28 Apr 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake, The Flash and Woodhouse Lane

8.0°C > 14.0°C:  Fine but often with much high cloud. Very light southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise:  05:44 BST

* = a species photographed today.
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year

Priorslee Balancing Lake:  05:10 – 06:10 // 07:15 – 08:20 // 08:55 – 09:55

(106th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the pair of Greylag Geese still with five goslings.
- the pair of Gadwall gone again {I have been told they have been seen using the storm pools across Castle Farm Way].
- the duck Pochard still present.
- a Common Sandpiper was again on the south-west grass at 05:30 but not seen subsequently.
- a singing Willow Warbler was a surprise. I assumed they had all passed through by now.
- still two singing Sedge Warblers.
- the Lesser Whitethroat still mostly heard singing from the dense Hawthorns alongside the West end path. It is unusual for this species to be heard singing like this. Normally almost as soon as they arrive they pair up and stay silent (and hidden) only announcing their presence when the male sings again, briefly, between broods.
- only the male Common Whitethroat singing from the south-west scrub noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Goose: pair outbound
- 16 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 12 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 9 Canada Geese: the highest count though again possibly more individuals as birds flew in and out
- 4 + 5 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- *4 Mute Swans: a visiting pair was chased off by both the residents at 07:40. Otherwise the pen was mostly at the nest site
- no Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 9 Moorhens
- 26 + 6 (2 broods) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes only
- 1 Common Sandpiper: departed
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, adults briefly

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 17 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Sedge Warblers
- 11 (11) Reed Warblers
- 19 (18) Blackcaps
- *1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Lesser Whitethroat
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
*1 Chocolate-tip Clostera curtula : moth species #8 here this year and my fourth record here (last 2021)

Spiders:
*1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Also noted later:

Butterflies:
*Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines: one male
Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
*$ Peacock Aglais io

Bees, wasps etc.:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
*unidentified Nomad Bee sp.
Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
*$ Cheilosia albitarsus agg. either C. ranunculi [Early Buttercup Cheilosia] or C. albitarsis [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
Spring Epistrophe Epistrophe eligans [Spring Smoothtail]
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater] *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
*Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
*$ possible Parasyrphus sp. (also known as forest syrphs)
*$ Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]
Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis

Alder Flies:
Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

Other flies
many unidentified flies

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none

Beetles:
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders:
*unidentified money spider
*other unidentified spider

This morning's sunrise with much high cloud.

Going so soon? The visiting pair of Mute Swans decide it is time to leave.

I found the Garden Warbler hiding away and in full song.

A male Orange-tip butterfly Anthocharis cardamines: the only one I noted today.

My first Peacock butterfly Aglais io of the year. 2024 was a dire year for butterflies generally and I did not see this species once.

Not a very edifying view of a Chocolate-tip moth Clostera curtula. This is a tail-on view. The "chocolate-tip" refers to the dark area at the tip of the wing. This species rests with the dark tip of its abdomen proud of the folded wing tips.

There are five species of Nomad Bees that are almost impossible to separate from photos. This is one of them.

 And this is another individual and may or may not be the same species!

The Cheilosia genus of hoverflies are mostly very difficult to identify and the Cheilosia albitarsus agg. group, either C. ranunculi [Early Buttercup Cheilosia] or C. albitarsis [Late Buttercup Cheilosia] particularly so. Given that buttercups are only just coming in to flower it is tempting to suggest C. ranunculi but...

A Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus shares a Dandelion, probably Taraxacum officinale with a small friend.

A Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea.

A conundrum. The size and markings on this hoverfly suggest it is one of the Parasyrphus group of "forest syrphs". Steven Flak's excellent Flickr guide notes and shows all these as having dark legs and this does not. So I am none the wiser.

This hoverfly can only be identified for certain if the abdomen marking are visible which usually requires photographing one in flight. This is not sharp but shows the features of Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus.

Looking ready to attack is a male Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp. found on a street lamp pole pre-dawn.

A small unidentified spider. One of my finger-tips, complete with dirt under the nail complements the photo(?)

Hard to discern on the rail of the boxing ring on the dam is an unidentified "money spider".

