Happy New Year to you all
NOTE
Before we start I need to give more than my usual thanks to Martin Adlam for turning my text and photos in to the professional format you read. Towards the end of this year Martin was hospitalised for longer than anyone expected. Throughout that time he managed to upload my unformatted text.
Not only has normal service since been resumed as he recuperates but he has, above and beyond, reformatted and added my photos to all those days when he had technical limitations whilst in hospital. You can see these "missing photos" by using the "earlier posts" links at the bottom of the web pages. Thank you again Martin (and Dawn, who tolerates Martin taking time to do all this around his domestic duties).
Also thanks to all my readers for feedback and support. I am always pleased to impart as much as I know about the wildlife in the area.
Before we start I need to give more than my usual thanks to Martin Adlam for turning my text and photos in to the professional format you read. Towards the end of this year Martin was hospitalised for longer than anyone expected. Throughout that time he managed to upload my unformatted text.
Not only has normal service since been resumed as he recuperates but he has, above and beyond, reformatted and added my photos to all those days when he had technical limitations whilst in hospital. You can see these "missing photos" by using the "earlier posts" links at the bottom of the web pages. Thank you again Martin (and Dawn, who tolerates Martin taking time to do all this around his domestic duties).
Also thanks to all my readers for feedback and support. I am always pleased to impart as much as I know about the wildlife in the area.
Also
2024 The year in retrospect:
Priorslee Lake Here
Priorslee Flash Here.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash
8.0°C > 10.0°C: Mostly cloudy. A few very light sprinkles early and late. Also a few 'blue holes' early. Increasing moderate /fresh south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:15
(287th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- only one of the two first winter Mute Swans was noted today.
- *an additional two pair of Gadwall were noted.
- *a duck (Eurasian) Wigeon was also a new arrival.
- on one sweep of the water counting Coots I noted four Great Crested Grebes. Later while I was checking the Pochard and Tufted Ducks I could see none. Where did they go? hide?
- as yesterday very few gulls were noted flying over.
- at least one Kingfisher seems to be roosting around the lake with bird(s) heard calling in flight pre-dawn.
- at least two Redwings were roosting in trees at the East end.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 2 Cormorants together
- 89 Jackdaws
- 111 Rooks
- 4 Siskins
Counts from the lake area:
- 17 Canada Geese: throughout
- 1 Greylag Goose: throughout
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- *7 (3♂) Gadwall
- *1 (0♂) (Eurasian) Wigeon
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 9 (4♂) Pochard
- *37 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- *271 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- >17 Herring Gulls among
- *1 Great Black-backed Gull
- c.175 large gulls, mainly *Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: second bird chased away
- 1 Great White Egret
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
As noted in the blog there were early spits of rain which did not suggest there would be any sort of sunrise. Another quick scamper to a good viewpoint produced this.
Everything was at long range this morning. Here are three duck Gadwall. Recognise by the orange-brown edges to their bill along with the rather gentle appearance.
And a distant duck (Eurasian) Wigeon. The rounded head, grey bill with a dark tip, dark area around the eye and warm flanks all help identify.
Compare and contrast. In front an adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull with extensive head streaking and a contrast between the dark of the back and the folded wing-tip. The larger bird is an adult winter Great Black-backed Gull. These do not show any head streaking and the back is as black as the folded wing-tip. Note too the more massive bill.
A species of moth that was my first in 2024 and after 41 more specimens is now my last: a male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata.
Compare and contrast again. On the right one of the winter craneflies Trichocera sp. On the left one of the springtails likely from within the genus Tomocerus.
Another springtail likely from within the genus Tomocerus. There are two species which are basically dark and can only be separable using a microscope.
Perhaps my clearest photo of one of the globular springtails. Not easy when they are less than 1.5mm from top to tail. If I have read the identification guide on the NatureSpot correctly this is almost certainly Dicyrtomina ornata with the caution that "this species is very variable in pattern and colour".
One of the most common spiders throughout Winter and Spring are Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders from the Tetragnatha group, often known as stretch spiders.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
(290th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- all the 'additional' Mute Swans have now departed leaving just the resident pair and their two surviving cygnets from this year.
