7.0°C > 11.0°C: Mostly cloudy with just a few breaks: no sun. Almost calm. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:37 BST
Another busy day doing other things. Photos will be added tomorrow.
Significant movement of Wood Pigeons heading S on another typically busy Autumn morning.
Priorslee Lake: 06:05 – 09:30
(232nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls were moving around between the football field and the academy playing fields at 07:35 with too many dogs around for them to settle.
- Very many Wood Pigeons seen. At least 1086 in 14 groups heading S. Some of the 216 logged flying over looked as if they might have been racing to catch up with other distant and unseen migrant groups. At least another 50 were circling above Ward's Rough to the far NE. These could have been a failed attempt to set off on migration; a group that decided to pause; or simply local birds flushed from nearby fields.
- Three Reed Buntings noted leaving the W end roost together.
Overhead:
- Canada Geese: heard only outbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound
- 9 Feral Pigeons: two groups
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 1352+ Wood Pigeons: 1086+ of these were passing S in 14 groups
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorant: together
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 173 Jackdaws
- 12 Rooks only
- 4 Starlings: together
- 45 Redwings
- 2 Fieldfare
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Siskin again
- 1 Linnet
Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 23 (>10♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens again
- 62 Coots only
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 59 unidentified large gulls at the usual early time
- no Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 9 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.). My highest-ever one-day total.
with:
- 1 Mayfly sp., probably a Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum): this seen after sun-up as well today.
- 1 Common or European Earwig (Forficula dentata)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
Nothing noted later:
The markings on the abdomen of this spider looked different from any species I had noticed before so I called upon the expertise of Nigel, the Shropshire Recorder. It seems churlish not to share his wisdom in full. "It’s an adult male lace web spider – Amaurobius sp. probably A. similis from where it was found. They’re called lace web spiders because they are most often seen in holes in brickwork etc. where they surround the hole with a lace like collar made from cribellate silk. This is silk that they have “back-combed” (like the 60s hairstyles) into a fuzzy texture using little combs on their back legs. The silk is produced from an organ called the cribellum which they have in addition to the normal spinnerets. It is sticky like normal web but, because it acts a bit like Velcro, it will catch and hold prey items that have defences against simple stickiness (e.g. parasitic wasps) because of the hairs and spines on their legs". So now we know!
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- also the usual midges and unidentified spiders. A poor haul.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(209th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A pair of Teal was reportedly seen disappearing under overhanging trees by another birdwatcher.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 2 Stock Doves
- 130 Wood Pigeons in seven groups heading S
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Skylark
- 1 Jay [seven reported by another birdwatcher]
- 15 Jackdaws
- 2 Ravens: together
- 1 Meadow Pipit again
- 1 Siskin again
On /around the water:
- 28 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 30 (19♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Teal reported: see notes
- 38 (11+♂) Tufted Duck
- 17 (1♂) Goosander: 11 (1♂) of these departed
- 9 Moorhens
- 19 Coots only
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
On different lamp poles:
- 2 November Moth agg. (Epirrita sp.)
Noted elsewhere:
The only thing on the ivy was.
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Taken just before this group of Goosanders departed – a splendid drake amongst the usual 'brownheads'. The bird in front of the drake might be an adult duck with the extensive shaggy crest. The other two seem to be immatures. One has a darker head and might therefore be a drake, though it could equally be that the angle of the light is slightly different.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull, though it could have been Mew/Ring-billed Gull!
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper/Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
42 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
1 Shoveler
8 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
30 Robins
(Ed Wilson)