Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:05 – 09:15
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:5011.0°C > 12.0°C: Cloud after overnight rain. Clearing after 09:00 with sunny intervals. Light northerly breeze. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:31 GMT
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(247th visit of the year)
Two "I wonder what they were":
- while it was still dark a bird 'exploded' from more or less under my feet and whirred away. I would guess a partridge but I saw nothing.
- much later when I was standing on the Wesley Brook bridge checking whether any birds were feeding / bathing in the stream out of the corner of my eye I saw a 'brown bird' get up from the ground and jink away low between trees. I would judge too large for a thrush. Possible Woodcock.
After the very busy morning two days ago it was very quiet today.
Other bird notes:
- one Canada Goose was left behind when the other 14 flew off. Later it flew to the dam-top where it was seen to be hobbling around.
- the three adult Mute Swans that were seen to fly off East yesterday seem to have gone.
- a pair of Gadwall new in / returned
- only a single drake Eurasian Wigeon noted.
Birds noted flying over:
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 11 Jackdaws
- 34 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 3 Siskins
No birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
Counts from the lake area:
- 15 Canada Geese: 14 of these flew off together: see notes
- 20 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 14 (10♂) Mallard
- 14 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 228 Coots again
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.110 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Herring Gulls
- 81 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Butterflies, moths etc.:
- *1 unidentified larva / caterpillar
Flies:
- *1 orange-bodied fly, probably Phaonia pallida
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera regelationis
- 3 other craneflies
Springtails:
- *2 unidentified springtails of different species
Barkflies:
- 1 Valenzuela flavidus
Bugs:
- *1 planthopper, probably Eupteryx urticae
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Also affected by the cold temperature
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 ichneumon sp.
Flies:
- 2 male small midges
- 1 other unidentified fly
Barkflies:
- 9 Valenzuela flavidus
Slugs, snails etc.:
- 3 small 'black slugs'
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders of several species not identified
Nothing noted later:
The Flash:
(250th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the two drake and two duck Shoveler still here tucked up against the island.
- no Common Teal.
- still two drake Pochard.
- someone what unusual was a Jackdaw seen on one of the roofs in Derwent Drive. Probably engaged in "tossing the mos" which they do on my roof.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Herring Gulls: six together
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Jackdaws: singles
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *1 (0♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Shoveler
- *43 (26♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- *50 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 22 Moorhens
- 127 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: two adults; a second winter arrived
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *>30 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- *c.10 Marmalade Hoverflies Episyrphus balteatus
- *2 Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax
- *3 Common Droneflies Eristalis tenax
- *2 Chequered Hoverflies Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- 1 Twin-spot Boxer Platycheirus rosarum [Fourspot Sedgesitter Pyrophaena rosarum]
Springtails:
- *4 unidentified springtails of four different species
Bugs:
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 male 'money spider', possibly Erigone atra
(Ed Wilson)