9.0°C: Overcast again, once more somewhat higher than yesterday. Light easterly wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:36 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 had to leave early which may explain why I did not see any significant Autumn passage.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:05
(250th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- a visiting pair of Mute Swans were still being chased around when I departed.
- an even larger number of Black-headed Gulls today with c.550 noted by 07:20.
- slightly more Lesser Black-backed Gulls with >100 having arrived by 07:15. These soon departed. After 08:00 at least 50 more arrived and this was the only period when I noted any Herring Gulls among them.
- a trio of Barn Swallows heading South at 08:25 is my latest date for this species, though I only started noting the "last dates" of Summer visitors in 2020.
- on sound there was the first sign of the usual Magpie roost developing in the north-west trees.
- at least one Skylark was heard calling overhead in the dark at 06:25.
- no Song Thrushes heard singing today.
- two calling Chiffchaffs with single birds calling on both the North and South side.
I had another go with Merlin around the Teece Drive gate area. I was hearing Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks, Blackbird and Goldfinches. Merlin confirmed all those and wanted to add Marsh Tit (possible: a pair have been around the area this Summer); Blackcap (again possible although most have gone or stopped calling: Merlin was most insistent about this); and Song Thrush (the calls of this species are very quiet). I either need a new pair of ears or a new app!
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: East together
- *90 Greylag Geese: West together
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Black-headed Gulls: very high south-east
- 1 Herring Gull
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- >150 Jackdaws
- 171 Rooks
- 1 Skylark: heard only
- 10 Starlings: together
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese: arrived together
- *4 Mute Swans: two arrived together
- 24 (14♂) Mallard
- 9 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens again
- 38 Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.550 Black-headed Gulls
- *15 Herring Gulls
- *>150 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and departed
- 2 Grey Herons throughout
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- *9 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- *1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
- *9 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
Flies:
- *1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *3 aphids
- *1 midge
- *1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- *3 aphids
- *1 midge
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- *8 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 male harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli
- *8 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- *1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- *1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 37 spiders: usual suspects
Noted later elsewhere:
- 37 spiders: usual suspects
Noted later elsewhere:
Bees, wasps, etc.:
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: the nest site remains active
- European Hornet Vespa crabro: the nest site remains active
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Strange behaviour among the Mallard at the moment. They are feeding with bills more or less horizontal and just under the surface in the manner typical of Shoveler. Mallard lack the specialised bill structure that allows Shoveler to filter-feed on morsels suspended in the water.
When in flight from above there is an unexpected amount of white on the upper-wings of Great Crested Grebes.
A "classic" first-winter Herring Gull: pale inner primaries; only one line of dark-centred feathers along the inner trailing edge of the wing (the secondary feathers – Lesser Black-backed Gull also has dark-centred secondary coverts); a smudgy tail-band and spotting on the upper-tail.
It is the lower of the two birds here. The pale inner primaries show from the underside as well. The upper bird is none too clear but I would judge a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull with pale on the inner primaries only visible when the wing is fully spread and the inner webs are exposed.
A Common Plume moth Emmelina monodactyla. There was one on this street lamp pole three days ago and two the day before yesterday. I searched yesterday and failed to see any and now one pops up again.
What I assume to be a female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii though I now read that a few males also do not show the dark wing tips.
This moth fly Psychodidae sp. was the only creature other than 37 spiders that I could find on the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ.
It is nagging at the back of my mind that I have identified this midge previously and now I cannot. It is distinct in having a shade toward the back of the wings and a spot at the mid-point.
One of three aphids on the street lamp poles. I cannot suggest anything other that the winged stage of "blackfly aphid".
This spider, a Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis, is one of the easier spiders to identify with its blunt face and pale stripe down its cephalothorax (the front bit of spiders as what would otherwise be a head and a thorax are fused)
Another harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus that has lost two legs and also, apparently, one of its long, forked pedipalps unless it has, unusually, tucked it under.
Also six-legged with both pedipalps present this one was trying to camouflage itself using the knotholes on the Teece Drive fence.
One of no fewer than eight harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis on various street lamp poles in the dark. All gone later.
A cheat here and not included in the tables above. This spider, Lepthyphantes minutus, was on my front door when I arrived home. Over to NatureSpot: "Despite its specific name 'minutus' is one of the largest money spiders. There are two very similar Lepthyphantes species..."
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 6 spiders: usual suspects
(Ed Wilson)
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Not much in the way of Autumn colours as yet, not helped by the very flat light this morning.
I made it 90 Greylag Geese flying West in several concurrent groups. I think 30 here...
...eight more...
...and the other 52 – always assuming I did not miss or overlap any of the groups.
The two visiting Mute Swans.
The residents were not happy.
Very unhappy! It is relatively unusual for both the residents to immediately join forces to repel invaders.
I will have to "let this one go". One the water this adult gull seemed to have a mantle that was darker than a Herring Gull and suggested Yellow-legged Gull. The tone of the mantle is very dependent on the angle of the light so I thought a flight shot might help as the dark area on the wing-tip of the two species is subtly different. Possibly too subtle for this photo. The extent of the black looks good as do the three white tips to the primaries seen on the right wing. But the extent of white on the outer primary is unconvincing and perhaps most importantly the streaking on the head is most unlike an adult Yellow-legged Gull.
The only November Moth type Epirrita sp. within easy reach this morning was this very plain specimen.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Moths:
None
Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 33 midges of various species
- 1 unidentified aphid sp.
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 33 midges of various species
- 1 unidentified aphid sp.
Arthropods:
None
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 6 spiders: usual suspects
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Nedge Hill
2 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Gulls
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
87 Tufted Ducks
1 Kingfisher
23 Pied Wagtails
32 Robins
12 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
11 Redwings
c.130 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
2 Fieldfare
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Gulls
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
87 Tufted Ducks
1 Kingfisher
23 Pied Wagtails
32 Robins
12 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
11 Redwings
c.130 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)