7 Aug 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 17.0°C: Clear with (Autumn?) mist over the water early. Sunny through thin high cloud with some puffy clouds developing later. Calm start with a light easterly and the westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:37 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 // 07:20 – 09:35

(178th visit of the year)

Note:
I should have mentioned yesterday that Seven-Trent did their planned grass-cut on Wednesday in accordance with the discussion I had with them. Area of flowers were retained (though the drought means than most of the flowers have died!) Another cut is planned for late-September all aimed at increasing the plant diversity over time.

Bird notes:
- the lone Canada Goose early stayed throughout to greet the now usual later arrival.
- all four Great Crested Grebe juveniles were noted with their parents. Also the other broods of two and three were seen with their respective parents. One only of the well-grown and barely distinguishable juveniles was seen. The other may well have fledged and departed
- another day with large numbers of gulls
I counted 114 Black-headed Gulls flying East high across the lake around dawn.
a significant arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was taking place as I arrived with 62 counted on the water as soon I was in a position to see them. Then at c.05:45 I counted another 107, apparently all this species, flying in from the south-west. I noted only 58 of them on the water with the other 49 assumed to have flown straight over. Very few gulls thereafter either on the water or flying over.
no gulls were seen on the football field.
- there was also early hirundine activity: by 05:50
four Swifts were charging around.
at least five Barn Swallows were low over the water.
several House Martins were calling high overhead, invisible against the clear sky.
- more hirundine activity around 08:00
four Swifts (the same?) were over the East end and then presumably these repositioned to the West end when the wind changed direction.
variable numbers of Barn Swallows (between four and seven) kept appearing (from the East?) and disappearing (to the South). It was unclear whether these were different groups stopping on passage.
- another high count of calling Chiffchaffs including more squeaky juveniles.
- a "whitethroat" was heard from the Ricoh hedge. I was unable to decide whether it was a Common or Lesser Whitethroat. Perhaps both?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 79 Canada Geese: all flying East in three groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: East with Canadas.
- 114 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 *Stock Doves: two duos
- 55 Wood Pigeons
- 216 Jackdaws
- 62 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 56 Canada Geese: one throughout; 55 arrived in five groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 (?♂) Mallard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 126 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 (8?) *Swifts: see notes
- >7 Barn Swallows: see notes
- >2 House Martins: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 12 Chiffchaffs again
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 5 Blackcaps
- 1 unidentified whitethroat heard only

Also noted:

Butterflies:
- 2 Small White Pieris rapae
- 2 *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 1 *Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

Moths:
- 1 unidentified grass-moth

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

Hoverflies:
none

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum

True flies:
apart from...
-! *Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus
very few of interest

Bugs:
- *Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 7 *Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Four-winged flies:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Flies etc.:
- 1 *springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

A few wisps of mist over the water at dawn.

All four "humbug" Great Crested Grebe juveniles were present and correct today after one seemed to be missing yesterday.

This is probably their older sibling – the lone survivor from the first brood of the same pair of adults. Still a few stripes on the face with a hint of the head-plumes starting to grow.

A pair(?) of Stock Doves (the sexes are alike). The wings are grey with black-edging (no white as on Wood Pigeon) and the neck mark is a green gloss (again no white as in Wood Pigeon). This species is slightly smaller, slightly shorter-tailed and has faster wing-beats than Wood Pigeon. Not always easy to tell but one clue can be that shown here – pairs usually keep very close-company as they fly: Wood Pigeons rarely do.

A few Swifts are still around.

A Green-veined White butterfly Pieris napi...

...and it is a male with only one pair of spots on the wings. Note the inner to the black on the wing-edge is not angled across the wing as it is on Small White P. rapae and black extends down the trailing edge of the wing beyond the black spot.

Oops: four days ago I logged a fly-by blue butterfly as a Common Blue Polyommatus icarus. This a female Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus (she has extensive dark-edging to her wings) and is almost certainly the species I saw earlier.

The clearest of the seven Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella I noted on the West end street lamp poles around dawn.

A distinctly faded red tail on this Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius. Knapweed is just about the only nectar source around in the dry conditions.

An atypical Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum with rufous in the tail. The only other bumblebee species with a brown or ginger thorax is Tree Bumblebee B. hypnorum and that never shows rufous in the tail: usually pure white though may be all-black. The bee looks oddly-shaped here as it wraps itself around the style of a convolvulus flower to get at the nectar.

A Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum. As I was looking through the view-finder to take the photo is looked as if the dragonfly was chewing food....

I zoomed right in to look. I cannot see what it might have been eating.

New for the year was this Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus (and no: I don't know why it is called "kite-tailed" when the end of the abdomen does not look forked). Strangely my first-date for this species in 2025 was also 07 August.

