24 Aug 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 20.0°C: Medium overcast began to break, the sun only appearing after I departed. Light and variable mainly southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:08 BST

It has been "one of those days" and I have not yet managed to get any photos together from this morning. I'll include the best on another day. Apologies.

$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 06:50 // 08:05 – 09:50

(208th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- best effort on the geese numbers with big mixed groups and also smaller groups partially hidden behind trees.
- a drake Shoveler was found semi-concealed among six Mallard feeding on weed along the South side.
- also close to this group was a duck Common Teal.
- the duck Pochard not seen.
- at 06:00 two Great Crested Grebes were seen flying around and around. It was too dark to age them and I am not sure whether they were "our" birds or not. Later I noted seven adults on the surface at the same time with the single oldest juvenile now having lost much of its head stripes. At this time the other three juveniles were all together trying their wings as they thrashes across the surface.
- more than 120 large gulls, almost all adult Lesser Black-backs, were around early. Today c.75 of these stopped off for a wash with the others flying through East which was the direction most of those that stayed for a wash also took on departure.
- at least eight Barn Swallows with an aerial food-pass noted.
- at least seven House Martins were again high overhead, today on several occasions.
- again very few Jackdaws noted with the passing Rooks. Yesterday the Rooks passed in a steady stream and were mostly heard calling. Today many of them were in silent groups of c.25 birds.
- also noted making what appeared to be a food-pass were two Chiffchaffs.
- probably the same Blackcap as yesterday was heard singing quietly.
- House Sparrow have reappeared in the shrubs in Teece Drive gardens having not been noted for about a week.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- c.146 Canada Geese: c.94 outbound in eight groups; c.45 inbound in two groups
- c.103 Greylag Geese: c.41 outbound in four groups; c.62 inbound together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 59 Wood Pigeons
- 76 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 9 Jackdaws only
- 151 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese: arrived together
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 34 (♂?) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Common Teal
- no Pochard
- 12 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 156 adult and juvenile Coots
- 7 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- c.95 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived; later one departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Barn Swallows
- 7 House Martins again

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- no Cetti's Warblers
- 16 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers again
- 4 (1) Blackcaps

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

Moths:
- 1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- 4 Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [previously Common Grass-veneer]

Beetles:
-1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. spectabilis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- 1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 False Widow Spider-type Steatoda sp.

Noted later:
Still only a few insects in the warm but dull conditions

Butterflies:
- Green-veined White Pieris napi

Moths:
- none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: again!

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Common Copperback Ferdinandea cuprea [Bronze Sap Hoverfly; Eurasian Copperback]

Damsel-/Dragonflies
- none

Beetles:
- none

Flies:
- Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., possibly S. carnaria
- otherwise no interesting identified or unidentified flies

Mammals:
- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats over the Ricoh area c.05:25

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths: [42 species here before today; no addition]
1 White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella
1 Red Underwing Catocala nupta

Flies:
1 male and 2 female mosquitoes Culex pipiens
1 Limonid-type cranefly
5 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
10 midges of various species

Arthropods:
1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:55 – 08:00

(203rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- still 15 Mute Swans present but perhaps only just. A pair were seen chasing some of them. Also small groups of four, five and six were noted making short forays within the confines of the water.
- no Mallard ducklings seen.
- for some reason when I arrived many of the Coots were at the bottom end. While I was walking around most of these relocated toward the top end (perhaps the flying Mute Swans were to blame). This made an accurate count difficult!
- three Grey Herons again.
also
- one of the fishermen reported that yesterday around the island "what looked like an albino heron. It was all white". Sounds like a Great (White) Egret to me.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 36 Canada Geese: of these nine departed and later 24 arrived together
- no Greylag Geese
- 15 Mute Swans
- 26 (?♂) Mallard
- 19 (15?♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- c.90 adult and juvenile Coots: see notes
- 4 + 5 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls: at least one juvenile
- 3 Grey Herons

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 6 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Noted around the area:

Moths:
2 Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [previously Common Grass-veneer]
1 Chevron Grass Moth Agriphila geniculea [previously Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)

23 Aug 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 17.0°C: Medium overcast. Very light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:06 BST

Once again the forecasted sunny intervals never materialised with the breeze, such as it was, in the south-west and not the south-east.

