16 Apr 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 11.0°C: Showery rain at first, progressively clearing with sunny spells developing. Moderate to fresh north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:13 BST

There is still an unusually high number of Willow Warblers around.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 06:25 // 07:15 – 09:50

(82nd visit of the year)

Best today was what was almost certainly a different Grasshopper Warbler giving its 'reeling' song from the Ricoh hedge alongside the West end footpath. It sang continually while I was within earshot between 05:40 and 06:00. I did not hear it later.

Otherwise an uninspiring morning until the insects started to emerge as the sun warmed up.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 11 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound; a pair and quintet inbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: two pairs outbound
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (13) Willow Warblers
- 18 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Grasshopper Warbler
- 12 (8) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: a pair throughout: a trio visited and were chased away by the cob Mute Swan
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Common Sandpipers
- 2 Grey Herons: departed separately

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

A rain shower sent most things to shelter (except me)

Flies:
- 1 female plumed midge

Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail

Arthropods:
- *2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Noted later:

Bees wasps etc.:
- Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva
- *Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa aka Early Mining Bee
- *Grey-patched Mining Bee Andrena nitida
- *Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica
- *several unidentified mining bees
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- *Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava
- *Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- *Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Newly emerged flowers:
- *Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
- *Common or Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis

The early light during a brief clearer interval between the early showery rain.

I am not entirely sure what this Great Tit is doing with last year's fast-disintegrating Reedmace Typha latifolia. This plant is also called Bulrush although it looks nothing like the depictions of "Moses in the bulrushes" in my Children's Bible. These were likely to have been Papyrus Cyperus papyrus.

I did wonder whether it was collecting the fluff to line its nest, though the fluff is blowing everywhere. The Great Tit is a male with the wider 'zip' down its belly.

The fluff is the dispersal mechanism for the seed at the base of each strand and from this view it looks as if the Great Tit is more likely eating the seeds.

It was another 'mining bee morning'. This is an Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa aka Early Mining Bee. Likely a male as it seems small. The pale hairs between the segments of the abdomen (the tergites) help to identify this species. I can just about convince myself than there are a few wisps of orange at the very tip of the abdomen.

I suspect this is another Orange-tailed Mining Bee though I cannot be sure from this angle.

A Grey-patched Mining Bee Andrena nitida.

A Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica.

Not sure about this small mining bee. The most obvious feature is the relatively long antennae. That does not seem to eliminate too many possibilities.

Perhaps one of Simon's Honey Bees Apis mellifera scratting about on the ground, as they seem to like doing.

Find of the morning was this Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava. The folk that gave this bee its name seem to have run out of inspiration and gone for a straight steal from the scientific name – or vice versa.

Close up and personal with a Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris.

With downward-angles yellow lunules this Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus is a distinctive hoverfly. This is almost a month earlier than I have recorded this species in previous years. However it is not a very commonly seen species so that may not be too significant.

Cross-lighting on this Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax shows just how hairy the legs are, especially the centre leg. This is a female – the eyes are separated – and the abdomen is not sufficiently tapered to separate it from a female Common Dronefly E. tenax. It is the extent of the pale on the front leg that separates females of these species.

A more usual view of the same species. This is a male – the eyes meet – and shows a typically tapered abdomen never shown by male Common Droneflies.

One of the two White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger I noted. If I could be bothered it looks possible to count the pairs of legs. Apparently the number of legs varies between individuals.

The Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. is perhaps eyeing up the small globular springtail at the bottom right of the photo.

Severn Trent did some clearance work last year to let more light to the ground in places. This has allowed these Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta to emerge. This taken by natural light.

As it was dark under the canopy I was not sure how sharp the natural light photo would be so I took this flash shot. A very different 'blue' colour! In the days of colour film – remember those – the classic test of how well any new film rendered colour always used bluebells. These days photo editors can change it to whatever you think is correct. Or looks best.

Obsidentify was sure this is Common or Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis. The flowers are smaller than on the Wood Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica I photographed last Friday (12th).

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies etc.
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:10

(84th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- even fewer Mallard: perhaps my lowest-ever count?
- an increase in the number of Tufted Duck. I am not sure I would expect that at this date. More Tufties than Mallard.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 14 (14) Willow Warblers
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (7) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 25 Canada Geese: of these a pair flew off
- 7 Greylag Geese: of these a pair also flew off
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 20 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted elsewhere:

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni on a street lamp pole

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
2 Grey Herons
10 Tufted Duck
2 Common Sandpipers
6 Sand Martin
2 Swallow
11 Song Thrushes
11 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warbler
112 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
4 Greylag Geese
25 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Curlew
6 Skylark
3 Meadow Pipit
5 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaffs
2 Linnets
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wheatear
2 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

East Priorslee
5 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
3 Yellow Wagtails
Common Whitethroat
62 Wheatear
1 Fieldfare
3 Common Redstart
Willow Warbler
2 Swallows
Linnet
Skylark
Chiffchaff
(Martin Grant, Ian Grant, John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington
1 Little Ringed Plover
1 Ringed Plover
12 Lapwing
2 Stock Dove
4+ Skylark
5 Teal
(Martin Grant)

2012
Nedge Hill
1 White Wagtail
1 Redstart
2 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood/ Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Whitethroat
15 Wheatear
2 Linnets
(John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebes
9 Tufted Duck
1 Buzzard
25 Sand Martins
6 Swallows
3 Skylarks
2 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
1 Willow Tit
2 Jays
4 Linnets
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Common Sandpiper
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Chiffchaff
5 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
1 Reed Bunting
8 Tufted Duck
(Martin Grant)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Little Grebe
2 Heron
4 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
7 Common Sandpiper
4 Swallow
3 Sand Martin
1 Kestrel
1 Raven
2 Skylark
2 Grey Wagtail
2 Meadow Pipit
1 Wheatear
9 Chiffchaff
4 Willow Warbler
5 Blackcaps
1 Sedge Warbler.
5 Greenfinch
2 Siskin
1 Linnet
5 Reed Bunting.
(Martin Adlam, John Isherwood)