6 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 17.0°C: *Early breaks giving red sky. Rain between 06:30 and 07:45 after which cloud lifted and broke though little in the way of sun. Increasing south-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:28 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 09:10

(200th visit of the year)

New bird species:
An addition to my 2026 bird list from this site. A Kestrel was overhead Castle Farm Way and then seen hovering over a field to the East c.06:15. This year's species total staggers to #95.

Bird notes:
- a group of five Canada Geese flew in early from the West. Another joined them. After a while all six departed to the East.
- only one Mute Swan. Very strange. Last Tuesday I noted two additional birds to the resident pair, only one of which departed while I was present. On my later-than-usual visit last Wednesday I noted only a single swan. Then Thursday at first light again just one but another "appeared" later though they did not interact at all and were often well-apart.
- all the adult and juvenile Great Crested Grebes spent most of the time on the surface. 21 birds counted.
- meanwhile Coots remain in low numbers.
- the first two Black-headed Gulls had arrived at 05:50. Eventually c.350 present. Many of these left to the West heading for the football field but something spooked them as I was about to get there: at least 100 flew off, back toward the lake.
- at least 175 Lesser Black-backed Gulls visited early. 16 noted later.
- at least five Herring Gulls visited early. Four noted later.
- a lone Swift flew through c08:40. I only have "latest date" records for the last ten years: this is the latest,
- *during the rain there was at least 150 Barn Swallows feeding over the water. As the weather improved numbers declined and many were flying much higher. I did not see any obvious groups departing, birds merely fading away. Several food passes noted. Possibly the largest number I have seen in Autumn. Bad weather in late April / early May can result in similar numbers.
- a few House Martins were high overhead above the mass of Barn Swallow. At least four, maybe many more.
- two of at least 11 Chiffchaffs were noted singing as was one of the three Blackcaps.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 12 Greylag Geese: two singles flew West; a party of ten flew East.
- 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 10 Feral Pigeons: two groups
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 170 Jackdaws
- 162 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 6 Canada Geese briefly: see notes
- 1 Mute Swan only
- 47 (?♂) Mallard
- 11 (4♂?) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 25 Coot only
- 21 Great Crested Grebes
- c.350 *Black-headed Gulls
- 9 *Herring Gulls
- c.190 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
- >*150 Barn Swallows
- >4 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 11 Chiffchaffs: of these two in song
- 3 Blackcaps: one of these in quiet sub-song

Also noted:
Very little in the rain and subsequent wet vegetation.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 1* unidentified plume moth
- 1 *Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 3 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris
- 1 *ichneumon wasp

Flies:
- 1 midge

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Furrow Orbweaver Larinioides cornutus [Furrow Spider]
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Mammals:
- several pipistrelle-type bats were flying above the south-west grass c.05:45.

An excellent sunrise again. Just starting.

A dramatic cloud-scape at times.

Even better.

Maximum colour. Note the Grey Heron on one of the platforms bottom centre. The weather looked good but turning 120 degrees and...

 ...here comes the rain complete with a disappointing rainbow.

An adult Herring Gull in wing moult with the two outermost primaries still to be dropped. Strangely inner primaries (or outer secondaries) look to be regrowing. These are usually the first to be dropped and regrown. Note too the winter head-streaking is beginning to emerge. I am not sure why this bird seems to show no red spot on the lower mandible.

During the rain the entire surface of the lake looked like this. Barn Swallows everywhere.

I am not sure what was happening here. A group of the swallows broke away and started flying at the flowering sedges along the front of the dam. There are five birds in this view. One of them could be plucking an insect from the vegetation. As soon as I approached for a closer look the swallows flew away.

One I managed to photograph later when it had stopped raining and the light was better. This I think a juvenile: insignificant tail-streamers and the red on the face looking washed out. No gape-line visible though.

This moth was flying around a West end street lamp and then briefly settled on vegetation. At the time I assumed it was a Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla but the pale areas in the outer part of the rolled up wing suggest otherwise. I have been unable to match the pattern against any illustrations in the Field Guide and none of my apps has been prepared to go further than "plume moth".

Trying to hide around the inaccessible back of a street lamp pole was this Centre-barred Sallow moth Atethmia centrago. My last record of this species here was in 2020.

An ichneumon wasp. No chance of a more specific identify from the huge group of similar insects.

I think this spider is a Furrow Orbweaver Larinioides cornutus. Obsidentify was 100% sure whereas Google Lens suggested the related species Bridge Orb-web Spider L. sclopetarius which is common on the street lamp poles pre-dawn but always appears much darker.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

The now regular early pre-dawn visit:

Moths:
none

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

Flies:
- 3 midges
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 6 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 2 *unidentified spiders

Unidentified spider #1. The pale stripe down the abdomen is from the camera flash and not part of the markings.

Unidentified spider #2. Note the tiny insect (a springtail?) living dangerously.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:20

(197th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- eight Mute Swans. One was in chasing mood, without success
- *two duck Tufted Duck were noted tucked up alongside the island.
- *three brownhead Goosander seen
- one adult and one immature Great Crested Grebe were noted. Three of the four juveniles were glimpsed tucked up under overhanging vegetation around the island. It was quite possible the fourth was lurking there. The adult was seen on several different occasions and there could have been more than one bird involved.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 19 *Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese:
- 8 Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard only
- 2 (0♂) *Tufted Duck
- 3 (0♂) *Goosander
- 5 Moorhens
- 19 Coot
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 *Cormorants
- 2 *Grey Herons

Warblers noted:

None

Noted around the area:

Still wet from the earlier rain

Butterflies:
none

Moths:
- 2 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1* Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla

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

Hoverflies:
none

True flies:
- 1 *long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
a few other unidentified flies seen.

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii

Fungus:
- *Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa

One of the brownhead Goosanders. An annoying wavelet makes the lower mandible look odd.

From the left: a Cormorant; two duck Tufted Duck asleep against the island; a Canada Goose; and a dishevelled Grey Heron.

This first-winter Black-headed Gull does not seen to care it is sitting on what the council determine is an "unsafe structure".

This IS a Common Plume moth Emmelina monodactyla.

A long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar. The leaf it was standing on was blowing around in the breeze: the fly seemed unconcerned and never in any danger of falling off. Must have suctions pads on its feet.

A Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa fungus from above and...

 ...from below. I was dangling my smart phone to get underneath the fungus and trying to fire the shutter. Seems I was a bit too close!

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Spotted Flycatcher
(Ed Wilson)