- just one Great Crested Grebe seen: close-in beside Derwent Drive.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 16 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- >53 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 2 mainly white feral geese
- 2+ 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- *66 (37♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- *1 Great Crested Grebe
- 124 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second winter, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
Noted elsewhere:
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Photographers are never happy. Yesterday in the sun too much contrast for the Great Crested Grebes. Today too little light to do it full justice. I prefer this of the two - for photography!
Winter Moth Operophtera brumata was not the first moth species I noted here this year but this male is my last.
(Ed Wilson)
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8.0°C > 10.0°C: Mostly cloudy. A few very light sprinkles early and late. Also a few 'blue holes' early. Increasing moderate /fresh south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:22 GMT yet again.
* = a species photographed todayPriorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:15
(287th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- only one of the two first winter Mute Swans was noted today.
- *an additional two pair of Gadwall were noted.
- *a duck (Eurasian) Wigeon was also a new arrival.
- on one sweep of the water counting Coots I noted four Great Crested Grebes. Later while I was checking the Pochard and Tufted Ducks I could see none. Where did they go? hide?
- as yesterday very few gulls were noted flying over.
- at least one Kingfisher seems to be roosting around the lake with bird(s) heard calling in flight pre-dawn.
- at least two Redwings were roosting in trees at the East end.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 2 Cormorants together
- 89 Jackdaws
- 111 Rooks
- 4 Siskins
Counts from the lake area:
- 17 Canada Geese: throughout
- 1 Greylag Goose: throughout
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- *7 (3♂) Gadwall
- *1 (0♂) (Eurasian) Wigeon
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 9 (4♂) Pochard
- *37 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- *271 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- >17 Herring Gulls among
- *1 Great Black-backed Gull
- c.175 large gulls, mainly *Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: second bird chased away
- 1 Great White Egret
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- *1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Flies:
- *2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- *2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
Springtails:
- *2 springtails likely from within the genus Tomocerus.
- *1 globular springtail from within the genus Dicyrtomina group, perhaps D. ornata.
- *2 springtails likely from within the genus Tomocerus.
- *1 globular springtail from within the genus Dicyrtomina group, perhaps D. ornata.
Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
*1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Barkflies:
- 1 barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- 10 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus
- 1 barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- 10 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 spiders, species not determined apart from
1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Noted later.
- 7 spiders, species not determined apart from
1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Noted later.
Nothing
At the front are two drake Gadwall. The one on the left can be identified by the all-black bill: the one on the right by the black stern. A drake Tufted Duck behind and between them with a Coot behind it and a duck Tufted Duck top right.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
11 unidentified gnats/midges of at least four species
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:45
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
11 unidentified gnats/midges of at least four species
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:45
(290th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- all the 'additional' Mute Swans have now departed leaving just the resident pair and their two surviving cygnets from this year.
- just one Great Crested Grebe seen: close-in beside Derwent Drive.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 16 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- >53 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 2 mainly white feral geese
- 2+ 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- *66 (37♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- *1 Great Crested Grebe
- 124 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second winter, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
Noted elsewhere:
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
A drake Tufted Duck doing its "Mr, Angry" with me.
Really fixing me with its stare.
See: they can smile if they want to.
There was no snow for my Christmas Robin. There is no snow for this New Year Robin either.
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st-winter female Scaup
(Ian Grant)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
(Jim Almond and Paul Spear)
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee lake
11 Great Crested Grebes
31 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
237 Coot
Golden Plover
1 Water Rail
700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1250 Black-headed Gulls
300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
37 Herring Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gull
374 Jackdaws
178 Rooks
1 Kingfisher
1 Willow Tit
2 Redpolls.
2 Redwings
14 Robins
19 Blackbirds
13 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st-winter female Scaup
(Ian Grant)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup
(Jim Almond and Paul Spear)
2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee lake
11 Great Crested Grebes
31 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
237 Coot
Golden Plover
1 Water Rail
700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.1250 Black-headed Gulls
300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
37 Herring Gulls
6 Great Black-backed Gull
374 Jackdaws
178 Rooks
1 Kingfisher
1 Willow Tit
2 Redpolls.
2 Redwings
14 Robins
19 Blackbirds
13 Greenfinches
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)