13 Apr 26

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

6.0°C > 11.0°C: Clear start with cloud bubbling up. Hail shower c.12:00. Light southerly wind, moderate in shower. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 06:17 BST]

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

A late start after getting a jab at the local clinic.

Another significant passage of Willow Warblers.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:45 – 12:30

(88th visit of the year)

A different time-slot will have affected many of the numbers.

Bird notes:

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Wood Pigeons only
That's all!

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen on the nest throughout
- 12 (10♂) + ? (1 brood) Mallard: duckling(s) seen scampering – no idea how many
- no Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens: also *one road casualty in Castle Farm Way
- *32 Coots
- *6 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Sand Martins: overhead during the shower only

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 8 (5) Willow Warblers
- 12 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 3 (3) Reed Warblers
- *12 (10) Blackcaps

Noted around the area later:

Butterflies:
- Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines : quicker than I was in sheltering from the hail shower

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

Hoverflies:
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Flies:
- only unidentified flies

Sad. Lying at the side of Castle Farm Way was a dead Moorhen. I presume road-kill. This species will walk long distances even though it is a strong flyer. The head appears to be missing. However I think if it had been predated then there would be evidence on the rest of the body.

A pleasing view of a Great Crested Grebe.

Busier than the Strait of Hormuz.

With puffy clouds it was a great day to ride the thermals. Did this Common Buzzard have to be SO high up.

It goes to show, though what I am not sure. I thought I had finally latched on to a Willow Warbler in a position I could get a reasonable photo. Wrong! It is a female Blackcap!

Most times I would be pleased with this as a photo of that energetic sprite, Goldcrest. After the photos I took Saturday I am not sure why I bothered,

"I am sitting up straight and looking alert" says Mrs. Pied Wagtail. The unusually dark back suggests a male at first glance. On a male the black of the throat joins up with the black on the head and neck. The literature suggests that some, especially older, females can show black feathers on the back. Here the black on the back is not uniform which it would be on a male.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris tramples all over the blossom before....

...eventually settling down to feed.

A female Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare with triangular yellow spots. About the last insect I note before the hail shower sent us all scurrying for cover.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:35

(86th visit of the year)

New bird species:
*Another addition to my 2026 bird list for this site: two Common Sandpipers were seen flying around and briefly perching on overhanging branches on the island. Bird species #62 for me here. I see this species most year, more often on Autumn passage. Strange they were here today when there was none at the Balancing Lake.

Bird notes:
- I was told that a single duckling had been seen earlier at the top end.
- a Sedge Warbler was singing again, about 50 yards from where I heard one yesterday. I would suspect this is a different individual to that recorded yesterday. I have never had records of this species on consecutive days in earlier years.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese: of these a pair departed
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 22 (18♂) Mallard: see notes
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens again
- *23 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- *2 Common Sandpipers

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 11 (10) Willow Warblers at least
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler again
- *9 (7) Blackcaps

Of note around the area:

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

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *female Syrphus species either S. ribesii or S. vitripennis

Flies:
- *1 Blow-fly from the Calliphoridae family
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- *1 male Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- otherwise only unidentified flies: fewer than I expected on a sunny morning

A Coot in full cry. This one was chasing Mallard off what it regarded as its territory.

Today's highlight: here are the two Common Sandpipers, the bird on the right flying with typically bowed wings.

An unusual view with the bird on the right with the tail spread, the white tips to the tail-feathers making a fan-shape.

Because this species is usually seen flying on those bowed wings, not raised above the horizontal then the underwing pattern shown here is not often seen. I am afraid the strong contrasting sunlight has lost some of the subtlety but you get the idea.

And again.

Poking her head out of a distant clump of Ivy is a female Blackcap.

For a change it is a female Syrphus species. It will still have to be recorded as either S. ribesii or S. vitripennis because the tibia of the hind leg is not visible - the only easily(!?) seen feature to separate the females of these two species.

A Blow-fly from the Calliphoridae family. Obsidentify suggested it was one of the cluster fly genus but most (though not all) these have golden hairs on the thorax. I cannot suggest a specific identity.

A male Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Herons
2 Greylag Geese
1 Common Sandpiper
c.10 Sand Martins
>6 Barn Swallows
1 House Martin
2 Tawny Owls
2 Meadow Pipits
8 Blackcaps
8 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warbler
276 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Greylag Goose
1 Cackling-type Goose
17 Tufted Ducks
1 Swallow
5 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Ringed Plover
>20 Willow Warbler
(John Isherwood)

The Flash
2 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Common Redstart
8 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

Long Lane, Wellington
47 Black-tailed Godwit
6 Ringed Plover
3 Redshank
1 Dunlin
3 Swallows
(Andy Latham)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 House Martin
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
7 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
4 Gadwall
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Swallow
23 Sand Martin
1 House Martin
5 Great Crested Grebes
3 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Water Rail
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Fieldfares
3 Blackcaps
5 Chiffchaffs
6 Willow Warblers
2 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
1 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)