31 Oct 24

The Flash: 09:18 – 10:30
Priorslee Balancing Lake:  10:35 – 12:50

11.0°C > 13.0°C:  Overcast and dull early. Cloud lifted somewhat with a few breaks appearing. Light south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise:  07:06 GMT]

* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information,

Another dull day so it was another late start, firstly at The Flash. I then did a full lap of the Balancing Lake in improving weather.

Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(233rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I cannot believe how difficult it is to count Mute Swans. Despite being large and white they have a habit of hiding behind each other or paddling off. I eventually convinced myself there are now 20 white (near) adults with two grey first winters. These two spent some while with two adults, all four well-away from the others. If these first winters came in with these two adults at least one adult would have had to have departed...
- a Water Rail was alarm-calling from along the north-east area.
- there were very few gulls present when I first looked at the water. A mixed group of c.260 Black-headed Gulls and c.75 Lesser Black-backs along with a few Herring Gulls flew in together from the East.
- three Redwings flew out of trees by the Teece Drive gate as I arrived.

Birds noted flying over:
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 20 + 2 Mute Swans: an additional adult: see also notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 7 (1♂?) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 3 Moorhens
- 223 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.275 Black-headed Gulls
- *17 Herring Gulls
- c.190 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles post-dawn:
Moths:
-        *1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
-        4 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
-        *1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Flies:
-        1 cranefly Tipula fulvipennis

Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ post-dawn:
Flies:
-        2 craneflies Tipula fulvipennis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
-        none: all hiding away!

Noted later:
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
-        *Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis


The Flash:
(236th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *a drake Common Teal again, as usual keeping close to the island.
- a significant number of Tufted Duck now seem to have departed overnight.
- what I assume was the recently seen Little Grebe was again keeping close to the island.
- *a Great (White) Egret was on the island before positioning to the bottom end from where it was flushed, heading away south-west.

No bird(s) noted flying over here:

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *36 (23♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 88 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: departed
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret

Noted around The Flash:
Moths:
-        *1 Pale Birch Tortrix Acleris logiana: presumably the same individual was out in the open again today
-        *1 female November Moth-type Epirrita dilutata agg.
-        *2 Juniper Carpets Thera juniperata : moth species #45 for me here this year
Bees, wasps etc.:
-        *2 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
Flies:
-        *several flies of several species, none positively identified
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
-        1 unidentified spider
-        1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

(Ed Wilson)

Note:
As you can see, Ed's sightings are still unformatted and without photos. Hopefully it won't be that long before I can get things back to normal. (Martin Adlam)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Candles Landfill Site
2nd winter Caspian Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Chiffchaff
Mistle Thrush
29 Fieldfares
32 Redwings
13 Siskins
3 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
5 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2005
Trench Pool
2 Goosander
10 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)