The Flash: 09:35 – 10:40
9.0°C > 12.0°C: Mainly broken medium-level cloud apart from a spell of showery rain between c.07:00 and c.08:00. Light south-westerly wind. Very good visibility but only good during rain.
Sunrise: 07:49 BST
* = photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information,
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(223rd visit of the year)
A big passage of Wood Pigeons – c.2950 logged passing South in 26 groups. The first few Black-headed Gulls arrived earlier than usual and it was perhaps their presence that persuaded the Lesser Black-backed Gulls to settle this morning. The Herring Gulls again mostly arrived later. Still no Redwings.
Other bird notes:
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 20 Greylag Geese: inbound loosely together
- 5 (♂?) Tufted Duck: circled once, together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- *c.2974 Wood Pigeons including the c.2950 in 26 migrant groups
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: single and duo
- c.268 Jackdaws: one group too tight to specifically count
- 26 Rooks
- 1 Sky Lark
- 2 Pied Wagtails
No birds seen leaving roost around the lake:
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
Early the Cetti was heard from the South side. I assume it was the same bird singing along the North side later.
Counts from the lake area:
- 20 Canada Goose: 11 throughout; group of nine arrived
- 19 Mute Swans
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens
- 213 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 85 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Cormorant: visited for c.15 minutes
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 6 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 black ant, perhaps Negro Ant Formica fusca
Flies:
- 6 Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 plumed midge
- 1 male mosquito sp.
- 1 female cranefly Tipula pagana
- *2 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis
Bugs:
- *1 unidentified nymph, possibly a Mirid bug of the large Orthotylus group
Springtails:
- *1 springtail, possibly Lepidocyrtus cyaneus
- *1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- *7 craneflies, some Tipula pagana
- 9 other midges / craneflies
- *1 fly of the Heleomyzidae group
Lacewings:
- *1 unidentified brown lacewing
Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 Black Slug Arion ater agg.
- *1 possible Large Red Slug Arion rufus
- 1 White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- ?? spiders of several species: not counted
Nothing noted later:
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- *1 November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.
Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana
- *1 female plumed midge
Woodlice:
- *3 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
8 unidentified spiders
The Flash:
(227th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- just two migrant groups of Wood Pigeons. With the sun now higher in the sky it was harder to spot the groups.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: flew North together
- c.160 Wood Pigeons in two migrant groups
- 3 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 9 Greylag Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 47 (30♂) Mallard
- *118 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 131 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *5 Black-headed Gulls
Noted around The Flash:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *4 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
Flies:
- 1 female cranefly Tipula pagana
- *1 Common Blow Fly Calliphora vicina
Bugs:
- *>10 Nettle Groundbugs Heterogaster urticae
Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana
The Ivy bank, now beginning to flower, was disappointingly devoid of anything other than the odd wasp despite being in the sun and out of the wind.
(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
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
4 Gadwall
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
A Raven tussling with Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
389 Fieldfare
6 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
15 Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
13 Moorhens
232 Coots
1 Redwing heard
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
A male Stonechat the west end
2 Gadwall
A drake Shoveler
14 Pochard
44 Tufted Duck
Siskin
Redpoll
C.350 Starlings in the roost
20 Redwings
209 Coot
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)