1 Apr 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 11.0°C: Medium-level overcast. An almost calm start with a light westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:45 BST

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

Some of yesterday's warbler seem to have moved on.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 07:10 // 08:10 – 09:50

(76th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Grey Herons yesterday: two today.
- the Great (White) Egret arrived at 06:18. Later it again took to the air and flew North over the new(ish) estate, only to return a few minutes later.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Wood Pigeons
- 61 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
that's all folks!

Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Canada Geese: apart from one pair all the others arrived.
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived and departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 12 (10♂) Mallard
- 5 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 26 Coots again
- *8 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults, briefly around dawn
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- *2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Hirundines etc. noted:
None. Again surprising on a cloudy day

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- no Willow Warbler
- 12 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

On the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Flies etc.:
- fungus gnats
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- several species of unidentified fly

Lacewings etc.:
- *2 Common Green Lacewings Chrysoperia carnea

Beetles:
- *1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders:
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- *2 other unidentified spiders.

Of note around the area later:

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

Flies:
- *1 unidentified small cranefly

Say "ah"! Sleeping beauties.

One of the Grey Herons departs.

Maximum "flying barn door".

I have no idea what this Honey Bee Apis mellifera was doing but whatever it was it would not stop to pose for a good photo.

One of the smallest craneflies I have seen. I have no idea as to the species. Note the white feet to the front two pairs of legs. Also the prominent white halteres. It is sitting on a leaf of Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus which gives some idea of the insect's size. The only internet illustration of a cranefly with white halteres is a Gnophomyia tristissima but that is overall dark-toned and lacks the white feet.

One of two Common Green Lacewings Chrysoperia carnea. This species overwinters as an adult and changes to a brown colour...

...to merge with the leaf litter – as shown by this individual which is yet to revert to the normal green colour.

This morning's Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni. It looks odd. The white on the right elytra is the flash from my camera. The yellow mark in the middle of the back must be the reflection of the street lamp which was still lit at this time.

The same Walnut Orb Weaver spider Nuctenea umbratica as yesterday was seen with two others, neither of which I can identify. This small one was high up on a street lamp pole.

This one was sitting in a web beside a street lamp pole. I had difficulty persuading the camera to "see" the spider and not its shadow on the pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
- *2 unidentified midges
- *1 cranefly, just perhaps of the genus Gnophomyia

nothing else noted

One of the "standard" female midges.

Another cranefly: but what species? Another good question. I cannot find a good match on any of the internet sites I use. The relatively long and banded antennae are a puzzle. Google Lens suggested the genus Gnophomyia. See above: this does not have white halteres neither is it dark-toned.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:15 – 08:05

(74th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the recently seen pair of (Common) Teal not noted: that probably does not mean much as they seem good at hiding away.
- a Treecreeper was noted by my Merlin app at the top end. I could not see or hear it: only a calling Blue Tit that Merlin did not report. So was there a Treecreeper?
- no Siskins seen or heard.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 16 Wood Pigeons: flew high North in an open group
- 1 Jackdaw again

Noted on / around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese: much noise from inside the island
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 20 (15♂) Mallard
- 22 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, very briefly

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- no Willow Warblers
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps

Of note around the area:

Flies:
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Orchesella cincta

This Song Thrush was so close it had to peer down at me looking slightly cross-eyed. This shows the heart-shapes spotting to good effect.

A springtail Orchesella cincta. This species is relatively easy to identify with the yellow band across the abdomen (the vertical mark is camera flash) and the pale areas on the antennae.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Sand Martin
4 Great Crested Grebes
9 Tufted Duck
2 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
127 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Sand Martin
2 Teal
45 Tufted Ducks
1 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

Woodhouse Lane
1 Chiffchaff
2 Linnets
4 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Kittiwake
5 Gadwall
7 Wigeon
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood, Jim Almond, Arthur Harper)

Horsehay Pool
2 Mandarin Ducks
(Jim Almond)

2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebe
8 Tufted Duck
3 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

Trench
2 Great Crested Grebe
2 Cormorant
32 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
33 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Warbler

2007
The Flash
1 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
9 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
184 Wood Pigeons
2 Stock Doves
1 House Martin
5 Sand Martins
1 Curlew
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Skylark
2 Meadow Pipits
25 Wrens
20 Robins
27 Blackbirds
1 Redwing
2 Willow Warblers
3 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Tit
10 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)