4.0°C > 7.0°C: A few patches of cloud but mainly clear. Frost where sheltered from the moderate NW wind. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 07:11 GMT
* = a photo today
Another busy Autumn morning with more than 3400 Wood Pigeons over the lake. Passage had stopped by the time I left. Small movement of Redwings W, with eventually the first significant number of Fieldfare this Autumn over The Flash. The absence of this species to date has been the subject of much discussion on line. Seems they are now here!
Priorslee Lake: 05:45 – 09:30
(250th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- No Mute Swans.
- Now two Great Crested Grebes: the new arrival is a first-winter bird.
- Black-headed Gulls did their early arrival and 30 minutes of circling. Only about 150 involved. No larger number seen later though it is likely more birds were involved.
- I was probably not positioned in the best place to see any Starling roost departure. I would have expected to have heard their wings as they left and did not.
- The Cetti's Warbler was much more vocal today giving several bursts of song early and occasional calls and songs later.
- A large number of Pied Wagtails heard leaving a roost to the W / SW of the area. Most not seen and 'best effort' on flight calls. Likely many more.
Overhead:
- 7 Feral Pigeons: single and sextet
- 5 Stock Doves: trio; also two singles noted amongst the Wood Pigeons
- c.3500 Wood Pigeons: c.3425 of these in 63 migrant group
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 198 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks
- 1 Raven
- 3 Skylarks
- 81 Starlings: five groups
- 24 Fieldfare: together
- 74 Redwings: seven groups
- >35 Pied Wagtails
- 4 Chaffinches
- 2 Greenfinches
- 7 Siskins
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
None
Warblers noted:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler again
Count from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall: of these two pairs flew in together
- 21 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 61 Coots
- no Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 39 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 11 unidentified large gulls
A note about yesterday's photo of a second winter Herring-type Gull. Thanks to Steve Nutall – Mr. Belvide – for his expertise from years of studying gulls in the roost there. He has confirmed my suspicion that it was a Yellow-legged Gull.
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Cetti's Warbler again
Count from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall: of these two pairs flew in together
- 21 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 61 Coots
- no Little Grebes
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 39 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 11 unidentified large gulls
A note about yesterday's photo of a second winter Herring-type Gull. Thanks to Steve Nutall – Mr. Belvide – for his expertise from years of studying gulls in the roost there. He has confirmed my suspicion that it was a Yellow-legged Gull.
At / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Tortrix moth
with:
- 1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- *lots of unknown tiny buglings?
- *1 Larinioides cornutus Orb-web spider
- *1 Neriene montana spider
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spider
- 3 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman
Yesterday's froghopper has been confirmed as a Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). The literature suggests that this species is not seen after September. Keith, the Shropshire recorder, suggests the absence of significant frosts has allowed it to survive thus far.
Noted later:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- *1 Tortrix moth
with:
- 1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- *lots of unknown tiny buglings?
- *1 Larinioides cornutus Orb-web spider
- *1 Neriene montana spider
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. Stretch spider
- 3 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman
Yesterday's froghopper has been confirmed as a Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). The literature suggests that this species is not seen after September. Keith, the Shropshire recorder, suggests the absence of significant frosts has allowed it to survive thus far.
Noted later:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
Not much cloud around this morning. What there was rather spoilt the sunrise.
I then managed a sunny Goldfinch.
Eventually a Siskin turned up – upside down as usual. A female here.
And a male with shadow across its head.
And here is the full set of the buglings. What they are I am unsure at the moment.
You WILL learn to like spiders. This is Larinioides cornutus.
And this is Neriene montana. Note the black up the centre of the thorax and brown diagonal lines.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:35 – 10:35
(227th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Number of Mallard down again. Where do they go?
- The first drake Pochard of the season.
- Fieldfare and Redwing overhead as highlighted.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Skylark again
- c.130 Fieldfare: one group
- 37 Redwing: two groups
- 1 Siskin
On /around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese yet again
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 19 (12♂) Mallard only
- *1 (1♂) Pochard
- 20 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- *4 (0♂) Goosander
- 12 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first winter
- 2 Grey Herons
On the lamp poles:
Nothing on any of them
On the Ivy:
Very busy around the Ivy despite the ambient temperature being below 10°C. The Ivy was in full sun and sheltered from the wind:
- *2 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- >2 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *>5 Tapered Drone Flies (Eristalis pertinax)
- *>30 Common Drone Flies (Eristalis tenax)
- 1 Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Very many Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Even more flies.
On the Ivy:
Very busy around the Ivy despite the ambient temperature being below 10°C. The Ivy was in full sun and sheltered from the wind:
- *2 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- >2 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *>5 Tapered Drone Flies (Eristalis pertinax)
- *>30 Common Drone Flies (Eristalis tenax)
- 1 Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Very many Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Even more flies.
The first drake Pochard of the season. Amazing red eye on drakes of this species.
And here having a preen.
How could I resist a sunny brownhead Goosander?
The local Common Buzzard circling overhead.
A side view of a different Tapered Drone Fly.
There were many of these Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris), this one after the Ivy nectar.
(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
Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
Yellow-legged Gull
Kingfisher
400+ Jackdaws
17 Fieldfare
7 Redwings
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
24 Pochard
81 Tufted Ducks
c.180 large gulls
5 Redwings here
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Pochard
4 Wigeon
8 Tufted
42 Mute Swan
400+ Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)
Wrekin
Firecrest
2 Brambling
(Dave Barrow / Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
650+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
134 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
450 Wood Pigeons
15 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
13 Dunnocks
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
85 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
14 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)