7.0°C > 11.0°C: Clear sky apart from a layer of cloud to the far East. Light north-westerly breeze veering north-east later. Very good visibility mostly unaffected by early mist over the water.
Sunrise: 07:01 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
I only visited the Balancing Lake this morning. After 09:30 I spent nearly two hours with an environmental team from the site owners – Severn Trent – discussing the extent of the Autumn cut to be done along the South-side and their plans for the maintenance of the grass areas next year ahead of the planned introduction of a suitable wild mix to increase the plant diversity. My log only covers the period before 09:30. I did note a few Cormorants arriving/departing/flying around and a small number of large gulls arrived. Otherwise my log is complete.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:35 – 09:30
(233rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- once again the resident Mute Swans stretched their wings by flying the length of the lake.
- a group of nine "large" - Mallard-sized – ducks flew south-west at 07:20 too far away for a positive ID. They were not Goosander and almost certainly not Mallard but....
- two duck Tufted Duck were present early. A party of five (one confirmed adult drake) flew in from the East at 08:00. Later there were two ducks and a drake remaining on the water.
- another tardy arrival from the Black-headed Gulls. No more than 40 had arrived by 07:00. There was none on the football field at c.07:10 as a council truck with flashing lights was driving along the adjacent footpaths to empty the litter bins. By 07:45 I counted 128 on and around the south-west grass.
- another large arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with only a few Herring Gulls with them.
- the Tawny Owl was calling near the Priorslee Avenue tunnel again at c.05:40.
- a Skylark flew West: my first of the Autumn passage of this species.
- a tight group of c.175 Jackdaws flew low just to the East of Castle Farm Way at 06:38. I did not note any Rooks until 15 minutes later when they were, unusually, taking a line high to the West of the lake and I may well have missed some before I noticed them
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 14 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 9 unidentified ducks: see notes
- 2 Feral Pigeon: North to the East together
- 36 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 38 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Skylark
- c.190 Jackdaws
- 110 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail again
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 7 (1?♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 11 Moorhens
- 45 Coots only again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 128 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 8 Herring Gulls
- c.200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived singly and all three stayed
- 1 Grey Heron
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 $ Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria
- *1 $ Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria
Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
Flies:
- *1 unidentified white midge?
- 1 female and 3 male Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii: on different lamp poles!
- *1 unidentified white midge?
- 1 female and 3 male Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii: on different lamp poles!
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *2 Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp.
- *2 harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
- *1 harvestman Phalangium opilio
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
- *2 Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp.
- *2 harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
- *1 harvestman Phalangium opilio
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 male midge sp.
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 1 male midge sp.
- *1 cranefly Tipula confusa
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 24 spiders: usual suspects including:
*Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
Noted later elsewhere:
- 24 spiders: usual suspects including:
*Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
Noted later elsewhere:
Bees, wasps, etc.:
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *European Hornet Vespa crabro: at least 15 around the nest
- *unidentified ichneumon sp.
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *European Hornet Vespa crabro: at least 15 around the nest
- *unidentified ichneumon sp.
Flies:
- *female Muscid fly Phaonia rufiventris
- otherwise just a very few unidentified flies
"Now where has that crow gone?" Note the crow looks to have white in the wings. This is not uncommon in crows though here it could be just the angle of the sunlight making it appear to be pale. For all their apparent similarity Rooks never show white in their wings.
Jays can be very noisy: almost as if murder is being committed. They are also shy birds and getting close is difficult.
A pensive juvenile Goldfinch. Note the pointed pale bill as well as the "gold" in the wings. There is just a hint of the adult "red face" plumage appearing with a red smudge on the forehead.
This is a faded Light Emerald moth Campaea margaritaria. As with all "green" moths the colour usually fades quickly. So faded here that Obsidentify thought a Common Wave moth Cabera exanthemata, a species not flying at the moment. New for the year and my 92nd species this year here.
A springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis. Unusually if you look carefully around the end of the abdomen it is possible to see how hairy these are when fresh.
This is a Muscid fly Phaonia rufiventris. As with most species of hoverfly the females of many fly species, of which this is one, have eyes well separated. On males the eyes appear joined.
A puzzle: all-white apart from long black antennae. Obsidentify was not helpful though none of its suggestions carried a high percentage. Its top two were a harvestman (even if they do shed legs...); next the group of ermine moths, all of which have black spots on their wings. So I don't know!
A Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp. It is a while since I last saw one of this group of spiders with a distinctively shaped abdomen.
Of course like #11 buses (a London reference) when one comes along there is another right behind. This an unusually small specimen was on a wall of the sailing club HQ.
Two male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli both with a full complement of legs. Indeed the right hand individual seems to have more because...
...underneath it is another harvestman, strangely grey toned. The curved palps identify this as a harvestman Phalangium opilio.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
While the spiders are (mostly) away the flies come out to play!
- *female Muscid fly Phaonia rufiventris
- otherwise just a very few unidentified flies
A sunrise with some Autumn mist over and around the water.
It can't be much fun being a Common Buzzard having Carrion Crows harass you all the while.
European Hornets Vespa crabro are still busy flying to and from their nest site. Photos in flight as they zoom in and out are a challenge. Inbound they seem to have something black in their mouths. I have no idea what. The nest, as with wasps, comprised chewed wood mixed with saliva. Would that appear black?
Unidentified ichneumon is as far as I can go with this.
On the sailing club HQ I found this cranefly Tipula confusa.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
While the spiders are (mostly) away the flies come out to play!
Moths: [46 species here before today; no additions]
- *1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata
- *1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata
Flies:
- 2 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- *66 midges of various unidentified species
- 2 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- *66 midges of various unidentified species
Arthropods:
- *7 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
- *7 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 spiders only.
A few things from the tunnel today. A worn and faded Common Marbled Carpet moth Chloroclysta truncata.
One of many midges of various unidentified species. This one looks to be a male with long antennae but on this example these are not plumose....
Two White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger. I have no idea what the creature toward the bottom left might be. I did not notice it at the time to get a better photo of it.
A harvestman puzzle. Obsidentify was certain this was the harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. I am fairly certain it isn't. The white oculum would suggest it is L. blackwalli – the males, which this is, are not easy to separate otherwise. But I don't think it is that either as there are no photos on the internet that show either species with long pedipalps. So I don't know. It is yet another seven-legged individual!
(Ed Wilson)
- 3 spiders only.
...as they are on this one.
(Ed Wilson)