard singing before 06:00 only.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: three pairs flew East separately
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- *2 Mute Swans
- *10 (8♂) + 6 (2 broods) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Tufted Duck again
- 4 Moorhens
- 16 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes only
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- *>25 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins
- >15 Barn Swallows
- >6 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 11 (9) Chiffchaffs only
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 22 (21) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
- no Garden Warbler

On the West end street lamp poles post-dawn:
A blank morning in the cool conditions.

Noted around the area later:

Butterflies:
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi

Moths:
- *1 Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella
- *1 Thistle Root-borer Epiblema scutulana [was Thistle Bell]: moth species #20 for me here this year

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- *sawfly Small Yellow-girdled Tenthredo Tenthredo temula
- *unidentified "green" caterpillar probably of a sawfly

Hoverflies:
- *Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus [Tiger Marsh Fly; Sun Fly]
- *Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]

Other flies:
- *dagger fly Empis scutellata
- *dagger fly Empis tessellata
- *Green Bottle Fly Lucilia sp.
- either Spotted/Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma appendiculata / N. flavescens
- *Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- *Tachinid fly Tachina fera
- *cranefly Tipula varipennis
- many, many unidentified species

Bugs:
- *nymph of the Mirid bug Calocoris alpestris
- *Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

Beetles:
- *Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Raspberry Beetles Byturus tomentosus or perhaps Meligethes aeneus (in a buttercup)
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- *Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus

The view to the West was better this morning.

The resident cob Mute Swan went for a fly down the lake for no apparent reason. Bored waiting for the eggs to hatch perhaps.

Another brood of Mallard ducklings.

There were many of these Swifts chasing around screaming.

Glossing very badly in the sun is a Green Long-horn moth Adela reaumurella.

I had a small gap between leaves to photograph this moth and could only shoot it from behind. I knew if I moved anything it would fly - which it did. This looking at the rear of a Thistle Root-borer Epiblema scutulana. Its previous name was Thistle Bell.

I suppose this has to be a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris. The buff tail is more extensive than usual and it lacks any midriff band. I cannot find a better match.

A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris. So far this year, as in 2024, there have been very few on the wing and I have seen none chewing the wood on the Teece Drive fence for their nest.

Most cooperative of the sawfly to sit with its wings open enabling its positive identification as a Small Yellow-girdled Tenthredo Tenthredo temula

An unidentified "green" caterpillar probably of a sawfly.

A Buttercup Blacklet hoverfly Cheilosia albitarsus

This hoverfly confused me. I thought a Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus but it only has four spots and I am used to seeing six. Reference to Steven Falk's Flickr pages confirms that females do only have four spots – and the pointed abdomen indicates it is a female.

I think this small orangey dagger fly is Empis scutellata. There are several similar species.

More or less head-on for a better view of the mouthpiece of the dagger fly Empis tessellata

A Green Bottle Fly Lucilia sp.

My first Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp. of the year. I have forgotten how to separate the two species in the UK by their wing pattern. The "sting" is the genitalia.

A favourite at the moment: the Tachinid fly Tachina fera

The wing marking indicates this is the cranefly Tipula varipennis. It is a male with an unusually dark abdomen. I can't find another species that is a better fit.

This a female of the same species?!

A nymph of the Mirid bug Calocoris alpestris.

A head-on view of a Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

An Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

My first Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus of the year.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 11 midges of at least three species again
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly] again

Arthropods:
- 1 (Common) Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum

Spiders, Harvestmen etc.:
- 1 unidentified spider

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 – 07:25

(111th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *six visiting Mute Swans. Just three when I arrived with a pair arriving from the North and a single arriving from the South a few minutes later. All to the annoyance of the resident cob until he gathered them all at the top end.
- after several blank days a lone drake Tufted Duck was present.
- the same two pairs of Coots as yesterday noted were noted with three and four well-grown juveniles respectively.
- *a juvenile Treecreeper was noted being fed by one of two adults seen.
- at the same time I saw what I thought was a newly-fledged Blue Tit but was distracted by the Treecreepers. Later I saw no activity at the nest box that had been used by a pair of Blue Tits so perhaps the young have flown.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 14 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese again
- *8 Mute Swans: (assuming the resident pen is hidden on the nest): see notes
- 19 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 (1) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens only
- 18 + 7 (2 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: an adult, very briefly

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (1) Blackcap only

Notes around the area:

Flies:
- 1 wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis
- only 9 unidentified mayflies remain
- 2 unidentified midges

Spiders, Harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 small money(?) spider

Flower:
- *Red Valerian Valeriana officinalis

One of the pair of Mute Swans that arrived. This bird has neither blue Darvic nor a BTO metal ring and therefore is not one of the pair seen here a week or so ago.

