1 May 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 14.0°C: Alternating between cloud and sun. Light southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:37 BST

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 06:20 // 07:25 – 07:55 // 08:30 – 10:30

(95th visit of the year)

A "car servicing day" so three visits at slightly different times from usual. Probably affected the warbler numbers somewhat as some may have stopped singing by the time I reached them.

Bird notes:
- the resident Canada Geese have hatched seven goslings
- now just six Greylag Goose goslings with the cob Mute Swan threatening if they went in the water.
- a Coot with three juveniles was my first family here. I cannot explain why my Coot count yesterday was so low.
- only three Sedge Warblers today, two of these in different locations to yesterday's mass arrival.
- more Reed Warblers today with several birds singing from scrub rather than reeds and three non-singing birds seen.
- the Lesser Whitethroat was singing up and down the Ricoh hedge all morning.
- the Common Whitethroat did sing intermittently: I also saw him attending what I suspect was a nest site.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: a pair outbound and a pair inbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: a pair inbound
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin high over at 06:00 was the only sighting

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 11 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Sedge Warblers
- 14 (11) Reed Warblers
- 15 (12) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Lesser Whitethroat
- *1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- *17 Canada Geese: the resident pair with seven goslings: three other pairs, two of which flew off
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (5♂) Mallard: also 2 (2♂) on the lower pool; and 1 (1♂) on the upper pool
- 6 (3♂) Tufted Duck: of these a pair flew off West; and a pair arrived from the East
- 4 Moorhens
- 22 + 3 (1 brood) Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes

On the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Nothing at all seen 

Noted later:

Butterflies etc.:
- Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines
- *unidentified larva

Wasp sp.
- *ichneumon to be identified!
- *presumed Blackfly aphid

Hoverflies:
- *Migrant Field Syrph or Migrant Hoverfly Eupeodes corollae
- *Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [also known as Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]

Other flies:
- plumed midges
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
- *owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- *unidentified flies!

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: these were everywhere today
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea

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

Plant:
- *Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata

Not promising...

Slightly better.

The family of Canada Geese with seven goslings.

Here they area again with Mum and Dad keeping a good look out.

Five of the goslings here. Goslings and ducklings can walk and feed as soon as they have hatched. These have yet to discover you cannot eat concrete!

One of two Buzzards overhead.

And the other.

Now: is this one sitting (on one leg) on a street lamp pole in Teece Drive a third?

Camera shy!

The only warbler to be at all cooperative today was the male Common Whitethroat.

Sort of cooperative.

The larva of what? It is resting on one of my fingers. Tiny! (the larva and not my finger)

 I am pushed for time today so have no time for research to identify this ichneumon.

My first Migrant Field Syrph or Migrant Hoverfly Eupeodes corollae this year. They are not necessarily 'true migrants' though our resident population is boosted by arrivals from the Continent.

A very small hoverfly. It is a Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [also known as Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly].

Try taking photos of Blackfly aphids without a close-up lens. Hard to get them in focus.

Another one for research. The reddish hind femur and the pale belly on this fly might allow identification.

Another fly that ought to be identifiable with the swelling on the hind leg.

An owl midge Psychodidae sp. These are so naturally 'fuzzy' it is hard to know whether they are in focus or not.

Is this sharper or a different species? There are 99 to choose from.

Lots of spots and white on the face so a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. It is easy to see why they are also called stretch spiders.

The flower of a Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata. These have burst open in the last few days.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Nothing of note

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:25 – 07:20

(99th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the cob Mute Swan was displaying with one of last year's juveniles for a while. When they came too close to the pen sitting on the nest her chased her (I assume) away.
- two singing Sedge Warblers this morning, neither where I heard the bird yesterday. My first multiple record here.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Sedge Warblers
- 5 (5) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 5 Mute Swans
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- *5 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults, briefly

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus or perhaps the similar slightly larger species B. ochraceus.

A pair of Tufted Duck. It is unusual to see a duck bird with so much white on the face at this date. Could it be a Scaup? Well: unlikely paired with a drake Tufted Duck but the white on the face does not extend high-enough on to the bottom of the crown; and although it is hard to make out any hint of a tuft the head shape is the same as the drake.

Good light on a Goldfinch.

From head-on an 'Angry Bird'

Enjoying a buttercup are three what I think are Raspberry Beetles Byturus tomentosus. There is a similar slightly larger species. If you look carefully there is something small and green disappearing at the 2 o'clock position.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
6 Cormorants
3 Reed Warblers
2 Common Whitethroat
8 Blackcaps
9 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Greylag Geese
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose
17 Tufted Duck
2 Song Thrushes
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
16 Wheatears
1 Lesser Whitethroat
3 Common Whitethroats
1 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
3 Fieldfare
5 Linnets
4 Yellowhammers
1 Raven
(Ed Wilson)

Long Lane, Wellington
2 Whimbrel
(JW Reeves)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpiper
1 Sedge Warbler
2 Raven
(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Whinchat
4 Wheatear
2 Garden Warbler
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
5 Reed Warbler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Whinchat
1 Lesser Whitethroat
22 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
7 Swans
3 Common Sandpipers
Sedge Warbler
Garden Warbler
9 Reed Warblers
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
(Ed Wilson)

Lanes to the E / SE of the lake
2 Lesser Whitethroats
3 Whitethroats
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
8 Tufted Duck
2 Willow Warblers
1 Chiffchaff
2 Blackcaps
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Lesser Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat
Garden Warbler
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
2 Linnets
2 Yellowhammers
5 Wheatears
4 Skylarks
2 Jays
(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
5+ Tree Pipit
3 Redstart
Wood Warbler
Garden Warbler
Wheatear
7 Meadow Pipits
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
13 Mute Swans
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Whimbrel
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Tufted Ducks
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Stock Doves
2 Grey Wagtails
2 Sedge Warblers
4 Reed Warblers
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Jay
119 Jackdaw
3 House Sparrows
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
1 Tufted Duck
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Dunlin
1 Whimbrel
5 Common Sandpipers
8 Swifts
1 Skylark
97 Sand Martins
31 Swallows
3 House Martins
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
2 Lesser Whitethroats
1 Garden Warbler
10 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
6 Greenfinches
1 Linnet
4 Reed Bunting

Lanes to the east of the Lake
3 Mallards
1 Lesser Whitethroat
5 Whitethroats
3 Jay
3 Skylarks
2 Blackcaps
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
4 Greenfinches
3 Linnets
4 Bullfinches
8 Yellowhammers.
(Ed Wilson)