These seem to be "the real deal" Bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scripta

A swathe of Ramsons [or Wild Garlic] Allium ursinum. I read that there is a species of hoverfly associated with this plant so I must keep an eye out for it. It would be a new species for me.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
3 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]
4 midges of at least three species

Arthropods:
1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:15 – 07: 10

(103rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- of course there were three Great Crested Grebes today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws: singles

Noted on / around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese again
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan: the other resident presumed to be on the island.
- 12 (10♂) Mallard again
- 14 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens only
- 25 + ? (1 brood) Coots: juveniles still being brooded and not visible
- 3 Great Crested Grebes

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 6 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (5) Blackcaps

Noted elsewhere:
On various street lamp poles:

Moths:
1 Streamer Anticlea derivata: same place as yesterday

Flies:
*cranefly Tipula confusa

New flowers for the year:
*$ Red Campion Silene dioica or Melandrium rubrum [also at the lake and in Woodhouse Lane]

A cranefly very much the worse for wear with just two legs remaining and these caught in a web. I am fairly certain this cranefly is Tipula confusa though noted in NatureSpot as flying from mid-Summer.

Flowers of Red Campion Silene dioica or Melandrium rubrum has appeared just about everywhere since I noted buds yesterday.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane: 08:20 – 08:55

(4th visit of the year)

Bird notes
It seems others have better luck here than I did this morning. A birder recently moved in to one of the houses on the new estates walked the lane yesterday with the definite highlight
- a White Stork heading South. Even worse he managed to take a photo of it!

Otherwise he noted:
- a pair of Gadwall on one of the storm pools
- a Common Sandpiper around one of these pools
- a Kestrel hovering over
- 3 Common Whitethroats
- 5 Yellowhammers with two singing
Thanks to Blake for emailing me this info.

My attempt this morning produced:

Bird species
- no Pheasants seen or heard
- 2 Stock Doves
- 2 (2) Skylarks: both distant
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
- no Song Thrushes
- 5 (4) Chaffinches
- 1 or 2 Linnets heard in flight
- 2 (1) Yellowhammer

Butterflies:
Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

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

Hoverflies:
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
*Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis

Flies:
*$ Fannia lustrator
*$ Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens
*$ possible Tachinid fly Siphona geniculata
*$ cranefly Tipula varipennis

Flowers
*$ Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle Sonchus oleraceus

This seems to be a Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus. This, and those I noted at the lake later, seemed smaller than I expected. There is a larger species but not a smaller one.

This striking-looking fly seems to only have a scientific name – Fannia lustrator. Neither does there seem to be a generic name for the species group.

This cranefly is unhelpfully hiding its abdomen markings. The shape of the yellow and black on its thorax points to it being a Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens.

This unusually-coloured fly is one of the Tachinid flies in the genus Siphona. Specific identification is well beyond my capability but it is likely S. geniculata, the most common of them.

This plain-looking cranefly with a dark mark (stigma) in its wings is Tipula varipennis.

Here is a Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle Sonchus oleraceus. There is a closely-related species Prickly Sow-thistle S. asper. I checked and came away unscathed.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Nedge Hill
2 Lesser Whitethroat
10 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorants
2 Swans
5 Greylag Geese
1 Common Sandpiper
8 Swallows
1 Swift
2 Reed Warblers
2 Common Whitethroat
17 Blackcaps
8 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
1 Common Redstart
1 Nuthatch
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
3 Greylag Goose
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose
1 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
4 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Goosanders
6 Greylag Geese
2 Tufted Duck
6 Goosander
1 Grasshopper Warbler
2 Sedge Warbler
18 Blackcaps
4 Willow Warblers
14 Chiffchaffs
1 Wheatear
1 Swift
Swallow
House Martin
Sand Martin
1 Skylark
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson, Phil Walters)

Priorslee Flash
4 Greylag Geese
27 Tufted Duck
5 Blackcaps
4 Willow Warblers
3 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
5 Reed Warblers
2 Common Whitethroat
10 Blackcaps
10 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warbler
2 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Whinchat
2 Lesser Whitethroat
18+ Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
6 Tufted Ducks
Ruddy Duck
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Lesser Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warblers
2 House Sparrows
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Kestrel
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Cormorant
1 Stock Dove
3 Sand Martins
10 Swallows
1 Grey Wagtails
5 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warblers
7 Blackcaps
1 Garden Warbler
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
1 Lesser Whitethroat
3 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)