Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:55 – 09:35
The Flash: 09:40 – 11:1010.0°C > 12.0°C: Overcast and dull yet again. Light north-westerly wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:08 GMT
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information,
Back to the usual early start without much reward.
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(234th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- There are now 21 white (near) adult Mute Swans with two grey first winters.
- a Water Rail was calling from the north-west area.
Birds noted flying over:
- 171 Wood Pigeons: of these 146 flew West in two groups
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Jackdaws
- 14 Rooks
- 2 Fieldfare
- 4 Chaffinches: together
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 8 Goldfinches: together
- 2 Siskins: singles
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 4 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 15 Canada Geese: all of these departed
- 21 + 2 Mute Swans: an additional adult: see also notes
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 (0♂?) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 4 Moorhens
- 212 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- 27 Herring Gulls
- c.90 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- *9 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 ichneumon
Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula fulvipennis
- 3 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *2 other unidentified species
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Perhaps I was later than usual as most things seemed to have gone.
Flies:
- 1 plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 6 spiders not specifically identified
Noted later:
Beetles:
- 2 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Fungus
- perhaps Common Funnel Clitocybe gibba
In the Priorslee Avenue Tunnel pre-dawn
Flies:
- *2 craneflies Tipula lateralis
- *2 plumed midges Chironomus plumosus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders not specifically identified
The Flash:
(237th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the drake Common Teal and Little Grebe were again keeping close to the island.
- another reduction in Tufted Duck numbers.
- a Lesser Redpoll was heard calling from one of the trees alongside the water: I could not locate it
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *4 Ravens: together
- 1 Jackdaw
Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese: five of these arrived together
- 7 Greylag Geese: all arrived
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 40 (26♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 73 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 17 Moorhens
- 130 Coots
- *1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
Butterflies:
- 2 different species seen in flight only: strange for such a dull day.
Moths:
- 1 Pale Birch Tortrix Acleris logiana: presumably the same individual was out in the open again today
- *2 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- *1 pug moth to be identified (I hope)
- 1 Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *1 'red ant' probably of the Myrmica genus
Hoverflies:
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]
- *1 Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare
Other Flies:
- *several flies of several species, none positively identified though...
*1 possible Meiosimyza rorida
Earwigs:
- *1 female Common European Earwig Forficula dentata
Bugs:
- *2 Common Flower Bugs Anthocoris nemorum
Beetles:
- 3 Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *3 harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
Fishes:
- *1 Perch Perca fluviatilis: sadly dead
Fungus:
- *Peeling Oysterling Crepidotus mollis
(Ed Wilson)
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Note:
As you can see, Ed's sightings are still unformatted and without photos.
My break away is taking longer than was expected, so it will be quite awhile I before I can get things back to normal.
(Martin Adlam)