5 Apr 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 14.0°C: Early mainly light rain showers. Cloud lifted after 07:30 with some sunny intervals. Fresh southerly wind. Mostly Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:34 BST

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:55 – 06:50 // 07:45 – 10:00

(75th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 7 Canada Geese: three pairs and a single outbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: inbound
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 3 (3) Willow Warblers
- *19 (17) Chiffchaffs
- *13 (10) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese: one pair throughout; two pairs and a single arrived with only one pair being successfully chased away.
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Mallard: also 4 (4♂) on the upper pool
- 14 (10♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately yet again

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Wet and windy.

Flies:
- *1 Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris

Noted later:

Bees:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *possible Common Mini-miner Andrena minutula agg.

Hoverflies:
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare
- Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus

Bugs:
- *Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

Beetles:
- at least 12 Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni at various points
- *7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea

Arthropods:
- *Arion sp. slugs on the wall of the sailing club HQ.
- *possible Wrinkled Snails Candidula intersecta also on the wall of the sailing club HQ.

A Jay in flight illustrating the rounded wings.

Making a noise of course and here showing the blue / black banding on the wings.

What a sweetie. A Chiffchaff.

Another Chiffchaff in song...

...and looking pensive.

"who me?"

A male Blackcap with a crane fly as its breakfast.

Another posing.

And another singing...

 ...and he is now looking pensive.

I can't get a positive ID on this bee but my best suggestion it is a possible Common Mini-miner Andrena minutula agg., here on Dandelion sp. Taraxacum officinale.

A male Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax.

A side-elevation view of a female.

My first Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare of the year.

The rufous abdomen of this fly suggest it is either Phaonia subventa or P. rufiventris. These species need very detailed examination to separate.

One of many similar-looking slugs on one wall of sailing club HQ. I have not been able to get an identity for any of them.

In addition to the slugs there were many snails, most similar to this Wrinkled Snail Candidula intersecta.

Another Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale on the Teece Drive fence.

A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata diving it to Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus for food.

A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea.

Another.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Arthropods:
- *2 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus

One of several Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus that were in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:55 – 07:40

(77th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a duck Mallard with 10 ducklings. She was close to the all-white drake but I don't think he was the other parent as the ducklings looked just like Mallard ducklings always do.
- I saw my first female Blackcaps for here this year.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 34 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- *8 (5♂) + 10 (1 brood) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 19 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe

Noted elsewhere:

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge on a street lamp pole.

Not a great photo: it was still raining and very dull. The duck Mallard and six of her ten ducklings. Is the all-white drake their father? It does not look like it.

The best I could do with the cuddly ducklings.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
9 Tufted Duck
4 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warblers
131 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Cackling Goose-type
37 Tufted Ducks
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
23 Tufted Ducks
3 Sand Martins
1 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
23 Tufted Ducks
2 Redwings
1 Fieldfare
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
48 Tufted Duck
2 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
4 Lapwings
1 Stock Dove
3 Skylarks
8 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
Male Wheatear
(Glenn Bishton)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Ring Ouzel
60 Golden Plover
20 Yellowhammer
4 Wheatear
(John Isherwood, Andy Latham, John Isherwood, Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
17 Tufted Duck
68 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Kingfisher
5 Meadow Pipit
1 Blackcap
6 Chiffchaff
3 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebe
5 Herons
7 Tufted Ducks
3 Lapwings
2 Ruddy Ducks
418 Jackdaws
27 Wrens
26 Blackbirds
47 Sand Martins
1 Swallow.
2 Fieldfares
1 Barn Owl
4 Meadow Pipits
2 Fieldfares
2 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warblers
1 Willow Tit
9 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
7 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)