9.0°C > 10.0°C: Overnight rain stopping as I arrived. A few breaks in medium level cloud for a while before mist and murk descended, albeit with a few clear moments. Despite the threat of Storm Austen winds remain very light north-westerly. Good visibility, but moderate at times.
Sunrise: 07:49 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:15 – 09:20
(235th visit of the year)
Severn Trent have completed their final scheduled cut of the grass areas to be managed to increase species diversity. Probably not cut as short as they might have wished: in places the very wet grass has been flattened as much as cut.
Bird notes:
Best today was a Common Snipe heard only flying West at 07:35. My second record here this year. I didn't see the other one either.
Other bird notes:
- still no Mute Swans.
- now 21 Tufted Duck with a surprising 15 of these seeming to be drakes.
- four Goosander flew, unusually, East c.08:05: sexes not determined.
- at least 150 Black-headed Gulls were flying up and down over the water by 07:15. At least 350 more arrived in a rush c.07:25 and thereafter birds were leaving in the direction of the football field while what appeared to be more small groups continued to arrive. Surprisingly 56 were on the football field at 09:20 despite people walking the surrounding paths.
- at least 100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew in from the West while it was still very dark at 07:00. Then at 07:10 at least 70 flew back out West.
- there were no large gulls on the water by 07:20 and no gulls at all by 08:00. A very small arrival afterwards with almost as many flying over as stopping off.
- a smaller number of, particularly Jackdaws, and Rooks flying South on roost dispersal. Also I could not locate what sounded like a large party of Jackdaws.
- one or more Reed Bunting(s) were calling from a traditional West end roost site c.07:25. I did not see any leave and the calls soon stopped.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 8 Canada Geese: flew East together
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew East
- 4 Goosanders
- 1 Common Snipe: heard only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 20 Wood Pigeons only: no passage
- 63 Jackdaws
- 123 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Counts from the lake area:
- 19 (12♂) Mallard
- 21 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- c.600 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- >100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants: all arrived and departed separately
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
Also noted:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 bumblebee in flight only
- 1 bumblebee in flight only
Fungus:
- *Weeping Widow Lacrymaria lacrymabunda
On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
The poles were very wet as the rain had very recently ceased.
- *Weeping Widow Lacrymaria lacrymabunda
On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:
The poles were very wet as the rain had very recently ceased.
Moths:
- 1 *November Moth type Epirrita sp.
- 1 *November Moth type Epirrita sp.
Four-winged flies:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
True flies:
- 1 *Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 *wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *several unidentified flies
- several midges flying around
- 1 *Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 *wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *several unidentified flies
- several midges flying around
Beetles:
- 1 *Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
- 1 *Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Now with the spider in focus.
I think this fungus is Weeping Widow Lacrymaria lacrymabunda.
From a different angle
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
For the first time since the summer heat waves the Wesley Brook was running noisily under the tunnel.
Moths:
none
none
Four-winged flies:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
True flies:
- 4 midges of several species
- no moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 2 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 4 midges of several species
- no moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 2 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
Arthropods:
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
Slugs, snails:
- 1 unidentified slug
- 1 *Garden Snail Cornu aspersum
- 1 unidentified slug
- 1 *Garden Snail Cornu aspersum
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 8 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 8 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
I could not get a better angle on this, what I believe to be a Garden Snail Cornu aspersum.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:50
(232nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- very few geese again.
- still six adult Mute Swans.
- a drake Pochard was a new arrival amongst now at least 35 Tufted Duck, many very mobile.
- just five Goosander when I arrived, all brownheads. I did not see them again.
- two full adult Great Crested Grebe were noted each with two begging juveniles in tow. I assume these are the two parents and all the juveniles are from the same brood.
- three Grey Herons today.
- no Little Egret again.
- the Great (White) Egret was in trees at the bottom end when I arrived seemingly unconcerned about passers-by. When someone stopped it took umbrage even though they were not looking at the egret and it flew away South complaining loudly.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Jackdaw
Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- *30 (24♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Pochard
- 35 (17?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 (0♂) Goosander: departed?
- 5 Moorhens
- 21 Coot
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 7 Cormorants
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret: departed
Noted around the area:
Mostly dull with the odd brighter moment. The vegetation very wet.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 3 *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- >15 wasp Vespula sp.
- 3 *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- >15 wasp Vespula sp.
Hoverflies:
none
none
Other true flies:
- 1 *Root-maggot fly, just perhaps Hylemya vagans
- 1 *Muscid fly Phaonia rufiventris
- 1 *female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- 1 *aphid?
several other species of fly not identified
- 1 *Root-maggot fly, just perhaps Hylemya vagans
- 1 *Muscid fly Phaonia rufiventris
- 1 *female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- 1 *aphid?
several other species of fly not identified
Very smart: a drake Pochard, my first of the second-winter period.
This is the Muscid fly Phaonia rufiventris
(Ed Wilson)
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2010
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
9 Meadow Pipits
143 Fieldfare
8 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Common Gull
6 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Female Blackcap
(John Isherwood)
