Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25
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
* = photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information,
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(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
No birds seen leaving roost around the lake: no calls of Reed Buntings heard
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
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.
Hoverflies:
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *1 unidentified weevil sp.
Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail just possibly Deuterosminthurus pallipes
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
- 8 other midges / craneflies
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 23 spiders of several species
Noted later:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
Woodlice:
- *1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
7 unidentified spiders
The Flash:
(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
Flies:
- *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
Bugs:
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
(Ed Wilson)
Note:
As you can see, Ed's sightings are unformatted and without photos. Hopefully this will only be for a short period of time, and will be rectified after I return from a short break. (Martin Adlam)
Sightings from previous years
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:25
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
* = photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information,
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(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
No birds seen leaving roost around the lake: no calls of Reed Buntings heard
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
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.
Hoverflies:
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *1 unidentified weevil sp.
Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail just possibly Deuterosminthurus pallipes
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
- 8 other midges / craneflies
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Slugs, snails etc.:
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 23 spiders of several species
Noted later:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
Woodlice:
- *1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
7 unidentified spiders
The Flash:
(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
Flies:
- *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
Bugs:
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
(Ed Wilson)
Note:
As you can see, Ed's sightings are unformatted and without photos. Hopefully this will only be for a short period of time, and will be rectified after I return from a short break. (Martin Adlam)
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Sightings from previous years
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)