9.0°C > 12.0°C: Medium / low overcast descended for a while to become very murky before clearing only after 09:30. Light and variable breeze. Mostly good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:00 BST
* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:35 – 09:20
(232nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
*Highlight today was seeing perhaps as many as 27 Eurasian Wigeon. I first noticed a group of 15 apparently flying off from the lake at c.06:45, circling higher and higher. At 07:00 I noted six on the water at the West end, these were flushed off when a cyclist arrived down the concrete ramp(!?). As they departed they joined with other ducks and I counted 27 in the distance from a photo. Whether they were all this species is impossible to say. My instinct says they were.
Other bird notes:
- now nine Tufted Duck.
- a lone Lapwing flew over and then off West at 09:00.
- different behaviour from the gulls again. No more than 30 arrived early and it was 06:55 before c.75 streamed in from the South. None was seen on the football field c.07:10. At least 75 arrived from the north-east after 08:30 with some of the many large gulls. These may or may not have been returning birds.
- at least 120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived from either the East or, mainly, the South before 07:00. Then after 08:30 when these had long departed c.90 arrived from the South closely followed by c.80 from the north-east with a smattering of Herring Gulls among them.
- one Grey Heron present throughout. Another flew over and was warned off and carries on. Two others(?) (or the same one twice) briefly visited and were chased away.
- where have all the Song Thrushes gone? In Spring up to 13 were singing around the area with at least nine present during the breeding season. Birds were seen carrying food to nests. After fledging several birds were seen along the north-side path at dawn. I have not seen or heard any for several weeks.
- a lone Siskin flew East c.07:50: my first of Autumn.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Feral Pigeon: East together
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lapwing
- 1 Herring Gull
- 36 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 93 Jackdaws
- 192 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Siskin
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- *27? (?♂) Eurasian Wigeon: as highlighted
- 14 (8♂) Mallard
- 9 (3?♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 45 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Herring Gulls
- c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants: arrived together; three soon departed, the others staying
- 3? Grey Herons: see notes
Hirundines etc. noted:
None
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 11 (2) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 11 (2) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 $ Sallow Cirrhia icteritia
- *1 $ Sallow Cirrhia icteritia
Flies:
- 1 male and 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii: on different lamp poles!
- 1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 fly Tephrochlamys rufiventris or similar
- 1 male and 1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii: on different lamp poles!
- 1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 fly Tephrochlamys rufiventris or similar
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- *1 female European Cranefly Tipula paludosa: in the jaws of a spider
- 1 male midge sp.
- *1 female European Cranefly Tipula paludosa: in the jaws of a spider
- 1 male midge sp.
Slugs, snails etc.:
- *1 Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii
- *1 Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 29 spiders: usual suspects including
*Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Noted later elsewhere:
- 29 spiders: usual suspects including
*Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
Noted later elsewhere:
Bees, wasps, etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: again at least 8 around the nest
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: again at least 8 around the nest
Bugs:
- *leafhopper, possibly Lindbergina aurovittata
- *leafhopper, possibly Lindbergina aurovittata
Flies:
- a very few unidentified flies
- a very few unidentified flies
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *probable Velvet Mite Eutrombidium rostratus
My first sighting of 15 Eurasian Wigeon and the best the camera could manage at 06:50. On the top two in the middle the white area on the forewing of adult drakes of this species can just about be seen.
All 27 birds leaving. Were they all Eurasian Wigeon? Probably. If so this is by far the largest number I have ever recorded here.
- *probable Velvet Mite Eutrombidium rostratus
With trees as a background it is clear that there are seven adult drakes in the group.
I then found these six on the water with #2 and #6 from the left clearly adult drakes.
Thank you to Tom Lowe for pointing out that the birds circled in red are in fact 14 Teal
A lone Lapwing flies over. Only my third record of this much declined species this year.
This moth was resting on vegetation under the lit street lamps. It took much editing to expose the detailed patterning to allow me to conclude it is a Sallow Cirrhia icteritia. It is moth species #91 here this year: this equals last year's final species tally. Most specimens of this moth are more heavily marked and easier to ID. At this time of year there are several species of "sallow" moth active, all with predominately yellow colouration.
A tiny leafhopper, possibly Lindbergina aurovittata. There are many similar species.
A Tawny Soil Slug Arion owenii I found on one wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
A milder morning and many more insects etc. found
Moths: [46 species here before today; no addition]
- none
- none
Flies:
- *1 probably Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 37 midges of various species
- *1 probably Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 37 midges of various species
Arthropods:
- 4 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
- 4 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 15 spiders including
*Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata.
- 15 spiders including
*Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata.
The only spider that posed for a photo was this Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:20
(224th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- very confusing: now ten Mute Swans.
- significant arrival of Tufted Duck since yesterday.
- just two adult and one juvenile Great Crested Grebes confirmed.
- a Grey Wagtail in the middle of Derwent Drive briefly.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 16 Jackdaws: fifteen of these together
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese
- 10 Mute Swans
- 29 (20♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 29 (7?♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens again
- 91 Coots
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants
- no Grey Heron
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita: sixth day
- 1 Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita: sixth day
Bees, wasps etc.
- Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
- Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 $$ probable Long-jawed Orb-web spider Pachygnatha listeri
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
The only thing to trouble the camera here was this small spider. I found it on a street lamp pole. Obsidentify was 99% sure it is Long-jawed Orb-web spider Pachygnatha listeri. It does not look much like the only photo on the NatureSpot web site though there are very similar photos so-labelled from a Google search. A new species for me.
(Ed Wilson)
- *1 $$ probable Long-jawed Orb-web spider Pachygnatha listeri
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
(Ed Wilson)
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2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)