19 Apr 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 9.0°C: A clear with fair weather clouds building after 08:45. Just frosted. Light north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:03 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 06:45 // 07:45 – 09:45

(95th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the noisy group of four adult Black-headed Gulls flying over was an unusual record at this date.
- the usual(?) two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the south-west grass at 05:45.
- one Willow Warbler heard makings its way rapidly through the tree tops.
- three Sedge Warblers noted, all in previously recorded locations.
- two Reed Warblers noted, both in previously recorded locations.
- yesterday's Garden Warbler not relocated
- Siskin(s) again in tree tops around the Teece Drive gate: heard only.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Goose: a pair flew East; a single flew North
- 4 Greylag Geese: two separate pairs flew West
- *1 Mute Swan: an adult circled the lake twice at height before carrying on West.
- 4 Black-headed Gulls: adult flew West together
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs arrived and departed separately the later with...
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived and departed with a pair of Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen on the nest throughout
- *5 (4♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard: the ducklings seen around dawn only
- no Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens again
- 20 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Barn Swallows

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warblers
- *15 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Sedge Warblers
- 2 (2) Reed Warblers
- *17 (15) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warblers
- *1 (1) Common Whitethroat

On the West end street lamp poles post-dawn:
Nothing in chilly conditions with dew-covered poles

Noted around the area later:
[numbers only given for moths and butterflies unless exceptional counts noted]

Butterflies:
- *7 Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines: at least; six of them males

Bees, wasps, etc.:
- *Mining Bee Andrena sp.

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Other flies:
- only a few unidentified flies.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Fungi:
- *unidentified fungus

No it is not yesterday's sunrise photo reproduced: it just looks much the same, though colder with a touch of frost.

The adult Mute Swan that had a look at the lake and then carried on.

Mrs. Mallard with just two ducklings. I think the third brood I have seen here this year. Only noted around sunrise.

The local Grey Heron keeps giving me changes for flying shots.

Not something I can recall seeing before: a Chiffchaff sitting on a fence post.

A male Blackcap defying gravity and after a morsel.

Ever upward.

 Looking pleased with itself?

And now singing about it.

"who? me?"

A male Common Whitethroat (Greater Whitethroat according to the Merlin app). The grey head, brown wings and, of course, the white throat are characteristic. Females have the same features, less pronounced.

Flying away showing the brown wings clearly (if nothing else).

Mrs. Reed Bunting.

And again. A pair seemed to be gleaning insects from the vegetation. Note her head pattern.

Mr. Reed Bunting would not come out in to the open but his mostly jet-black head pattern came be seen.

Not one of my best: a pair of sparring Orange-tip butterflies Anthocharis cardamines, the female without the orange on the upper-wings.

Obsidentify said "unknown mining Bee Andrena sp.". I'd prefer "unidentified" to "unknown" but other than that I agree.

This hoverfly is a Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae. The name "migrant" is slightly misleading. Some years huge numbers of this hoverfly arrive from the continent but it is also a very common resident species.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. You can see why they are also known as stretch spiders.

I cannot get any identity on these edible-looking mushrooms. I was not about to try!

(Ed Wilson)

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

Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 4 midges of two species
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 possible money spider Erigone sp.

This is possible a money spider Erigone sp. though it looks larger than I would expect.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 06:50 – 07:40

(91st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Great Crested Grebes noted both well away from and sitting at the putative nest site.
- *a Great Spotted Woodpecker was again drumming loudly near the bottom of squirrel alley. Could I see it today? Nope: but I did see it when it moved.
- two Willow Warblers noted, both passing at speed through the tree-tops

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese: of these a pair departed
- 7 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 (17♂) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 20 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 2 (2) Willow Warbler
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs again
- 9 (9) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Flies:
- 1 female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- 1 smaller female plumed midge

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

The male Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming away loudly again. And again I could not find it until it flew a short distance. The red on the nape that identifies it as a male is only just visible here. Note the large feet and claws.

The red on the nape is better seen here.

A photo of the third Song Thrush in the last few days.

A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris. Note the parallel-sided yellow stripe down the side of the thorax. It is more triangular on the mostly likely confusion species German Wasp V. germanica.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Kittiwake
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Little Ringed Plover
4 Common Sandpiper
2 Blackcap
Sand Martin
Swallow
(John Isherwood)

East Priorslee
2 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Whinchat
7 Redstart
57 Wheatear
Fieldfare
Meadow Pipit
Siskin
Lesser Whitethroat
(Mick Wall, John Isherwood)

Redhill Lane
10+ Wheatear
4 Yellowhammer
(Mick Wall)

2012
The Wrekin
2 Ring Ouzel
(Observer Unknown)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Grasshopper Warbler
26 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Swift
2 House Martin
2 Swallow
150 Sand Martin
7 Blackcap singing
1 Common Sandpiper
(Martin and Ian Grant)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Pintail x Mallard
1 Kestrel
Tawny Owl
1 Common Sandpiper
20 Swallow
20 Sand Martins
2 Blackcap
1 Garden Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
4 Reed Bunting
(Martin Grant, Martin Adlam, Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
(Martin Grant)

The Flash
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
3 Ruddy Duck
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
12 Sand Martins
8 Swallows
4 House Martins.
2 Stock Doves
1 Skylark
30 Wrens
18 Robins
26 Blackbirds
6 Blackcaps
11 Chiffchaffs
12 Willow Warblers
1 Willow Tit
5 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)