Definite highlight of the day. Here is a juvenile Treecreeper spread-eagled (if that is the correct phrase) and awaiting a food delivery. Note at this age the shorter tail but the large claws.

Looking about: "where is my breakfast?"

 Zoomed in.

And here is the food delivery.

The adult isolated in this shot. Strong feet.

"Where has my food gone?"

"Open wide"

Down the hatch

 "I'll be back soon"

A good size and plumage comparison.

A Starling rooting about for food in the long grass. Sexing this bird is not easy. Is the base of the bill blue (male) or pink (female)? Hard to say. I am sure I have read that the shape of the spotting differs between the sexes but a Google search has failed to find it. I suspect a female.

Another Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

A tiny spider dealing with a green midge almost larger than itself. For scale the tip of the (dirty!) nail of my index finger.

Just beginning to open is a spike of Red Valerian Valeriana officinalis. A garden escape here?

(Ed Wilson)

11 May 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C: A few early clear spells. Then cloudy with a light shower before "rain stopped play" with a heavy shower. Moderate westerly wind, veering north-easterly during second shower. Very good visibility except during showers.

Sunrise: 05:19 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 06:25 // 07:20 – 09:25

(113th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *still seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct.
- *the two very well-grown Mallard ducklings seen.
- a very low count of Coots even assuming half of those present are sitting on nests hidden in the reeds. Perhaps they were sheltering from the rain. Lucky them.
- three Lesser Black-backed Gulls visited briefly.
- no Grey Heron seen.
- the usual warbler update:
nine singing Reed Warblers one of which was in unsuitable-looking scrub: perhaps a passage bird?
the Garden Warbler was heard again – with difficulty as there were two shouting Song Thrushes, one on each side. The warbler is still not singing as persistently as this species usually does and I have yet to see it even move between song perches much less being able to think about photographing it.
I did not hear a Lesser Whitethroat today
two Common Whitethroats. At 05:30 one was singing close to the traditional breeding site: I did not see this bird. The recent arrival along the South side was still in full voice.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Wood Pigeons only again
That's all folks!

Counts from the lake area:
- *2 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- *8 (6♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens only
- 10 Coots only
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- *3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults and a first year, all departed separately
- no Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
At least 80 birds swirling around over the water and sometimes up in the air. My best attempt to apportion them to species:
- 20 Swifts
- 20 Sand Martins
- *30 Barn Swallows
- *10 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 16 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (9) Reed Warblers
- 16 (16) Blackcaps
- no Lesser Whitethroat
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler

On the West end street lamp poles post-dawn:
Not quite a blank morning

Flies:
- 2 plumed midges

Noted around the area later:
Almost nothing in cool and then wet conditions:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Bugs:
- *Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

A hungry brood of seven Greylag goslings.

The two well-grown Mallard ducklings still with their mother,

This is a first year Lesser Black-backed Gull though it is hard to tell from this angle. Indeed with the wings held forward the light shines through the spread inner primaries and it would be easy to assume it was a Herring Gull. Luckily I saw the top side before I could get the camera on it.

A Common Buzzard circling over Castle Farm Way....

 ...tail spread.

There was enough light to (almost) freeze the passing Barn Swallows. But not enough light to provide much in the way of colour.

My best from below...

 ...above...

...and the side.

 I even managed a shot of a House Martin.

Sadly not quite in focus.

Cool and overcast so I did not expect to see any Red-and-Black Froghoppers Cercopis vulnerata. It was before the rain.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 11 midges of at least three species
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- *1 unidentified fly
- 1 unidentified cranefly

This unidentified fly falls in to the category "well I suppose they have to sleep somewhere". On a wall in the tunnel is an unusual location.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:15

(110th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the visiting first year Mute Swan was confirmed to be unringed.
- two pairs of Coots noted with two and four well-grown juveniles respectively.
- a Great Crested Grebe was seen bringing food to the bird on the nest platform

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair flew East
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese only: of these a pair departed to the North
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 5 Mute Swans: (assuming the resident pen is hidden on the nest)
- 20 (17♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens yet again
- 17 + 6 (2 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps

Notes around the area:

Flies:
- *at least 38 unidentified mayflies

Fish:
- *at least five, presumed Carp Cyprinus carpio ssp., thrashing around in close proximity

I counted 38 mayflies apparently dead on the same street lamp pole as yesterday. One was low-enough for a better photo. It does not help me identify the species.

One of at least five, presumed Carp Cyprinus carpio ssp., seen thrashing around. There were no fishermen around to ask: it seems to me both too early in the year and with the water likely too cold for them to be (thinking of) spawning. But what else?

(Ed Wilson)