24 Jun 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

19.0°C > 26.0°C: A very few and very thin clouds early otherwise wall-to-wall. Light northerly breeze. Hazy. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:45 BST again.

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45– 06:00 // 07:05 – 09:50

(146th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings with two extra adults remain.
- *a new brood of three Mallard ducklings. Otherwise the Mallard started at the East end but ended up on the south-west grassy area.
- just four juvenile Coots seen from two broods. Were the others sheltering from the heat?
- *the second pair of Great Crested Grebes have three juveniles all seen in the water. The third pair also have at least three juveniles one of which was briefly in the water.
- two Common Sandpipers were present at 05:00 but not seen later.
- an immature Herring Gull and six adult and two immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the football field c.05:35. Another(?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull visited the lake (as did an adult Black-headed Gull)
- the daily warbler update:
a Cetti's Warbler was heard calling in the north-west area.
many more Blackcaps were singing today (as they were at The Flash). No idea why.
both the West end and South side Common Whitethroats were singing again

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Feral Pigeons: together
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- 11 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- *22 (?♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard: see notes
- 2 Moorhens still
- 34+ 4 (2 broods) Coots
- *8 + 6 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 2 Common Sandpipers: early only
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull: see notes
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed 05:25

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 3 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (0) Cetti's Warbler again
- 11 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 14 (14) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats again

Also noted:

Butterflies:
- *2 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
- 4 Large White Pieris brassicae
- *4 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 5 unidentified "white" butterflies
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 19+ Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- 3 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- *2 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Moths:
- *1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- 20 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]: many others "got away"
- *1 ! Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata
- *1 ! caterpillar of Vapourer Orgyia antiqua
These bring my 2026 moth species count for the lake to #44.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
many hoverflies again but no "large" species.
- Broad-banded Epistrophe Epistrophe grossulariae [Black-horned Smoothtail]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus
- *Orange-belted Leaf Licker Xylota segnis [Orange-belted Leafwalker]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
most damselflies not checked
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
- Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
- two other species of dragonfly seen in flight only

Other flies:
many fewer flies sunning themselves in the heat
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: at least one female
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
other unidentified flies

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- pupa of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- *Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata [formerly Strangalia maculata]

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

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
none

Beetles:
- *1 Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Not much to say about the sunrise when the sky is clear, if somewhat hazy.

Mum Mallard with her three surviving wayward ducklings.

The second breeding pair of Great Crested Grebes have these three young.

The third breeding pair of Great Crested Grebes have at least three young. One in the water with a parent...

...and at least two more on the other parent's back.

A Small Skipper butterfly Thymelicus sylvestris. The mark in the wing looks too feint to be the scent mark shown by males so I opine this is a female.

Against the background this Green-veined White butterfly Pieris napi almost looks green-veined. It isn't: the black veins area dusted yellow when freshly emerged.

After the big influx of Painted Lady butterflies Vanessa cardui during the previous heatwave a few have remained around. Here is one of two I noted today.

Not what I expected: a moth flushed out of the grass at 05:15 turned out to be this Common Marble Celypha lacunana rather than any of the many grass moths.

The annoying shaft of sunlight on its left wing spoils the image of a smart Yellow Shell moth Camptogramma bilineata.

What a bizarre creature! This is a caterpillar of a Vapourer moth Orgyia antiqua, here on the handrail of the boxing ring on the dam. The stranger thing is that I recorded three such caterpillars on the boxing ring last year on widely-separated days. I have only recorded two adults (imagoes) in the area over the last twelve years.

A Migrant Field Syrph hoverfly Eupeodes corollae showing how the yellow on the abdomen wraps around on to the sides which it does not on the similar Common Spotted Field Syrph E. luniger.

This is a female Syrphus hoverfly so of course the hind-leg is not clearly visible to enable positive identification. From what I can see it is most likely a Humming Syrphus S. ribesii which Obsidentify calls Common Flower Fly.

This is an Orange-belted Leaf Licker hoverfly Xylota segnis: or in this instance an Orange-belted Ground Licker!

A female Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans most easily recognised by the pen-nib marking on her pre-penultimate body segment. She may, or may not, acquire stronger blue colouration. Females may be blue or greenish, the later tending to become brown as they mature.

After one yesterday another different species of beetle chose to sit on a street lamp pole around dawn today: a Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva.

Probably the same Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata as yesterday being more cooperative for a photo...

...or two.

With "boxing glove" palps this must be a male spider: it is a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

A challenge these days: the dreaded childish scribblers have defiled much of the wall.

Moths:
- *1 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]
- *1 ! Tawny Speckled Pug Eupithecia icterata
These bring my 2026 moth species count for the tunnel to #13.

Flies:
- 42 midges of several species
- 1 cranefly Nephrotoma guestfalica
- *1 other cranefly Nephrotoma-type
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

A Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata on the side wall of the tunnel.

It is unusual to find any of the pug moth species anywhere other than on the ceiling: this was also on the side-wall. If Obsidentify is to be believed – and it was 100% sure – this is a Tawny Speckled Pug Eupithecia icterata.

The pattern on the thorax indicates this is a cranefly of the Nephrotoma-type. Without being able to see the abdomen pattern a specific identity is not possible.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:00

(142nd visit of the year)

Note:
The footpath was open across the bridges this morning. The closure signs were still present. The fencing used to block access had been pushed aside. I am not sure how "official" the opening is. I was told that the offending bridge has been inspected but that a further inspection is to be undertaken.

Bird notes:
- I could not find the Canada Goose gosling in the throng of geese. With the bridges opened I am more confident of the count of the geese.
- again only six visiting Mute Swans noted at the top end. What I take to be the resident pair were together near the island. It seems that breeding failed here as well as at the Balancing Lake.
- Coot numbers slightly higher than yesterday: still below recent totals. More juveniles noted due to better access with the path available.
- only one Great Crested Grebe noted.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 180 Canada Geese
- 124 Greylag Geese
- 8 Mute Swans: see notes
- 18 Mallard
- 8 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 19 + 10 (6 broods) Coots: see notes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaff
- 6 (6) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 9 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *1 ! Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
- *1 ! Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea
These bring my 2026 moth species count at The Flash to #25.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- >5 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Other flies:
- >2 greenbottle Lucilia sp.

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

Two new-for-the-year moths here this morning. This Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata on one of the street lamp poles...

.....and this Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea I found resting on the vegetation near the academy.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper - First returning
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper - First returning
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Snipe
1 Common Sandpiper - First returning
At least 38 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)