Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:05
The Flash: 09:10 – 10:3010.0°C > 11.0°C: Again overcast and dull with some light drizzle. Light south-easterly wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:10 GMT
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(236th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- a Lapwing flushed off the south-west grass pre-dawn.
- presumably the same Great (White) Egret paid another quick visit.
- three large parties of Wood Pigeons seen: c.60 flew South as usual; c.70 were flying South to the East and appeared to descend in to trees alongside the M54 to the East of the area; then c.160 flew West accompanied by 12 Redwings.
Birds noted flying over:
- 10 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 1 Stock Dove
- c.320 Wood Pigeons: of these c.290 in three migrant parties
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 115 Jackdaws
- 14 Rooks
- 4 Starlings
- 22 Redwings: two groups
- 10 Fieldfare: together
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 18 Starlings: a single and one group
- 6 Redwings
Counts from the lake area:
- 12 Canada Geese: all of these departed
- 21 + 2 Mute Swans: of these two adults departed
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 11 (5♂?) Tufted Duck: of these 7 (3♂?) departed
- 7 Moorhens
- 225 Coots
- 1 Lapwing: at least, departed
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gulls
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret: briefly
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 5 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- *1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
- *1 Sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx: new for the year here
Flies:
- 2 plumed midges Chironomus plumosus
- 1 Muscid flies of the Hebecnema group.
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera regelationis
Beetles
- *1 probable Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Noble False Widow Steatoda nobilis
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 3 winter craneflies Trichocera regelationis
- *8 as yet to be identified flies of the same species
- *1 possible brown lacewing, Micromus angulatus
Barkfly:
- *1 Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 17 spiders not specifically identified
Noted later:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Some information from the fishermen from yesterday and overnight:
- a Little Grebe was seen in two different locations on the water.
- an owl, presumably a Tawny Owl was calling close to the Castle Farm Way.
- a small number of bats were flying last night. This seems late in the year even though it is still mild.
- two probable Water Voles (Ratty of "Wind in the Willows" fame) were raiding the bait stores. I have heard the characteristic 'plop' this species makes diving in to the water bit have never managed to confirm the identity of the source.
The Priorslee Avenue Tunnel not visited
The Flash:
(239th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- yesterday's two drake Pochard not located but two drake Shoveler and nine (Eurasian) Wigeon (at least three drakes) were welcome new arrivals.
- a pair of Bullfinches seen in two different locations.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Redwings
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *2 (2♂) Shoveler
- *9 (3♂+) (Eurasian) Wigeon
- 42 (30♂) Mallard
- 1 (?♂♀) 'feral-type' Mallard
- *66 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 20 Moorhens
- *139 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
Noted around The Flash:
Moths:
- 1 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- 1 Golden-rod Pug Eupithecia virgaureata: for its third day
Beetles
- *1 ground beetle Nebria brevicollis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
(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)