10.0°C > 13.0°C: Amazing: both the almost full moon and the sun seen! Some mainly high cloud. Light southerly wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:40 BST
* = a species photographed today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:55 – 09:20
(220th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- generally there were fewer gulls despite / because of the clearer conditions.
- I have no idea why there were so few Rooks.
- after very few recent Reed Bunting records there was a small roost seen dispersing from their traditional West end site.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 9 (?♂) Tufted Duck: five flew West; four flew East and presumed same flew West a few minutes later
- 1 Stock Dove
- 85 Wood Pigeons: of these 54 in just three migrant flocks
- 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: single and duo
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 331 Jackdaws
- 16 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 55 Redwings: of these 52 in five groups; at least three heard flying over pre-dawn
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
- 3 Reed Buntings
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Goose: of these four departed
- 19 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 8 (3♂+) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 194 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 72 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 135 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
The setting full moon according to my phone camera. Note that at this time the visiting Mute Swans escape being penned in to the south-east corner.
Yesterday's deluge produced the usual mud-stained water from several of the sluices running in to the Wesley Brook. Here gunge has been stopped in its tracks by branches jammed against the supports of the bridge.
I did not have much luck identifying craneflies this morning. This apparently dark-winged specimen was on a street lamp pole pre-dawn.
Or these two come to that. All the photos on the web of mating pairs shows them end-to-end rather than with one contorted which would be the only possibility here.
I cannot suggest an identification for the slug on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. I can find no photos of. essentially. black slugs with paler spots.
Also on the Telford Sailing Club HQ was this Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella, one of three similar-looking snails probably all this species.
Plane of the day. This is what the RAF called an Airbus Voyager KC.2. Airbus know it as an A330-243MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) indicating it can be use for trooping, freight-carrying and air-to-air refuelling of any aircraft with NATO-conformant recipient capability.
The FlightRadar24 data. Typically the aircraft will not publish a flight plan so the destination and purpose of any flight will not be revealed. Air Traffic Control (ATC) will be given sufficient data to ensure separation from commercial traffic.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(223rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I have no idea why there were so few Moorhens. I hope they have not all been run over.
- Skylarks passing in Autumn do so just above my visual range, often in small groups. I have to try and point my binoculars in the direction of their flight calls to determine how many there are.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 132 Jackdaws: in four groups
- 4 Skylarks at least: see notes
- 1 Redwing
Warblers noted.
A Comma Polygonia c-album on the about-to-flower Ivy bank. Only the third butterfly species I have seen here all year – a truly dire year for this group of insects.
Not positive about this. It is a nymph of a bug. My best suggestion is a Gorse Shieldbug Piezodorus lituratus. Not a species I am familiar with. The nearest Gorse plants are around the upper car park of The Priorslee which is not that far from where I found this.
* = a species photographed today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:55 – 09:20
(220th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- generally there were fewer gulls despite / because of the clearer conditions.
- I have no idea why there were so few Rooks.
- after very few recent Reed Bunting records there was a small roost seen dispersing from their traditional West end site.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 9 (?♂) Tufted Duck: five flew West; four flew East and presumed same flew West a few minutes later
- 1 Stock Dove
- 85 Wood Pigeons: of these 54 in just three migrant flocks
- 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: single and duo
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 331 Jackdaws
- 16 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 55 Redwings: of these 52 in five groups; at least three heard flying over pre-dawn
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
- 3 Reed Buntings
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Goose: of these four departed
- 19 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 8 (3♂+) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 194 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 72 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 135 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths
- 1 November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.
- 1 November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.
Flies:
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- *1 unidentified cranefly
- 1 wood gnat Sylvicola sp.
- *1 unidentified cranefly
Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 2 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 2 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- *13 craneflies
- *13 craneflies
Slugs, snails etc.:
- *2 unidentified slugs
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- *2 Girdled Snails Hygromia cinctella
- *2 unidentified slugs
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- *2 Girdled Snails Hygromia cinctella
Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 17 spiders of several species
Noted later:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus: one more has appeared
- 17 spiders of several species
Noted later:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig Coprinus comatus: one more has appeared
Look! A sunrise! This in my 'big' camera.
And this from my camera phone.
A spectacular cloud as part of the sunrise.
Later the high cloud produced this dramatic sky.
The main problem was dew. One of 13 craneflies on the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. all of which evaded identification.
What exactly are these two doing?
Also somewhat dew-spattered is this Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. in its web.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 3 midges / gnats of various species
- 3 midges / gnats of various species
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.
2 unidentified spiders
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30
2 unidentified spiders
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:30
(223rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I have no idea why there were so few Moorhens. I hope they have not all been run over.
- Skylarks passing in Autumn do so just above my visual range, often in small groups. I have to try and point my binoculars in the direction of their flight calls to determine how many there are.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 132 Jackdaws: in four groups
- 4 Skylarks at least: see notes
- 1 Redwing
Warblers noted.
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese: four of these arrived together
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 37 (26♂) Mallard
- 117 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 154 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
Noted around The Flash:
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese: four of these arrived together
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 37 (26♂) Mallard
- 117 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 154 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
Noted around The Flash:
Butterflies:
- *1 Comma Polygonia c-album
- *1 Comma Polygonia c-album
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 3 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
- 3 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Beetles:
- 2 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- 2 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Bugs:
- *1 Common Flower Bug Anthocoris nemorum
- 8 Nettle Groundbugs Heterogaster urticae
- 1 adult Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
- *1 possible Gorse Shieldbug nymph Piezodorus lituratus
- *1 Common Flower Bug Anthocoris nemorum
- 8 Nettle Groundbugs Heterogaster urticae
- 1 adult Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
- *1 possible Gorse Shieldbug nymph Piezodorus lituratus
A Common Flower Bug Anthocoris nemorum. Seems late in the year: not many flowers around now.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
3 Wigeon
12 Pochard
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)
2008
Priorslee Lake
182 Wood Pigeons
10 Skylarks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kingfisher
21 Wrens
11 Dunnocks
38 Robins
22 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
139 Redwings
30 Starlings
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
3 Wigeon
12 Pochard
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)
2008
Priorslee Lake
182 Wood Pigeons
10 Skylarks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kingfisher
21 Wrens
11 Dunnocks
38 Robins
22 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
139 Redwings
30 Starlings
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)