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 06:45 // 07:45 – 09:45

(207th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- one visiting Mute Swans at dawn was left alone until chased away c.09:00 in a concerted effort by both residents.
- several large and distant groups of geese both outbound and inbound evaded a precise count.
- a drake Gadwall was semi-concealed among 25 Mallard on the south-west grass. Only two other Mallard elsewhere whereas for some days birds have been scattered in small groups all around the lake.
- the duck Pochard noted diving happily among a group of Coots.
- the first 18 Black-headed Gulls flew through leaving only eight on the water. Much later I counted 26 on the water and I assume the earlier passing birds returned.
- at least 85 large gulls, almost all adult Lesser Black-backs, dropped in c.06:00. Another smaller group with a few more Herring Gulls, arrived c.08:55
- no Swifts noted: it was a particularly dull start so they may have arrived later.
- just two Barn Swallows noted.
- at least seven House Martins were high over the football field c.09:30
- a Kingfisher was along the North side c.06:15
- a single Rook flew over outbound at 05:42 with no more noted before the fixed mixed group at 05:58. When I note "mixed" there were very few Jackdaws again.
- unusual post-breeding was a Blackcap heard singing, albeit quietly.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- c.165 Canada Geese: >140 outbound in six groups; 23 inbound in two groups
- 72 Greylag Geese: 18 outbound in two groups; 54 inbound in three groups
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 108 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 39 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 12 Jackdaws only
- 100 Rooks exactly: for the 3rd time in five days!

Counts from the lake area:
- *3 Mute Swans: one departed
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 27 (♂?) Mallard
- *1 (0♂) Pochard
- 10 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 145 adult and juvenile Coots
- 6 + 3 (2? broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- *9 Herring Gulls
- *>100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived; later one departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- no Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 7 House Martins

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (0) Cetti's Warblers
- 16 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers
- 3 (1) Blackcaps

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

Moths:
- *1 Chevron Grass Moth Agriphila geniculea [previously Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer]
- *2 Square-spot Rustics Xestia xanthographa

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 False Widow Spider-type Steatoda sp.

Noted later:
Few insects in the warm but dull conditions

Butterflies:
- Green-veined White Pieris napi

Moths:
- none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro

Hoverflies:
- none

Damsel-/Dragonflies
- none

Beetles:
- *7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Flies:
- *an unidentified midge?
- otherwise no interesting identified or unidentified flies

Mammals:
- 1 Pipistrelle-type bat over the Ricoh area c.05:25

"Go away". The two resident Mute Swans gang up on the visitor. It is unusual to see the pen joining in the chase.

A soggy duck Pochard. Our long-term and presumably injured bird was diving happily this morning.

A motley collection of gulls. We'll start with two easy ones. Back left an adult Herring Gull. Centre right an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Adults because they both have yellow bills with no black, only the red spot. I'll come back to the front gull in a minute. The two birds centre left are a second year (born 2023) Lesser Black-back with extensive black on the bill. In front of it a first year (born 2024) scruffy-looking Lesser Black-back. That leave back-right a juvenile (born this year) Herring Gull with an all-dark bill.

That front bird! An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull beginning to acquire the head streaking / spotting of the winter-plumage. And complaining about it.

With the tightly-wrapped wings folded unhelpfully it is not too apparent this is a Chevron Grass Moth Agriphila geniculea.

One of two Square-spot Rustic moths Xestia xanthographa on the street lamp poles. This one is more cleanly marked than the one I photographed two days ago with the "oval" and "kidney mark" spots shared with many species in the large group of Noctuid moths more obvious.

A mystery. I think a midge with none of my apps giving me any clue as to its identity. I don't think it is the winged form of an aphid: it looks too large and the legs would be usually long. I see this insect from time to time and have never managed a clear photo before.

A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata with a few extra "shadow spots".

This is a False Widow Spider-type Steatoda sp. Neither Obsidentify nor Google Lens gave me an answer that accorded with a species with all-black legs. I am intrigued to know what it has wrapped up for its breakfast.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths: [42 species here before today; no addition]
none

Flies:
*1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
*1 $$ barkfly Loensia fasciata
6 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
2 craneflies Tipula lateralis
*11 midges of various species

Arthropods:
1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Today's female mosquito has banded legs so is a Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
though the name derives as much from the banded abdomen, largely obscured by the folded wings in this view.

It would not be a good day without finding something unusual on the wall of the tunnel. This I believe to be the barkfly Loensia fasciata, a new species for my growing list.

And now something not at all unusual: a midge I find most days in some numbers that none of my apps can identify.

I am not surprised that the apps give up on this. The off-set between the real fly and its shadow make identification a challenge. I need to work on preventing the off-set but with the camera flash unit set above the lens it is hard to work out how.

