12 Jul 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 19.0°C: Wall-to-wall sun. Light easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:01 BST

no photographs today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

An even shorter report today with viewing at the Balancing Lake from the West end only before a once around The Flash and away. Again some photos later – maybe.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:55 – 05:45

(170th visit of the year)

Bird notes from the West end:
- five Canada Geese returned, perhaps the four adults with an (almost?) fledged juvenile. Did I overlook them yesterday?

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 42 Jackdaws
- 57 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
as viewed from the West end only
- 5 Canada Geese: see notes
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Mute Swans
- 10 Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- Great Crested Grebes not counted
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
seen / heard at West end only
- no Cetti's Warbler
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler
- 5 (2) Blackcaps

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

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
1 unidentified ichneumon

Flies:
1 female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus

Nothing else noted apart from:
1 hawker dragonfly around the West end at c.05:15: too dark see any detail.
I did not revisit the lake after the early lap.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

NB: with a virgin white wall!

Moths: [27 species here before today; no additions]
1 Wormwood Pug Eupithecia absinthiata
1 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata
1 unidentified pug sp.

Hoverflies:
1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus : on the ceiling.

Other Flies:
1 unidentified fly with yellow face and longer than usual antennae
1 cranefly from the Limonid group
5 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
23 midges of various species.

Arthropods:
2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
2 other unidentified spiders
2 harvestmen Opilio canestrinii
1 harvestman Phalangium opilio

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:50 – 06:55

(166th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- all six Mute Swans were sitting happily together on the island when I arrived. Two (a pair?) moved off later.
- still low number of Mallard. One noted on a house roof.
- just 11 Tufted Duck and I thought eight appeared to be drakes. One of the drakes was inside the island where there may have been more lurking.
- two Great Crested Grebes both around the island but not "together" at any stage
- a Grey Heron present throughout again.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 131 Canada Geese
- 53 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 12 Mallard: see notes
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 68 + 5 (3 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult; arrived
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts

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

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
none

Moths [on street lamp poles and in the grass] [55 species here before today; no additions today]
1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata

Bees, wasps etc.:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
none

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none

Other flies:
numerous different midges and flies

Bugs:
green Mirid bug probably from the Orthotylus group of almost identical species.
Mirid bug Plagiognathus arbustorum

Beetles:
larvae of Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. spectabilis
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

New flowers for the year:
None

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)