16.0°C > 17.0°C: Clear to the East early with cloud quickly arriving from the West. Some light drizzle in the air occasionally after 08:00. Light / moderate, north-westerly breeze. Mostly very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:24 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
It continues to be a poor year for moths. While every year is different then this year has seen consistently lower numbers of both species and individuals: here are the species counts to date:
Balancing Lake 2026: 57 species 2025: 77 species
Priorslee tunnel 2026: 28 species 2025: 37 species
The Flash and area 2026: 36 species 2025: 61 species
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:10 // 07:15 – 09:25
(170th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- a third Mute Swan arrived c.08:00 and, as last time, was intermittently chased by both the residents.
- in the cooler, cloudy conditions the latest family of juvenile Great Crested Grebes stayed on a parent's back and I was only able to confirm the presence of one juvenile.
- two Swifts were first noted at 08:30, seemingly staying around. [I note the local Swifts have gone from Newport since Tuesday]
- a Kingfisher flew along the front of the dam c.05:15.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: flew East together
- 46 Greylag Geese: 32 flew East as a single and one group of 31; 14 put up from nearby fields by the Air Ambulance circled overhead and returned to the fields.
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 17 Racing Pigeons flew West c.05:45
- 1 Feral Pigeons flew West
- 3 Stock Doves flew West together
- 65 Wood Pigeons
- 152 Jackdaws
- 94 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 57? Canada Geese: a single departed; much later 57 arrived in four groups
- 8? Greylag Geese: 8 departed together; later just two arrived
- 3 Mute Swans: see notes
- 40 (?♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens
- 59 Coots
- 6 + >6? (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 8 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron throughout
- 1 Kingfisher
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts: see notes
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (no song):
- 7 Chiffchaffs
- 4 Reed Warblers
- 2 Blackcaps again
Also noted:
cloud and drizzle kept things very quiet
Butterflies:
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
Moths:
- 6 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis
- 6 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris : just one; also one unidentified fly-by of a bumblebee
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris : just one; also one unidentified fly-by of a bumblebee
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
none
none
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
none
none
True flies:
only a few unidentified flies
only a few unidentified flies
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Moths:
- 1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
This Common Buzzard was just a silhouette against a leaden sky. The camera nevertheless managed to capture an amazing amount of detail and some work with a photo-editor produced a very acceptable result.
A good year for this species of moth: it is another Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata, the first I have recorded in the tunnel. Not much mint Mentha sp. here!
I noted this caddis fly on the ceiling. This group of insects is not easy to identify. It is one of the larger species and therefore probably Stenophylax permistus which I have recorded here previously.
Most odd: this cranefly Tipula lateralis has somehow managed to rotate its wings "backwards": the pale area in the wings is along the leading edge of the wings.
I have not been able to specifically identify this Tipula cranefly. It seems unusual in that no antennae are visible.
Nor have I been able to identify this spider. The shadow from the camera flash has likely confused the apps I use to help with identification.
(168th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- at least 15 Mute Swans on the water. Just perhaps 16 – birds kept disappearing around the back of the island wherever I was. Another bird was seen in flight overhead as I arrived and may well have been on the water a few minutes earlier.
- yesterday's new brood of Mallard now just a single duckling and there was no obvious adult anywhere nearby. Meanwhile 31 of the 37 adults I noted were all clustered just off the lay-by in Derwent Drive.
- a Great Crested Grebe was seen a usual location. Where has it been the last two days?
- an immature Cormorant flew in to land, precipitously, in a tree on the island.
- the Little Egret still here. Also a Grey Heron today.
- four House Martins were over the bottom end; also two over the top end, one of which was a begging juvenile.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Mute Swan: see notes
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles
Noted on / around the water:
- 12 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 15 Mute Swans: see notes
- 37 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 5 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 44 Coot
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 9 *Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: immature, arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 House Martins
Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
Noted around the area:
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
The early clear sky rapidly moving away to the East soon after sunrise.
Again!
A "fuzzy" Robin. Not sure why. Are these new feathers still growing?
It does look to be in moult.
No need to look downcast!
That's better.
A Straw Dot moth Rivula sericealis. Not easy to pick out from all the grass moths. Although classified as a macro moth species it is about the same size as those confusing grass moths which are classified as micro moths. I saw a Straw Dot back on 02 June. My Field Guide says the flight period of this species is June-July, noting that in southern Britain there may be a second generation in August-September. Is global warming moving these dates forward perhaps?
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- 1 *Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata [was Small Purple & Gold]
- 1 *Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata [was Small Purple & Gold]
Flies:
- 3 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 *caddis fly possibly ! Stenophylax permistus
- 1 *cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 1 *cranefly Tipula sp.
- 3 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 *caddis fly possibly ! Stenophylax permistus
- 1 *cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 1 *cranefly Tipula sp.
Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *unidentified spider
- 1 *female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 7 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *unidentified spider
- 1 *female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
They seem to be everywhere at the moment: female harvestmen Leiobunum rotundum. Where are the males? Looking at them it always seems to me that they could plug-and-play with their legs.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(168th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- at least 15 Mute Swans on the water. Just perhaps 16 – birds kept disappearing around the back of the island wherever I was. Another bird was seen in flight overhead as I arrived and may well have been on the water a few minutes earlier.
- yesterday's new brood of Mallard now just a single duckling and there was no obvious adult anywhere nearby. Meanwhile 31 of the 37 adults I noted were all clustered just off the lay-by in Derwent Drive.
- a Great Crested Grebe was seen a usual location. Where has it been the last two days?
- an immature Cormorant flew in to land, precipitously, in a tree on the island.
- the Little Egret still here. Also a Grey Heron today.
- four House Martins were over the bottom end; also two over the top end, one of which was a begging juvenile.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Mute Swan: see notes
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles
Noted on / around the water:
- 12 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 15 Mute Swans: see notes
- 37 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 5 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 44 Coot
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 9 *Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: immature, arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 House Martins
Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
I eventually managed to disturb one from the grass: it took a while!
- 1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
I eventually managed to disturb one from the grass: it took a while!
Nothing else.
I was about to take a photo of this recently-fledged Black-headed Gull well-posed on the water when it took off. This view does show the strong markings on the upper-wing of the species at this age.
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)
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2006
Priorslee Lake
13 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
13 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)