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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Photos from today

An unusual sight of a Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus possibly asleep but certainly resting on the ceiling of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

Also in the tunnel was this as I noted at the time an "unidentified fly with yellow face and longer than usual antennae". Both Obsidentify and Google Lens think it is from the Tetanocera group of marsh flies. The only species from this group with red legs is Tetanocera ferruginea, sometimes called Common Buff Snailkiller. I am not entirely happy as to my eyes this is a more robust fly and there appear to be dark marks on the abdomen in my photo.

Now four from The Flash. A Mirid bug Plagiognathus arbustorum negotiating the hairs on the back of my hand.

A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata party on an umbellifer.

A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis of the less-common form spectabilis crawling across my knuckle.

Just to show Common Red Soldier Beetles Rhagonycha fulva are not only found on Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium here are four enjoying a grass seed-head at The Flash.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)