The first springtail, a Pogonognathellus longicornis-type among dew on a West end street lamp pole around dawn.

Easy: there is nothing else shaped like a Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

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

Arthropods:
- none

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

The only insect of note here this morning was this male mosquito Culex pipiens. Males do not have the proboscis the female uses to get the blood-meal and have extensive antennae.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:15

(175th visit of the year)

It was as quiet today as it was busy yesterday

Bird notes:
- There were 17 Mute Swans when I arrived: two of them departed to the North. One of those remaining was noted with a blue Darvic ring 7JXV.
- Moorhens were in typical numbers today.
- I was shocked to find a Great Crested Grebe sitting on a nest. This is reasonably well-hidden but even so... Perhaps more to the point where is its partner?
- just one Cormorant in trees on the island.
- only one Grey Herons and no Little Egret.
- no Ring-necked Parakeet or Kingfisher.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese: flew North together

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese: of these a trio departed and nine arrived (a single and two quartets)
- 17 Mute Swans: two of these departed
- 29 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 41 Coot
- 1 *Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Riband Wave Idaea aversata form aversata
- 1 !*Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

A Great Crested Grebe fast asleep on a nest. I suppose, thinking about it, it could be a Coot nest it has "borrowed" to sleep in which might explain why there is no obvious partner. The nest pile does seem large for this species that has difficulty on land because its legs are set so far back.

A Riband Wave moth Idaea aversata of the form aversata, the photo slightly marred by the sun reflecting on the metal pole. This, the less common form, has the area between the two outer cross-lines solid dark. A slight chunk missing from its left wing is nothing...

........when compared with the damage suffered by this Willow Beauty moth Peribatodes rhomboidaria.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
(Martin Adlam)

6 Aug 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 15.0°C: Another cloudy start. Soon sunny for a while, clouding again c.08:30. Moderate / fresh westerly wind, gusting strong at times. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 05:36 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– 06:15 // 07:20 – 09:20

(177th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Another group of Barn Swallows seen: eleven were noted flying south-west together over the football field c.05:50. More seen feeding low over the water much later.

Other bird notes:
- a lone Canada Geese early which did not depart. The now usual later arrival.
- no Tufted Duck seen.
- *one of the erstwhile brood of four Great Crested Grebes seemed to be missing.
- a Common Sandpiper was present throughout.
- a single Swift dashed through at 05:45. Two were seen to the East of the dam 07:55 for several minutes and were possibly the same two seen there c.09:00.
- more than 15 House Martins were high over the Ricoh area at 07:30. No juveniles were heard and they seemed to be heading south-west though equally likely just flying in to the wind to make catching food easier. At least two were over the water with Barn Swallows later, joined by at least one *Sand Martin
- Thursday is Racing Pigeons day. Two groups totalling 29 birds were seen flying north-west.
- four of the calling Chiffchaffs seemed to be travelling together and were likely a family party including recently-fledged juveniles: three of them were giving squeakier calls than usual.
- a Common Whitethroat was giving its contact call from the Ricoh hedge.
- a Blackbird was heard giving the special warning call usually reserved to warn recently-fledged juveniles of danger. This species is multi-brooded: this seems a late date to still have young.
though

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 85 Canada Geese: 79 flew East in seven groups; six flew West as a duo (with a Greylag Goose) and a quartet.
- 6 Greylag Geese: 5 flew East as a single and two duos; a single flew West with Canadas.
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 29 Racing Pigeons: see notes
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves again, together
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 171 Jackdaws
- 26 Rooks only

Counts from the lake area:
- 59 Canada Geese: one throughout; 58 arrived in four groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 30 (?♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 56 Coots
- 7 + 9? (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 38 Black-headed Gulls: again none of these visited the football field
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 (5?) Swifts: see notes
- 1+ *Sand Martin
- >17 *Barn Swallows: see notes
- >15 House Martins: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 12 Chiffchaffs
- no Reed Warbler
- 1 Blackcap
- 1 Common Whitethroat

Also noted:
cloudy and windy

Butterflies:
none

Moths:
- 1 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
several bees seen in flight only

Hoverflies:
none

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]

True flies:
very few and none of interest

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 3 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 ! *Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

The early cloud soon cleared to give some slight colour to the sunrise.

I only noted three juveniles with this adult Great Crested Grebe. It is just possible the fourth was with the other parent. There were several adults on view, none with juveniles in attendance.

The cloudy and breezy conditions brought the hirundines down to feed low over the water. This is a Sand Martin. Note the short, stubby bill and white throat.