The distinctive shape of the abdomen identifies this as a Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:40

(202nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- still 15 Mute Swans present.
- no Shoveler found
- *a Common Teal noted
- a single Mallard duckling seen. I would judge this to be one of the group of four last seen on Wednesday. It and its parent were lurking close to the edge vegetation so perhaps others were present but unseen.
- only three Grey Herons present. A fourth appeared overhead but with several fishermen on the banks there was no place for it to fish so it flew away.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived, staying only a few minutes
- 15 Mute Swans
- 19 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- *1 (?♂) Common Teal
- 16 (13?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 9 Moorhens
- 101 adult and juvenile Coots
- 4 + 5 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls: at least one juvenile
- *3 Grey Herons: see notes

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

Noted around the area:

Moths:
none

Bugs:
*1 Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*2 Garden Spiders Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]
1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

In the "bottom 10" of my photos. Just about visible tucked up against the island is a Common Teal identified by size and the white flash along the side of the tail. I am almost certain it was here yesterday in a similar position. Then it was in full sun when the contrast between the duck and the shaded surroundings was too great for the camera to cope with. I tried several settings and photo-editing without coming to a conclusion.

One of the Grey Herons keeping a careful watch on me.

The more or less daily Red-legged Shieldbug Pentatoma rufipes, all on different street lamps poles (though running out of options!)

One of two Garden Spiders Araneus diadematus

The other one. I found, both waist-high on different street lamp poles.

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

Also

It was day one of the Telford Balloon Festival. Here are a few of those that flew this morning. The very light winds were carrying the balloons away from me while the light level was still low. Also the balloons often only have their identity in small letters in one place on the envelope so I was unable to identify them all. This is a Cameron Z-105 balloon, a company headquartered at Bedminster in Bristol. BWS, the company being advertised, own this balloon and are based in Bath.

Another Cameron balloon. This colourful envelope has an owner in Bristol – the spiritual home of UK ballooning, hosting the long-established annual 3-day Bristol Balloon Festival early in August.

This is a Lindstrand Racer 60 with an owner in Tenbury Wells. Lindstrand Industries make their balloons on a site at Morfa near Oswestry. The company was started by a Swedish National.

This is a Kubicek BB26E balloon, also with owners from the heart of UK ballooning in Bristol. Kubicek is a Czech Republic company.

This Ultramagic N-355 balloon is one of the smallest balloons operated by Telford-headquartered AirXcite on behalf of Virgin Balloons. Ultramagic Balloons operate out of Blisworth near Northampton.

Another colourful but, from this angle anonymous, balloon.

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)

22 Aug 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 17.0°C: Early cloud cleared away to the East by 07:00 with areas of high cloud taking the edge off what otherwise promised to be a sunny morning. Light south-westerly breeze spring up after a calm start. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:04 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:10 – 06:45 // 07:50 – 10:00

(206th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- four visitors and the resident pair of Mute Swans at dawn. Three of the visitors left to the East at 06:10 with the other having departed by 07:55. It, or another, arrived c.08:50 and was soon sent on its way.
- the now full-size but still stripe-headed juvenile Great Crested Grebe from one of the earlier broods was located along with one of its parents.
- two Swifts were over the North side woods at 06:00.
- a family party of five Barn Swallows were feeding around the South side c.09:20.
- at least six House Martins were high over the football field c.09:50
- at least one Marsh Tit was calling alongside Teece Drive and may well have flown there from one of the garden feeders alongside.
- for some reason the House Sparrow flock that is usually in garden shrubs alongside Teece Drive seems to be no longer present.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 74 Canada Geese: 19 outbound in three groups; 55 inbound together
- 5 Greylag Geese: a single lurking amongst a group of Canadas and a quartet outbound
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 123 Wood Pigeons
- 27 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron very high West
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
- 7 Jackdaws only
- 126 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: arrived
- *6 or 7 Mute Swans: see notes
- 29 (♂?) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 10 Moorhens: no dependent bird seen
- 152 adult and juvenile Coots again
- 7 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls only: one confirmed as a juvenile
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 5 Barn Swallows
- 6 House Martins

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (1) Cetti's Warblers
- 18 (4) Chiffchaffs
- *3 (0) Reed Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

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

Moths:
- 4 Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [previously Common Grass-veneer]
- *1 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Flies:
- *1 probable Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Common Candy-striped Spider Enoplognatha ovata; lineata form
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

Noted later:
Fewer species than I expected with some warm hazy sun

Butterflies:
- *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- *Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Moths:
- 1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [previously Straw Grass-veneer]
- *1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *two ichneumon sps., one a probably Pimpla sp.

Hoverflies:
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
- *Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly Sericomyia silentis [Yellow-barred Pond Fly]
- *Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens [Common Compost Fly; Thick-legged Hoverfly]

Damsel-/Dragonflies
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- *Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta
- another, larger unidentified hawker sp.

