19 Mar 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake, Woodhouse Lane and The Flash

4.0°C > 11.0°C: Fine with early haze. Light and variable, mainly easterly breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:15 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 06:25 // 07:45 – 09:15

(62nd visit of the year)

New bird species:
New for my 2025 bird list from here was a Meadow Pipit heard passing over c.06:20. Species #67.

Other bird notes:
- seven of the 90 Wood Pigeons noted overhead were flying very high North as did many more yesterday. Many of them were flying East today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 90 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 13 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: of these a pair arrived
- 2 Greylag Geese: a pair arrived and much later departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck also
- 10 Moorhens
- 26 Coots again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes remain
- no gulls
- no Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler again
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs again

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

Frosted poles did not help.

Moths:
- *1 Red-eyed Buff Agonopterix ocellana [was Red-letter Flat-body]
- *1 Small Quaker Orthosia cruda

Flies:
- *male and female plumed midges Chironomus plumosus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Clubiona sp.

Noted later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebees Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
- *2 Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax

Other flies:
- *greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- small plumed midges

A hazy glow over the water at dawn.

This moth is a Red-eyed Buff Agonopterix ocellana, previously known as Red-letter Flat-body. It is not a common moth though I have records from 16 March in both 2021 and 2022. The "red eye" that separated this species from several similar species that fly at this time of year is just visible in the centre of the mark on the left wing. It seems to have worn off from the right wing.

This Small Quaker moth Orthosia cruda was very high up one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn and not easy to photograph. This species is the most abundantly recorded moth around this date. My 2026 moth species count here moves on to #9.

Obsidentify was 100% sure this is a Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva. Who am I to argue?

This is a male hoverfly – the eyes meet and it has short antennae. The leg colour means it is a Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax even though the abdomen does not look at all "tapered" as they usually do.

This is a greenbottle, one of many Lucilia sp.

My first Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria of the year. This is a female: males are larger and more obviously yellow.

They are a very odd shape.

This midge with the banded abdomen and plumed antennae is I believe to be a male Chironomus plumosus.

This would seem to be the female of the species.

The tip of the abdomen suggests this spider is a Clubiona sp. The pattern on the abdomen suggests it might be C. corticalis though as usual NatureSpot urges caution: "one of several very similar Clubiona species"

(Ed Wilson)

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

Woodhouse Lane area: 06:25 – 07:45

(2nd full visit of the year)

The inhabitant of the two storm pools were:
- 2 Canada Geese on the lower pool
- 1 (1♂) Mallard on the upper pool
- 2 Coots: one on each pool

Otherwise noted in the area (common garden birds omitted) (the number in brackets refers to birds singing)
- 2 Pheasants: seen
- 1 Stock Dove
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (2) Skylarks
- 4 (4) Song Thrushes
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 (1) Chaffinches
- 1 (1) Greenfinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 2 Linnets
- *1 Yellowhammers: both males (no song)

Nothing else of note.

Looking toward Woodhouse Lane with majestic old trees marking the line of the lane. Sadly the regular flailing of the hedges means there are no replacements for these trees and as they die the scene will irrecoverably change.

Here looking down the lane.

At the bottom of the lane just before the bridge under the M54 is a composting site. Water vapour from the site is here spread out across the low-lying area. Note the frost-dotted spoil heap on the right. Full of insects and attractive to birds.

Yesterday it was a Blue Tit after morsels in the trees. Today a Great Tit. With a narrow black 'zip' down the abdomen this is a female.

Another very smart Yellowhammer.

"This is my better side"! The warm background colour is actually houses in the new estate.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 09:20 – 10:15

(60th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a second pair of Mute Swans again. The resident cob chased them down the other end and then gave up.
- where were many of the Mallard hiding?
- only one adult Great Crested Grebes seen. The nest (site?) was not in use
- every time I looked another Black-headed Gull had arrived!
- the feeding station was devoid of birds. I will only report usual sighting from now on.
- no Siskins seen or heard.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 28 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 12 (10♂) Mallard
- 27 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 7 Black-headed Gulls eventually: two adults and five first-years

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs again

Of note around the area:

Butterflies:
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

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

Hoverflies:
- *1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax

Other flies:
- 5 midges on street lamp poles
- otherwise very few for some reason

Beetles:
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

The leg colour again identifies this as a Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax. This is a female (the eyes do not meet) and so her abdomen would not look tapered.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
7 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
18 Tufted Ducks
127 Jackdaws
158 Black-headed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Chiffchaff singing
6 Redwings
1 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebe
7 Swans
2 Pochard
1 Greater Scaup
81 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
1 Chiffchaff singing
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
25 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
1 Great Crested Grebe
3 Cormorant
6 Tufted Duck
2 Goosander
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Sand Martins
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
2 Cormorant
22 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Green Woodpecker
8 Meadow Pipit
25 Wren
20 Blackbird
5 Redwing
5 Chiffchaff
34 Magpie
8 Greenfinch
8 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
8 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
32 Tufted Duck
1 Chiffchaff singing
(Ed Wilson)