4 May 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 9.0°C: Mostly cloudy though a red sunrise. A light shower c.09:20. The odd brighter interval. A calm start with a light northerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:32 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:10 – 06:25 // 07:25 – 09:40

(112th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- unusual was a pair of Canada Geese sitting on the football field at c.06:15
- the pair of Greylag Geese still with four goslings.
- the pen Mute Swan was not seen visiting the nest site.
- the pair of Gadwall were again on the south-west grass by 05:40
- the duck Pochard still present. She was again seen wing-flapping and seemed to have no problem doing so and no missing feathers that might hinder her departure.
- a trio of Tufted Duck (two drakes) was present briefly.
- a Common Kestrel flew over to hover over the south-west grass at 05:45.
- no significant changes with the warblers today. The first Sunday in May is International Dawn Chorus Day. No-one had told the warblers and it was hard work...
no Lesser Whitethroat seen or heard but another birdwatcher told me his Merlin app. had reported one.
what sounded like begging juvenile Blackcaps noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair inbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 5 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Starling

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese: maximum count with some flying in and out
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 20 Coots: the cootlings no doubt sheltering in the cool and cloudy condition.
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Herring Gulls

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 9 Swifts
- 4 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 17 (13) Chiffchaffs
- 12 (11) Reed Warblers
- 17 (15) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- no Lesser Whitethroats: see notes
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat

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

Moths:
none

Flies:
several different species of midge.

Noted later:

Butterflies:
none

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
*$ Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
*sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex

Hoverflies:
*Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis

Alder Fly:
none

Other flies
*$ Long-horned Black Legionnaire Beris geniculata.
*$ Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
*Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
cranefly Tipula varipennis
*other unidentified flies

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none

Earwigs:
*$ Common European Earwig Forficula dentata

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
*$ Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
*$ Common Malachite Beetle Malachius bipustulatus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

New flowers for the year:
*$ Hawk's-beard-type Crepis sp., perhaps Beaked Hawk's-beard C. vesicaria.
*$ Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica

Despite the mostly cloudy skies there was unexpected colour first thing.

And here just as the sun was not about to appear over the horizon.

The rather scruffy-looking collar on this bumblebee is a good clue that it is a Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum.

It is that time of the year when there are many insects feeding on buttercup pollen. Here on a Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris is a sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex not separable from photos.

The only species of hoverfly I noted this morning was this male Syrphus sp. S. ribesii or S. vitripennis. Indeed this was the only individual I noted.

With a slight swelling on the hind legs I suspect this fly is a Long-horned Black Legionnaire Beris geniculata.

This could be a different species of Legionnaire – it does not have the all-black legs of the previous species. Neither does it have the swelling on the hind leg but as it is a female that may not be relevant.

A Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina

And here a Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria.

"What red eyes you have". "All the better to see you with". No idea as to species of fly this is...

Trying to hide is a female Common European Earwig Forficula dentata. The cerci (pincers) on males are more curved.

Tucking in to a buttercup is a group of Raspberry Beetles Byturus tomentosus.

And my first Common Malachite Beetle Malachius bipustulatus of the year also on a buttercup. The green elytra (wing cases) with the red tip is the identification feature.

Many of the Hawthorn bushes Crataegus monogyna are laden with flower. Apparently there is an old saw that this means we are in for a hard winter. I think this connection is unlikely and the flowering is more likely to be affected by the weather past.

This flower, just opening, is one of the confusing Hawk's-beard-type Crepis species, perhaps Beaked Hawk's-beard C. vesicaria.

The "flowers" of Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
5 Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]
12 midges of several species

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:20

(109th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Greylag Geese goslings seen but only singles of adults. Perhaps inside the island?
- a visiting pair of Mute Swans was resisting attempts by the resident cob to send them on their way. I never had a good-enough view of them in flight to tell whether it was the pair that has been attempting to take over at the Balancing Lake.
- I have no real idea why the Coot number was so low: perhaps just the cloudy and cool conditions.
- three Great Crested Grebes today: two birds loafing at the top end and one beside the putative nest site.
- a Common Buzzard was flushed from one of the goal posts on the grassy area at the top end.
- a Barn Swallow flew fast South. Back to warmer climes?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Cormorants: together

Noted on / around the water:
- 18 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swans: the other resident presumed to be on the island.
- no Gadwall
- 22 (19♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow

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

On street lamp poles:

Flies:
*1 small midge sp.

Spiders:
*1 money spider, species undetermined
1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

A small midge! "A male" is about all I can add.

 A money spider, species undetermined.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Balancing Lake and The Flash:

Nothing of real interest 

I should note though, that there are now juvenile Moorhens confirmed on both pools.

(Ed Wilson)

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2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Gadwall
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Ruddy Ducks
1 Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)