Flies:
- *long-legged fly Dolichopus sp.
- Blow-fly or Greenbottle Lucilia caesar or similar
- *Cluster fly Pollenia sp.
- *Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., probably S. carnaria
- *Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus [also as Machimus atricapillus]
- also an array of unidentified flies

Mammals:
- 1 Pipistrelle-type bat over the Ricoh area c.05:25

 The visiting Mute Swan comes in for a...

...less than perfect splash-down.

They say the camera never lies but it can deceive. At first glance a male Blackcap. Not so. The body is brown and not grey. It is....

....obvious when it turns its head – a Reed Warbler. The "black crown" on the previous photo was shadow of a reed falling across its head.

A worn Green-veined White butterfly Pieris napi with much of the black scaling that outlines the veins having faded and / or worn away.

Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria was the only other butterfly species seen today.

A smarter-looking specimen.

More or less at the end of this species' flight season this is a faded and worn Common Marble moth Celypha lacunana.

A Willow Beauty moth Peribatodes rhomboidaria on a street lamp pole pre-dawn.

An unidentified ichneumon sp.

This ichneumon is almost certainly one of the Pimpla species, not identifiable from photos. This a female: the tip of her ovipositor is just about visible but...

...shows more clearly in this view.

I wonder why this is named a "Tapered" Dronefly Eristalis pertinax . Only the males of the species have such a pronounced taper to the abdomen.

A Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea also known as Common Batman Fly.

Only my second-ever Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly Sericomyia silentis and both here this year. No "peat" nearby as far as I am aware so perhaps Obsidentify's name of Yellow-barred Pond Fly in more appropriate. This was on the Teece Drive fence. It did not allow a closer approach for an overhead view.

A small and strangely-shaped fly. It is a Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens. One of its alternative names is Thick-legged Hoverfly and the swollen tarsus on the hind leg is just about visible.

This may just about be the last Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum I will see this year. My "last date" in 2024 was 23 August.

The best angle I could get on this Migrant Hawker dragonfly Aeshna mixta.

In a very difficult position to get a clear shot through leaves was this probable Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum. The banded body and the long tail-streamer are easy to see. The turbinate eyes less so. I have no idea why the wings have a strange patterning.

A long-legged fly from the Dolichopus genus. It would need a better photo to provide a positive identity.

I think this is a Cluster fly Pollenia sp.. I may be wrong as most species in the genus have golden hair on the thorax and this individual looks comparatively bald.

Another Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., probably S. carnaria. They seem common at the moment.

Only my second-ever Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus, both this year.

A trio of spiders around various street lamp poles while it was still pre-dawn. This is a Common Candy-striped Spider Enoplognatha ovata; lineata form though I read there is now some debate about whether several cryptic species may be involved.

A Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

What Obsidentify assures me is a Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths: [41 species here before today; one addition]
*1 Snout Hypena proboscidalis

Bees, wasps etc.:
*1 Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Springtails:
*1 unidentified springtail

Flies:
*1 mosquito Culex pipiens
16 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
*1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
9 midges of various species

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
2 unidentified spiders

It was on the furthest inaccessible part of the tunnel ceiling above the Wesley Brook so this was the best I could do to photograph a moth. Luckily it is a very distinctive species with the apposite name of Snout Hypena proboscidalis. Moth species #42 here this year.

Only when I looked at the photo of the resting Honey Bee Apis mellifera did I see the small unidentified springtail behind it. Is this the same bee I saw two days ago?

I think this female mosquito has to be Culex pipiens as it does not have banded legs.

A cranefly Tipula lateralis

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:45

(201st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- still 15 Mute Swans present.
- a Shoveler new in
- no Mallard ducklings seen again.
- still four Grey Herons present

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 15 Mute Swans
- *1 (♂?) Shoveler
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 16 (13?♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens again
- 104 adult and juvenile Coots
- 3 + 5 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 19 Black-headed Gulls: at least three juveniles
- no Cormorants
- 4 Grey Herons

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Moths:
4 Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [previously Common Grass-veneer]
*1 $ Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii

No mistaking a Shoveler with a bill like this. With a darker crown I suspect this is a first-year or eclipse drake ["eclipse" refers to the plain garb that drakes acquire while they undergo their annual wing moult and need to be less conspicuous].

A moth sitting on a street lamp pole in full sun. It is a Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria which, like all "thorn" moths rests with the wings partly open.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine Falcon
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Sandwich Terns
Common Tern
Kingfisher
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
Raven
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)