Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:00 – 09:20
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:309.0°C > 10.0°C: Even lower overcast with mist and early light drizzle. Light south-easterly wind. Moderate visibility.
Sunrise: 07:15 GMT
* = a photo to be uploaded later: watch the blog for information.
Priorslee Balancing Lake:
(238th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- yesterday a trio of adult Mute Swans flew off leaving 18. So what do I make of their being 19 when I arrived this morning? Two took off, circled and then left to the East leaving 17 adult. Two first year bird throughout.
- *a duck Eurasian Wigeon was a new arrival
- I was delayed somewhat by camera problems but I think there were only c.250 Black-headed Gulls.
Birds noted flying over:
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 10 Racing Pigeons: together
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 56 Jackdaws
- 21 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
No birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
Counts from the lake area:
- 38 Canada Geese: all departed
- *19 + 2 Mute Swans: of these two adults departed: see notes
- *3 (2♂) Gadwall
-* 1 (0♂) Wigeon
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 6 (2♂?) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 212 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.250 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- 8 November Moth-types Epirrita dilutata agg.
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: for its third
Lacewings:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
Hoverflies:
- *1 female Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Other flies:
- 2 female plumed midges Chironomus plumosus
- *2 unidentified craneflies, probably Tipula sp.
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera regelationis
Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail sp.
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 spider Philodromus sp.
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
not checked: trying to sort out camera problems
Noted later:
Flies:
- *possible Lesser Dung Fly Sphaerocera curvipes
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
In the Priorslee Avenue Tunnel pre dawn:
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 female ichneumon sp.
Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 8 midges of various species
Arthropods:
- 3 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
3 spiders, not identified
- *1 female harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
The Flash:
(241st visit of the year)
I was told about a video posted on Facebook of yesterday's rescue of the Mute Swan cygnet. I assume it was taken away to recuperate as I did not see it today. It is likely that disturbance by the rescue boat resulted in the Shoveler and many of the Tufted Duck flying off. I was therefore rather surprised to find a trio of Common Teal (two drakes) [but not the Little Grebe] alongside the island.
Other bird notes:
- only the putative pair of Great Crested Grebes was noted.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Jackdaws
- 10 Starlings: together
Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 1+ Greylag Geese: heard from inside the island
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (19♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Common Teal
- 23 (14?♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 142 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around The Flash:
Moths:
- *1 female moth The Gem Nycterosea obstipata: a new species for me in Shropshire: species #48 here this year.
Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- *1 root-maggot fly sp.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *2 male harvestmen 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)