9.0°C > 12.0°C: Another mostly overcast morning. A few blue holes too small to let the sun through. Light and variable breeze. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:40 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: 05:50 – 09:35
(252nd visit of the year)
New Bird Species
*Another addition to my Balancing Lake 2025 bird list. What I know as a Ring-necked Parakeet flew East c.09:10 as noisily as usual. Merlin knows this species as Rose-ringed Parakeet. This species is not native to the UK but is fully established as a breeding species in the UK. The largest population is in the Greater London area with substantial numbers near-by in Birmingham suburbs. Species #104.
Bird notes:
- Just 8 Canada Geese were on the water pre-dawn, departing to the East later. A single flew in and out several times later.
- *the current daily party of Greylag Geese contained 88? birds flying West. Later a single bird flew East and presumably the same bird flew West a minute or so later.
- a single adult Mute Swan flew in from the West just as I was leaving. The residents were "on the case".
- just one pair and a *lone duck Gadwall were noted.
- new was a pair and also *a single drake Shoveler
- different gull behaviour today. The first Lesser Black-backed Gull appeared at 07:02, none of the early arrivals wishing to settle on the water and over 75 moving on. The first 150 or so Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:20 and these too were reluctant to settle until over 500 of the eventual c.750 had arrived. Then some of the big gulls were brave-enough to settle as well.
- there was a larger than usual arrival of both Herring and Lesser-black-backs later, perhaps birds that had "missed out" earlier.
- today's number of Black-headed Gulls was even larger than yesterday. I estimated at least 700 by 07:25.
- after yesterday's Cormorant bonanza I saw but a single bird today.
- a single Starling came from a roost between the lake and the M54!
- at least one Siskin was in West end Alders.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- *88? Greylag Geese: 88? West together; a single East and then West
- 1 Stock Dove
- 12 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Black-headed Gull: very high south-east
- 107 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: many of these early birds that failed to visit
- *1 Ring-necked Parakeet
- 9 Starlings: together
- 163 Jackdaws
- 155 Rooks
- 2 Meadow Pipits
Counts from the lake area:
- 9 Canada Geese: 8 departed; 1 arrived and departed twice
- 3 Mute Swans: see notes
- *3 (2♂) Shoveler
- *3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 28 (>13♂) Mallard
- 3 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.750 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Herring Gulls
- c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived and both then stayed
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *19(!!) November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- in addition another moth was seen in flight only: almost certainly another November Moth type
- *19(!!) November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- in addition another moth was seen in flight only: almost certainly another November Moth type
Springtails:
- *1 globular springtail, species not determined.
- *1 globular springtail, species not determined.
Flies:
- *1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 male midge Psectrotanypus varius
- 4 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- *1 female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- *1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- *1 male midge Psectrotanypus varius
- 4 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
Beetles:
- 1 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
- *1 $$ Clover Weevil Sitona hispidulus
- 1 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
- *1 $$ Clover Weevil Sitona hispidulus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 other spider
- *1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 3 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 other spider
- *1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 3 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted on the walls of the sailing club HQ pre-dawn:
Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 35 spiders: usual suspects
Noted later elsewhere:
- 35 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.:
- *1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
"Record shot!". A drake Shoveler, just about identifiable. The pair were a long, lone way away and even I would be embarrassed to show the photos I took.
Similar pose, different species. The bill colour surely means this is a duck Gadwall. There is just a hint of the white speculum showing. The back feathers are darker-centred than they would be on a duck Mallard and the flank feathers are also differently arranged. I am pleased to be able to examine this in detail. This bird looked to be Mallard-sized and I would have passed it off as such had it not been for the bill.
Even as "record shots" go this is pretty naff. A Ring-necked Parakeet flying in to the middle distance. Rose-ringed Parakeet if you prefer.
I had to double-check that this was one of the nineteen – gulp – November Moth types Epirrita sp. today. The wings looked more rounded than usual. Seems that the females in this group do have subtly different-shaped wings.
On the left is one of the many species of globular springtail. It would need a much better photo than this to stand a chance of an identity. On the right is, I think, one of the moth flies Psychodidae sp. that rest with wings folded over their backs.
This springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis was the only creature I found on the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn apart from 35 hopeful spiders hanging in their webs.
This splendid little creature is a male midge Psectrotanypus varius. The female lacks the plumed antennae and has a shorter abdomen that does reach the tip of her folded wings, giving her a very different appearance.
It is nagging away. I am sure I have seen and identified this fly previously. I'll sleep on it (and forget all about it by morning!)
A new creature for my Priorslee log. It is a Clover Weevil Sitona hispidulus, though it is only Obsidentify that gives it a vernacular name. Plenty of clover in the area. This beetle over-winters as an adult and the spikes on the elytra tend to wear away making identification more of a challenge later in he Winter.
A Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp. with the characteristic bulge on the tip of its abdomen common to all members of the genus.
Plane of the day #1. It is a Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP which is essentially a six-seat version of the familiar four-seat Piper PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Warrior series. It boasts a retractable undercarriage for greater speed. The Bradford owner was...
(249th visit of the year)
New Bird Species
An addition bird species for my 2025 list from here. At least two Lesser Redpoll were heard in flight overhead. Bird species #76 here. The redpoll complex has been the subject of much debate with the various forms sometimes being regarded as sub-species and sometime raised to full species status with names being invented for these "new" species. Latest thinking is they are all the same species and which single vernacular name to use is still "under consideration". Depending when your Field Guide was written the birds we see may be called Common Redpoll, Lesser Redpoll or Mealy Redpoll.
