Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:05 – 09:15
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:404.0°C > 8.0°C: Early it was cloudy at medium/high level again. Later some lower cloud. Very good visibility becoming good. Chill westerly breeze.
Sunrise: 07:28 GMT
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(245th visit of the year)
Not much other than Wood Pigeons passing this morning.
Bird notes:
- more action amongst the Mute Swans. Initially there were 23 adults and two first winter. *At some point 18 adults took off together, some only to the other end of the lake and all of them returning. Later three adults took off with one of them flying off East. I am confused after that as when I next checked there were still 23 adults.
- Among the Wood Pigeons noted as parties flying over is a group of c.45 flying South that descended in to trees well to the East of the lake.
- 18 Jackdaws flying South on roost dispersal decided to pause their journey and landed in trees by the Teece Drive gate. I have rarely seen this happen: once I recall when it was very foggy and they were perhaps disorientated; and once in gale-force winds when perhaps they needed a rest. Neither pertained today. These are not included in the fly-over totals.
Birds noted flying over:
- 8 Greylag Geese: a trio outbound; a single and a quartet inbound
- 2 Stock Doves: in with Wood Pigeons
- 417 Wood Pigeons: of these c.350 seen in 14 migrant parties: see notes
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 82 Jackdaws: see also notes
- 6 Rooks
- 44 Fieldfares: two groups
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Siskin
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 29 Starlings: one group and one straggler
Counts from the lake area:
- 56 Canada Geese: 47 present at dawn with 39 of these flying off; nine flew in together later
- 2 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- *23 + 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 219 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- >300 Black-headed Gulls
- *8 Herring Gulls
- 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Most things hiding from the cold: all poles dew-laden
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Also affected by the cold temperature
Flies:
- 1 male small midge
Barkflies:
- *3 Valenzuela flavidus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 8 spiders of several species not identified
Noted later on Teece Drive fence:
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
The Flash:
(248th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the duck Gadwall was missed off yesterday's tabulation. It was still here today.
- a duck Shoveler was new in.
- the all-white drake 'Aylesbury Duck' seems to have made just a one day reappearance and has gone again. Hard to overlook.
- yesterday the three Common Teal I noted by the island were one drake and two ducks; today I noted two drakes and only one duck. I wonder how many birds there really are lurking on the island.
- a drake Pochard was also a new arrival.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Jackdaws: together
Noted on / around the water:
- 72 Canada Goose: of these 67 arrived together
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived with the Canada Geese
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *1 (0♂) Gadwall
- *1 (0♂) Shoveler
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 (?♂♀) 'feral-type' Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Common Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 47 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- *16 Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gulls: adult throughout
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults, departed
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 2 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Fungus:
- *Glistening Inkcaps Coprinellus micaceus: Sunday's cluster now a mess; a new cluster
(Ed Wilson)