7.0°C > 8.0°C: Early cloud with breaks developing. A shower c.08:15. Light westerly wind. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 07:37 GMT
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:05 – 09:10
(250th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I assume the tight group of 'Feral' Pigeons that flew fast and direct were Racing Pigeons. Strangely they were heading East whereas Racing Pigeons are usually seen flying north-west. Nevertheless Feral Pigeons from local roofs are usually seen circling and in ragged groups.
- a high number of Jackdaws noted. Most of them were passing very far to the East and only visible because the sky was clear in that direction and the visibility was very good.
- a Cetti's Warbler was heard calling along the North side and then gave a long trilling alarm call very close to me [I can find no recordings of such a call on the xeno-canto web site). About 20 minutes later one was heard singing at the West end. Much later one was heard giving its sharp 'tack' call as it moved around in the north-west reeds. All the same bird?
Birds noted flying over:
- 20 Racing Pigeons: together
- 34 Wood Pigeons: of these just 8 heading north-west in one group
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- >315 Jackdaws
- 16 Rooks
- 1 Siskin
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
None
Counts from the lake area:
- 23 Canada Geese: 15 throughout; a quintet and single departed
- 21 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 3 Moorhens
- 222 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 83 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Counts from the lake area:
- 23 Canada Geese: 15 throughout; a quintet and single departed
- 21 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 3 Moorhens
- 222 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 83 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 2 plumed midges
- 2 winter craneflies
- *1 male Tipula pagana
- 2 other craneflies
- 2 plumed midges
- 2 winter craneflies
- *1 male Tipula pagana
- 2 other craneflies
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
- 2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 cranefly
- 1 cranefly
Springtails:
- *2 unidentified springtails
- *2 unidentified springtails
Barkflies:
- *1 barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- *21 Valenzuela flavidus
- *1 barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- *21 Valenzuela flavidus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 11 spiders of several species not identified
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Later:
Later the low Autumn sun was illuminating the trees along the North side against the dark sky of an oncoming shower.
Well it was a long way away. A male Bullfinch taken on maximum zoom and result enlarged and cropped.
One of the barkflies from the Ectopsocus briggsi group that cannot be specifically identified from photos.
(253rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- *apparently now four drake and only one duck Shoveler. Two of the drakes first winter birds.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (0♂) Gadwall
- *5 (4♂) Shoveler
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 49 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 Moorhens
- 115 Coots
- *36 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: adult, departed
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
If the forecast of cold weather is correct then this may be the last we see of the hoverflies this year.
Three Shoveler. One obvious drake and I believe the other two are also drakes - immature drakes. In real life they looked more rufous-toned that ducks. The photo does not show that but what it does show is that both have a vertical pale area between the bill-base and the eye. Immature drakes develop a white crescent before a later moult in to full adult drake plumage.
Another immature drake. A duck would never show the extensive pale area at the rear of the flank. Another pointer to this being an immature is that the pale-edged flank feathers are rounded: in an adult they are more pointed.
I took a photo of this wasp for no particular reason only to note that the yellow area on the side of the thorax is not parallel side and it is therefore a German Wasp Vespula germanica.
One each of the four species of hoverfly I noted. The white band across the abdomen (between two of the tergites) is a clue that this is a Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum.
This may or may not be the same species. From this angle a tapered abdomen with a tuft of hairs near the end. It does not help me identify it.
Nor does this view. The best match from Google Lens is the Tachinid fly Exorista segregata though it is unclear whether this species occurs in the UK.
This fly has an un-striped thorax and no strong patterning on the abdomen. It looks to be one of the 'bluebottles'. There are many species to which that epithet is attached. Possibly Calliphora vicina. All the apps suggest C. vomitoria but that has a metallic-looking thorax.
I think I can identify this as Phaonia subventa. This genus has a small bulge along the leading edge of the wing and this is the only species with an orange abdomen.
A cranefly Limonia nubeculosa that I found trying to hide in the crack of a street lamp pole in squirrel alley. This close-up shows the banded antennae, the head (almost all eyes) ahead of a thin neck and the legs each with two pale areas.
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
2 Teal
62 Tufted Duck
214 Coots
9 Lapwings over
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
7 Fieldfare
10 Redwings
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
(Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
37 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
>625 Black-headed Gulls
2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
424 Wood Pigeons
23 Blackbirds
374 Fieldfares
58 Redwings
379 Jackdaws
151 Rooks
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
- 11 spiders of several species not identified
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Later:
Nothing noted
Sky clearing at dawn, No colour today.
The right end of the rainbow.
And the left end. Is there a pot of gold at both ends?
What I believe to be a male Tipula pagana.
A barkfly Valenzuela flavidus accompanied by two unidentified globular springtails.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:15 – 10:45
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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:45
(253rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- *apparently now four drake and only one duck Shoveler. Two of the drakes first winter birds.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (0♂) Gadwall
- *5 (4♂) Shoveler
- 38 (26♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Common Teal
- 49 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 Moorhens
- 115 Coots
- *36 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: adult, departed
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
If the forecast of cold weather is correct then this may be the last we see of the hoverflies this year.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *c.8 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
- *1 German Wasp Vespula germanica
- *1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *c.8 Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
- *1 German Wasp Vespula germanica
Hoverflies:
- *1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *1 Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [previously E. interruptus]
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *1 Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [previously E. interruptus]
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Other flies:
- *1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- **many flies of at least three species
- *1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- **many flies of at least three species
Bugs:
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Beetles
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
The pair of resident Mute Swans (I presume: I could not see their rings) were definitely getting friendly.
An adult winter Black-headed Gull in pose mode.
Yes: you!
While I was photographing flies this Robin popped out apparently puzzled at what I was doing.
Yes: you!
A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris. This specimen was large and I assume a queen.
More or less head on. Compare the yellow side to the thorax with...
....the parallel sides of a Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris.
Sun out: Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus out.
The sunny interlude also brought out the flies. I think a fly from the Tachinid group. Beyond that...
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
2 Teal
62 Tufted Duck
214 Coots
9 Lapwings over
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
7 Fieldfare
10 Redwings
2 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
(Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
37 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
>625 Black-headed Gulls
2245 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
424 Wood Pigeons
23 Blackbirds
374 Fieldfares
58 Redwings
379 Jackdaws
151 Rooks
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)