11.0°C > 12.0°C: Scattered low cloud below medium / high overcast. Clearance to north-west not making progress. Moderate south-westerly wind dropped light. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:47 BST
* = a species photographed today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20
(223rd visit of the year)
A very quiet morning again. No migrant parties of Wood Pigeons or Redwings etc. seen. The (very) few early Lesser Black-backed Gulls again did not settle and flew on. It was Herring Gulls that were the first large gulls to settle.
Yesterday's wind had brought down a large branch along the North side. Athletic wiggles needed to get by.
Bird notes:
- I am slightly surprised at the continued presence of only what I assume are the same 17 visiting Mute Swans. Most years a few other birds would have been noted trying their luck. With so many already present I would have expected more to be joining them.
- a Tufted Duck was seen flying low over the water at the West end c.07:40. I could not relocate it, or any others, later.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 6 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.300 Jackdaws: several groups to tight to specifically count
- 12 Rooks
Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
My Samsung 'smart' phone may be rather ancient: the camera takes much better low-light photos than my 'proper' camera. This morning's non-sunrise.
A male cranefly Tipula pagana. He had better watch out: there is a spider lurking in the crack of the street lamp pole.
This male fly seems to be one of the Muscid group. I would not like to go further without a better view of its abdomen markings.
Not too sure about this. There is a species of moth fly Psychoda surcoufi of this size and which holds its wings tent-like at rest. But that species has dark marks on the wings. A similar species perhaps.
A frustrating duo. I am sure I have seen and identified the larger of these two insects. I am out of ideas. The smaller is a species of globular springtail. The only species that seems to occur in an unmarked yellow form is the apparently common Deuterosminthurus pallipes. However the resolution of my camera is not really adequate to be conclusive.
A photo of a weevil I had to take at full-stretch. As a result it does not provide sufficient detail to get an identity.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25
(226th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 103 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 151 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
Noted around The Flash:
Determination. A Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris after some nectar from the still-to-open Ivy flower.
A possible identification for this fly is Norellia spinipes, one of the Scathophagidae (Dung flies). This species has a common name of Daffodil Fly but is noted as being seen as late as November.
A female cranefly Tipula pagana. This is the only cranefly species where the female has on vestigial wings.
A 'best effort' record shot of a mating pair of ground beetles – twelve feet up a street lamp pole. They were in the shade and I had difficulty persuading the camera to focus against the light streaming past both sides of the pole. No possibility of identification at species level.
(Ed Wilson)
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)
* = a species photographed today.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20
(223rd visit of the year)
A very quiet morning again. No migrant parties of Wood Pigeons or Redwings etc. seen. The (very) few early Lesser Black-backed Gulls again did not settle and flew on. It was Herring Gulls that were the first large gulls to settle.
Yesterday's wind had brought down a large branch along the North side. Athletic wiggles needed to get by.
Bird notes:
- I am slightly surprised at the continued presence of only what I assume are the same 17 visiting Mute Swans. Most years a few other birds would have been noted trying their luck. With so many already present I would have expected more to be joining them.
- a Tufted Duck was seen flying low over the water at the West end c.07:40. I could not relocate it, or any others, later.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 6 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.300 Jackdaws: several groups to tight to specifically count
- 12 Rooks
Birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
None and no calls of Reed Buntings heard either
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 Chiffchaff
Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Canada Goose: throughout
- 19 Mute Swans
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 187 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.115 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls only
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 Chiffchaff
Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Canada Goose: throughout
- 19 Mute Swans
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 187 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.115 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls only
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *2 different species of ichneumon
- *2 different species of ichneumon
Flies:
- *1 Muscid fly of the Hebecnema group with the brown shaded wings
- *1 other Muscid fly
- *other flies of different species
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
- 1 male and female plumed midges
- *2 presumed moth flies Psychoda sp.
- *1 Muscid fly of the Hebecnema group with the brown shaded wings
- *1 other Muscid fly
- *other flies of different species
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
- 1 male and female plumed midges
- *2 presumed moth flies Psychoda sp.
Hoverflies:
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *1 unidentified weevil sp.
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *1 unidentified weevil sp.
Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail just possibly Deuterosminthurus pallipes
- *1 globular springtail just possibly Deuterosminthurus pallipes
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
- *1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
- 8 other midges / craneflies
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
- 8 other midges / craneflies
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 23 spiders of several species
Noted later:
- 23 spiders of several species
Noted later:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Yesterday's wind has hastened 'the fall' of the leaves. This is what Teece Drive looked like early.
Here, after the school run it looked quite different.
The obstacle course around the North side.
One of two species of ichneumon I noted on street lamp poles. A male with obvious red legs.
This one has an ovipositor and so is a female. Her legs are noticeably paler and thinner that the previous example. One or both of these may be braconids rather than ichneumons: I am not sure how to separate these groupings.
Another Tipula cranefly species. Not sure about this one.
A Muscid fly of the Hebecnema group with the brown shaded wings.
This unidentified fly only looks as if it has shaded wings: it is shadow.
Another unidentified fly which is one of the short-bodied or is it long-winged species.
Whatever it is another was present on a different street lamp pole.
What I believe to be one of the lace-weaver spiders Amaurobius sp.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
Woodlice:
- *1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
- *1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
7 unidentified spiders
7 unidentified spiders
A Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25
(226th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 103 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 151 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
Noted around The Flash:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
Flies:
- *2 female craneflies Tipula pagana
- *1 possible 'daffodil fly' Norellia spinipes
- *2 other and different unidentified fly species.
- *2 female craneflies Tipula pagana
- *1 possible 'daffodil fly' Norellia spinipes
- *2 other and different unidentified fly species.
Beetles:
- *2 unidentified ground beetles: a mating pair
- *2 unidentified ground beetles: a mating pair
Bugs:
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 2 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Three species of small flies were noted. Here is one with a striped thorax.
And one with an unmarked, though slightly hairy thorax.
No problem with this 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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)