The Flash: 09:20 – 10:35
7.0°C > 10.0°C: Mist and low cloud at the Balancing Lake. Clearing somewhat at The Flash. Light southerly wind. Poor visibility early: moderate later at The Flash.
Sunrise: 07:51 BST
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information,
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(225th visit of the year)
Very little could be seen in the mist.
Some words of caution about using ID apps on smartphones. You will have read my comments about some of the bizarre suggestions that Obsidentify comes up with. Today I was using the Merlin bird-ID app to confirm it was a Goldcrest that I was hearing and not a Firecrest. These to my ears sound very similar, at least in part because I do not hear Firecrest very often. During the brief period I was using Merlin it told me there was a Song Thrush singing: there wasn't - it was part of a Robin song. It also told me there was a Chaffinch when it was a Great Tit - which admittedly do make many different calls. Most bizarrely it recorded a Peregrine Falcon when it was several Lesser Black-backed Gulls calling. So beware. We have nothing to fear from AI have we!
Bird notes:
- this will be the last day this year for the "Warblers noted" heading. I suspect that any Chiffchaffs still present are now silent and will only be seen by chance. I will specifically note any that I see. Meanwhile the Cetti's Warbler will likely stay all Winter and I will only note it if it does something unusual or appears to have gone.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
Only birds flying more or less directly overhead could be seen. For what it is worth...
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 4 Jackdaws: one group too tight to specifically count
- 14 Rooks
- 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
Counts from the lake area:
- 12 Canada Goose: throughout
- 19 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 7 (2♂?) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- no count of Coots attempted
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.25 Black-headed Gulls
- c.15 Herring Gulls
- c.125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *10 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
Lacewing:
- *1 presumed small lacewing
Springtails:
- *2 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Apart from the moths tucked up at the top of the street lamp poles there was not much on the dew-covered poles.
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 9 craneflies, not specifically identified
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders of several species, not specifically identified
Noted later:
Flies:
- 1 male cranefly Tipula pagana
Beetles:
- *1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Fungus:
- *1 Birch Polypore Piptoporus betulinus
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 1 female plumed midge
Woodlice:
- 9 Common Shiny Woodlice Oniscus asellus (presumed all this species: I did not check them all)
Arthropods:
- 4 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders of several species, the only one specifically identified:
*1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
*1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina sp.
- *1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
The Flash:
(228th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- noted together in trees along the East side were two Redwings and five Siskins. The latter were my first of the Autumn here – 23 September last year.
- a Grey Wagtail was present again briefly.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 1 brownhead Goosander
- 75 Wood Pigeons in three migrant groups
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Jackdaws in two groups
- 10 Starlings: together
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- *6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 37 (25♂) Mallard
- *111 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 146 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature
- 2 Cormorants
Noted around The Flash:
Moths:
- 1 November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.
Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
(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
2010
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
9 Meadow Pipits
143 Fieldfare
8 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
2 Common Gull
6 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Female Blackcap
(John Isherwood)