Other bird notes:
- 11 Mute Swans for certain. Were two more always lurking "the other side" of the island?
- as I arrived four brownhead Goosanders flew around. I do not know whether they were coming, going or flying around. I have not included them in the count. Neither have I included five brownheads seen sitting on the island as I was about to leave: I suspect they were birds that I had already counted on the water.
- Skylark(s) again heard on six occasions overhead. Just one was seen with all the others too far away to see.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Jackdaw
- 6+ Skylarks: see notes
- 2+ Lesser Redpoll: see notes
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese again
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 11 Mute Swans: see notes
- 36 (24♂) Mallard
- 10 (4?♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 (2♂) Goosander: see notes
- 8 Moorhens
- 97 Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls: two adults and three immatures
- 9 Cormorants
- *1 Grey Heron
Noted around the area:
A harvestman Opilio canestrinii. For some reason common here and in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel though I have yet to record one at the Balancing Lake this year. A seven-legged individual.
Plane of the day #2: this a Diamond Aircraft DA 42 NG Twin Star registered to the company Twinstar4Hire Ltd. of Beaconsfield....
....but the call-sign indicates it is being operated by Leading Edge Aviation, a pilot-training company with a base at Oxford. I am pleased it is pilot-training: if was navigator-training I would worry that they appear to be lost getting between Oxford and Gloucester!
(Ed Wilson)
- *1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Greylag Geese: 88 I reckon!
A (distant) adult Great Crested Grebe wrestles with its breakfast.
A perky little fellow. A Pied Wagtail of course.
A different view of a November Moth type showing the rarely visible underwing and abdomen.
A female Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii.
I am currently seeing this fly, Dryomyza anilis, most mornings.
This is, I assume, a fly. I cannot even suggest the family to which it might belong. Any ideas anyone?
One of three Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius around the lit street lamps.
Obsidentify assures me this is a Walnut Orb Weaver spider Nuctenea umbratica
I cannot get any identity for this other spider.
A male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. No doubt about the oculum being black here.
On the Teece Drive fence a harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus – a six-legged specimen.
...flying it from Leeds/Bradford Airport, avoiding all the Jet2 holiday flights. The destination is shown here as unknown on FlightRadar24 (FR24). As it was flying below cloud under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) then it had no need to file a Flight Plan and FR24 won't know where it is going until it gets there. It was Cornwall Airport (or Newquay – RAF St. Mawgan as was). Back in the early 1960s this aircraft had an illustrious owner - Lord Howard de Walden.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
- *1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria
Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 77 midges of various species
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
- 77 midges of various species
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 5 spiders only: usual suspects
- 5 spiders only: usual suspects
My first Mottled Umber moth Erranis defoliaria of the year, a species that flies through Winter and with which I usually start the year's moth log. Not in 2025. This is an uncommon specimen that is both mottled and umber: many are shades of yellow and lack much in the way of mottling. The distinctive wavy cross-line and the black dot in each forewing is a consistent identification feature. This is moth species #49 in the tunnel for me this year. Will I make 50?
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:40 – 10:50
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:50
(249th visit of the year)
New Bird Species
An addition bird species for my 2025 list from here. At least two Lesser Redpoll were heard in flight overhead. Bird species #76 here. The redpoll complex has been the subject of much debate with the various forms sometimes being regarded as sub-species and sometime raised to full species status with names being invented for these "new" species. Latest thinking is they are all the same species and which single vernacular name to use is still "under consideration". Depending when your Field Guide was written the birds we see may be called Common Redpoll, Lesser Redpoll or Mealy Redpoll.
Other bird notes:
- 11 Mute Swans for certain. Were two more always lurking "the other side" of the island?
- as I arrived four brownhead Goosanders flew around. I do not know whether they were coming, going or flying around. I have not included them in the count. Neither have I included five brownheads seen sitting on the island as I was about to leave: I suspect they were birds that I had already counted on the water.
- Skylark(s) again heard on six occasions overhead. Just one was seen with all the others too far away to see.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Jackdaw
- 6+ Skylarks: see notes
- 2+ Lesser Redpoll: see notes
Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese again
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 11 Mute Swans: see notes
- 36 (24♂) Mallard
- 10 (4?♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 (2♂) Goosander: see notes
- 8 Moorhens
- 97 Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes yet again
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls: two adults and three immatures
- 9 Cormorants
- *1 Grey Heron
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- *2 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- *2 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- 1 Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
Bugs:
- *1 Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea
- *1 Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
I would judge this to be an immature Great Crested Grebe showing a remnant of the juvenile face-stripes.
Is this the same bird? I really cannot be sure but I think so. Here the beginning of the neck plumes is more prominent than the remnant face stripes, if any.
A Grey Heron trying to look inconspicuous. How did it get there? They must be more agile than they look.
One of two November Moth types Epirrita sp. here. This one at the top end. Another was in what I call squirrel alley.
Another Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea. I think my fourth this year: I also think it was only last year that I recorded my first-ever.
- *1 harvestman Opilio canestrinii
(Ed Wilson)
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2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
3 Wigeon
12 Pochard
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)
2008
Priorslee Lake
182 Wood Pigeons
10 Skylarks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kingfisher
21 Wrens
11 Dunnocks
38 Robins
22 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
139 Redwings
30 Starlings
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
3 Wigeon
12 Pochard
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)
2008
Priorslee Lake
182 Wood Pigeons
10 Skylarks
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
84 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kingfisher
21 Wrens
11 Dunnocks
38 Robins
22 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
139 Redwings
30 Starlings
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)