Here again. The dark chest-band is just about visible and note the short forked tail. This species is normally the first Summer migrant to arrive, usually somewhere in the UK during the last few days of February. I see it here from mid-March and it can occur in some numbers during bad weather while birds are still arriving in to late-April. Sightings here after this are uncommon with birds mainly staying around their breeding territories. Atcham Bridge on the old A5 is a good place to see them.

This Barn Swallow seems to be a male from the length of the tail streamers.

A juvenile or female with shorter streamers.

This is a juvenile with white on the forehead and throat instead of the adult's red.

Two of the three Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella I noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn.

I pursued this moth until it eventually perched where I could see it. It looks to be "just" a Straw Grass-moth A. straminella though the reason I went after it was that it looked smaller than I expected.

Well the eye is in focus! My first Common Carpet moth Epirrhoe alternata of the year.

"Come in #6". A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris taking a break from whatever it was doing.

The neat, parallel yellow band on the side of the thorax confirms the species identity.

Before the cloud rolled back and the insects went in to hiding I found this Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *unidentified micromoth [Harpella forficella?]
- 1 *Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata

Flies:
- 2 *midges
- 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.:
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Frustrating. I had no idea what I was photographing on the wall of the tunnel – perhaps just part of the idiot scribblings was my thought at the time. Not so: it is a (small!) micromoth. Obsidentify was 94% sure it is Harpella forficella (since given the name Yellow-striped Bark Moth). This species has only recently arrived in the UK and is not described or illustrated in my Field Guide. NatureSpot describes it as "a very distinctive species" with their photos looking nothing like this. Google Lens suggested Indian Meal Moth Plodia interpunctella described by NatureSpot as "distinctively marked" and also looking nothing like my photo. Had I realised at the time it might be a moth I would have taken an angled photo which might have helped.

What a splendid moth. It is a Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata. Ignoring several moth identities outstanding this is species #29 for me in the tunnel this year.

A male midge of a species for which I have never been able to find an identity.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15

(174th visit of the year)

New bird species:
As it was a week or so ago at the Balancing Lake *Kingfisher becomes a belated addition (and my 73rd bird species) here this year.

Other bird notes:
- I could only find 16 Mute Swans today.
- a lower number of Mallard and Tufted Duck for some reason.
- I managed a walk around without seeing or hearing a single Moorhen.
- no Great Crested Grebe seen again.
- five Cormorants were again in trees on the island, four of them noted flying in together.
- two *Grey Herons today.
- a Little Egret was with Black-headed Gulls on the edge of the island when I arrived but seem to have gone later.
- the Ring-necked Parakeet was heard calling from the island and then flew off South only to return a flew minutes later and disappear in to the wooded area behind Ennerdale Road.
- Bullfinch is a species I record here only sporadically. I noted birds calling from two different locations today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
all these gulls loosely together
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 10 Greylag Geese: of these two departed and four arrived
- 16 Mute Swans
- 24 (?♂) *Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- no Moorhens!
- 45 *Coot
- no Great Crested Grebe again
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: briefly
- 5 Cormorants again
- 2 *Grey Herons
- 1 Little Egret: departed?
- 1 *Kingfisher

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins again

Warblers noted (no song):
- 2 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 small spider at the top of a tall street lamp pole.

One of the two Grey Herons I noted here this morning. This was wandering through the Coots all the while stabbing away at small fry. The Coots (four in this view) seemed remarkably unconcerned.

"Can you see what it is yet?" It was a long way away and travelling at speed. I am surprised the camera even managed to pick out the Kingfisher as it dashed by.

A Song Thrush peers at me. For once I managed to persuade the camera not to focus on the twig.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
1 (imm/fem) Common Redstart
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Dunlin
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Tern
(Merv)

5 Aug 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 19.0°C: A cloudy start. The forecast rain did not arrive and the clouds broke to give sunny spells. A moderate south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:34 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– 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:45

(176th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Unusual today was a group of at least 30 Barn Swallows heading more or less East over the football field at 05:55. These had to have been migrants heading off. Seems very early. Perhaps they too are experiencing difficulty in finding insects. A few minutes later at least a dozen House Martins were high overhead. I noted juvenile begging calls and I doubt these would be migrating before the youngsters were independent.

Other bird notes:
- just three Canada Geese early and I am not sure these ever departed. The now usual later arrival.
- a trio of Tufted Duck present throughout.
- yesterday's large count of gulls was not repeated. Apart from a change in the wind direction I can offer no explanation.
- no Swift sightings.
- 19 Starlings flew East c.06:10 in singles / small groups.
- the lower counts of passing Jackdaws and Rooks is likely down to my incompetence. With that change in the wind direction their flight path was very different and I probably missed many until I realised where I should be looking.
- another indication of the passage of the seasons was the first overflying Pied Wagtail leaving wherever the roost is these days and heading out to feed.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 59 Canada Geese: all flew West in six groups
- 24 Greylag Geese: 20 flew East in two groups; a quartet flew West later
- 8 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves together
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- 95 Jackdaws
- 36 Rooks
- 19 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 82 Canada Geese: three throughout? 79 arrived in at least six groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens again
- 55 Coots
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls: none of these visited the football field
- 5 *Herring Gulls
- 34 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.30 Barn Swallows: see notes
- c.12 House Martins again: see notes

Warblers noted (no song):
- 7 Chiffchaffs
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 3 Blackcaps

Also noted:
more today though still very quiet

Butterflies:
- 2 Small White Pieris rapae
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 2 *Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 *Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Moths:
- 3 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths too faded / seen too fleetingly to confirm their identity.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- ! *probable Field Cuckoo-bee Bombus campestris
- *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
singles only of each species
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
an unidentified dragonfly flew off: they always seem to see me before I see them

True flies:
- ! *Thick-headed Fly Conops quadrifasciatus [Four-banded Beegrabber]
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp.
other flies that I could not identify and did not seem worth the effort.

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

Not an exciting dawn sky.

An adult and immature Great Crested Grebe from a family I have not previously photographed. Their territory in the south-west area is not easy to access and they usually keep out of the way.

Some scruffy-looking gulls at the moment as they moult. This is an immature Herring Gull (the pale inner primaries identify it as such). Most of its outer secondaries are missing. Also missing are the secondary lesser coverts exposing the white bases of the greater coverts. Two (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls look on.

Another immature Herring Gull, this one showing little sign of moult. It is a juvenile / first- winter showing the typical Herring Gull paler inner-primaries. At this age these feathers have darker tips. The black tail-band does not wrap around the side of the tail as it would on a Lesser Black-backed Gull and it shows mottling on the upper tail.

An immature Lesser Black-backed Gull showing many instances of moult. Just two old outer primaries remain to be replaced and white bases to the secondaries show where the relevant greater coverts have been dropped as have some primary coverts.

A Common Buzzard appeared from the local wood again - against the light. So it was down to the photo-editor to produce as good a result as I could achieve.

A Gatekeeper butterfly Pyronia tithonus at rest with the wings held such that the number of white spots in the black circle of the forewing is hidden. Luckily the colour, just visible, is enough to identify it.

A smart butterfly: a Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

A Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella at rest with the right wing wrapped over the left preventing the split of the pale streak in to "fingers" being visible.

This is a puzzle and I initially tended to agree with Obsidentify: "unidentified bumblebee"! But we are made of stronger stuff.

A bumblebee species with a white collar and a white tail with no obvious midriff band. Hmm. After a partial ID from Google Lens and then studying both the Field Guide and Steven Falk's Flickr pages I suspect it is a male Field Cuckoo-bee Bombus campestris. As he – the expert – notes "it is a highly variable species which can produce challenges during field identification". A species I have not (mis?)identified for some years.

Like all cuckoo-bees it does not make its own nest. The female of this species lays her eggs in that of the Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum.

Just enough here to identify this as a Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum with ginger on the thorax and white on the tail just showing through the Knapweed. This is the first I have seen of this species from what is most probably a second brood.

This is a Common Carder Bee. The ginger on the thorax is faded and bald in the centre and there is extensive white along the flanks.

 It was singles of each species of hoverfly again. Here is the Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus.

A male Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta (or Long Hoverfly if you prefer).

And another Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis.

Along with the cuckoo-bee this was the find of the day. It is the Thick-headed Fly Conops quadrifasciatus also known, for obvious reasons, as Four-banded Beegrabber. There were precious few bees for it to grab today.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata

Flies:
- no midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata

Arthropods:
- none

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

One of the few pug moth species I feel happy to identify unaided – a Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10

(173rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Best today was a Common Sandpiper seen amongst the Black-headed Gulls on the East side of the island. Just as I noticed it a Magpie flushed it. I heard it calling as it was flying around for a few minutes but I never saw it again.

Other bird notes:
- 17 Mute Swans today. At least one was heard in flight while mu view, was typically. blocked by trees.
- no Great Crested Grebe seen.
- five Cormorants were in trees on the island.
- just one Grey Herons noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles

Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 17 Mute Swans
- 31 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 6 Moorhens
- 39 Coot
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Common Sandpiper: departed
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 1 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

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

Unlike the specimen at the Balancing Lake this Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella is resting with the left wing overlapping the right. As a result the end of the clear streak is visible as it splits in to two "fingers" beyond half-way along the wing. So this species is ambidextrous (or whatever the adjective is for wings rather than hands).

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
A female Teal
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
30 House Martins
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)