10.0°C > 11.0°C: Mostly overcast with a very few light showery bursts. Clearing somewhat after 10:00. Moderate westerly wind gusting fresh at times. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:58
* = 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: 05:45 – 08:55
(262nd visit of the year)
Bird notes
Very quiet. No Wood Pigeon passage and fewer gulls on the water.
Other bird notes:
- *a trio of Shoveler noted: two drakes.
- an increase in the number of Tufted Duck present
- no Little Grebe found. Perhaps it saw me before I saw it.
- after the early arriving Black-headed Gulls had begun to disperse I visited the football field area. Initially there was none on what I term the football field – the fenced off area: but there was, unusually, 87 on the academy's own pitch inside their grounds. These flushed off (reason not known) and 69 then settled on the football field for a while.
- another high count of Jackdaws: some were passing low to the East; others high to the West. Very confusing.
- a Reed Bunting was seen to leave the south-side reeds soon after dawn and fly off West.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 12 Canada Geese: westbound together
- *114 Greylag Geese: all westbound: 113 more or less together in small groups and skeins. A lone bird a few minutes later
- *2 mainly white feral geese in with one of the Greylag groups
- 1 drake Goosander
- 16 Wood Pigeons only
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.400 Jackdaws
- 41 Rooks only
- 2 Pied Wagtails: singles
- 1 Siskin
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- *3 (2♂) Shoveler
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 25 (>8♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 55 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- c.185 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: c.175 before 06:55: 11 after 07:45
- 1 Grey Heron
Warblers recorded
None
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea
- 5 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
- *1 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea
- 5 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
Flies:
- *4 flies of different species perhaps including one Suillia pallida.
- *4 flies of different species perhaps including one Suillia pallida.
Bugs:
- *1 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius
- *1 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Noted later elsewhere:
on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ:
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Noted later elsewhere:
on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ:
Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
on the Teece Drive fence
- 1 cranefly Tipula pagana
on the Teece Drive fence
Bugs:
- *1 $ Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus
A small skein of geese. The upper six are Greylag Geese and the lower two birds are feral geese with different amounts of white.
Little more than a record shot of the three Shoveler, two of them drakes with the right-most bird not yet in full breeding plumage. He may be a first-winter bird.
My second Narrow-winged Grey moth Eudonia angustea here this year: the last one back in August. It does not look very "grey", more brown. The markings fit this species as does the flight period.
...This fly. I think I have probably logged this species as the Muscid fly Phaonia pallida. I am now sure it isn't that species as it is too slender. Quite what it is though requires more research.
Another fly I cannot identify. It seems to have a slight bulge in the leading edge of the wing which would point to a species of Muscid fly in the genus Phaonia. However the sheen on the abdomen is reminiscent of one of the blowflies in the Calliphora family.
And another! The only strong suggestion from any my apps was for the House-fly Musca domestica. It is not that species because the wing venation is very different and the wings here are brown tinged and not clear.
This may, just may, be Suillia pallida. I have seen similar species all with dark markings in the wings. This species, as its scientific name hints, lacks markings. Then again I may be in the wrong family completely!
On somewhat safer ground with this Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus. This species has very short red-brown wings that cover only a small part of the abdomen. The wings are "micropterous" and too small for flight. This bug is an arboreal species feeding on aphids etc. in the canopy. So quite what it was doing on the Teece Drive fence is hard to say. I guess if you were on a leaf that has fallen off then you need to climb up anything that looks likely to get you back to the food.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Low numbers: the wind was whistling through the tunnel.
(257th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- twelve Mute Swans including the first winter bird again.
- a pair of (Common) Teal was still tucked up against the island. The drake and duck were seen on separate occasions between all the geese.
- *now at least five drake Goosander.
- the Little Grebe was not seen here either.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Sparrowhawk
Noted on / around the water:
- >40 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- >34 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- no mainly white feral geese
- 12 Mute Swans: see notes
- 27 (19♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 11 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- *36 (5♂) Goosander: see notes
- 9 Moorhens again
- 90 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: first- and second-winter
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around the area:
- *1 $ Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus
A fly advancing on one of the five November Moth types that were on the street lamp posts here....
A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Low numbers: the wind was whistling through the tunnel.
Moths:
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: day eleven
- 1 Mottled Umber Erranis defoliaria: day eleven
Flies:
- 11 midges of various species
- 11 midges of various species
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 spiders
- *1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
- 2 spiders
- *1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
It is not often I find the harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis in the tunnel. Identify by the combination of pale stripe down the back and the abrupt change in length width c.40% down every leg.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:00 – 10:20
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:00 – 10:20
(257th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- twelve Mute Swans including the first winter bird again.
- a pair of (Common) Teal was still tucked up against the island. The drake and duck were seen on separate occasions between all the geese.
- *now at least five drake Goosander.
- the Little Grebe was not seen here either.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Sparrowhawk
Noted on / around the water:
- >40 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- >34 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- no mainly white feral geese
- 12 Mute Swans: see notes
- 27 (19♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Common Teal
- 11 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- *36 (5♂) Goosander: see notes
- 9 Moorhens again
- 90 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: first- and second-winter
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- *5 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
all in squirrel alley
- *5 November Moth types Epirrita sp.
all in squirrel alley
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >25 wasps: only Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris specifically identified
- >25 wasps: only Common Wasps Paravespula vulgaris specifically identified
Four-winged flies:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
Fungus:
- *perhaps Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum
- *perhaps Root Rot Heterobasidion annosum
A Goosander moulting from a brownhead in to a drake. The wispy crest is even more wispy as it replaced by the drake's short bottle-green feathering. There were five obvious drakes today, more than I have seen here for many years. Brownheads always dominate.
Two brownhead Goosanders fly off. These are ducks, either adults or immatures. Immature drakes have the white panel in the inner wing extending across the width of the wing though it is greyer in immatures.
They have colourful feet and legs. Rather strange as most fish have good colour vision and could spot them easily.
Crows are not quite as "all black" as they are portrayed in literature. Many of the feathers have thin white fringes.
November Moth types can be hard to spot against the street lamp poles. I did some checking as to what species they might be using the data on the West Midlands Moths "flying tonight" tab. There there are 2537 unassigned to specific identity: 857 as "real" November Moths Epirrita dilutata: 77 as Pale November Moth E. christyi and 42 as Autumnal Moth E. autumnata. The fourth species in the group, Small Autumnal Moth E. filigrammaria, is a moorland species which flies in August.
A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea. I have not seen any as yet starting to turn brown so as it be less conspicuous while they over-winter as adults.
One of two photos I took of fungus that were close together. Showing the photos to Obsidentify produced different, but confident, identities. This is perhaps Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum
While this is perhaps Root Rot Heterobasidion annosum. This seems less likely because, as the name suggests, it rots the roots of trees. NatureSpot describes it as forming large brackets. Both are growing here on trees felled ("thinned") by the council last year. I must keep an eye on how the fungus develops.
(Ed Wilson)
- *perhaps Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum
- *perhaps Root Rot Heterobasidion annosum
A Carrion Crow tucking in to yesterday's left-overs.
Down the hatch it goes.
(Ed Wilson)
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Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull
1000+ large gulls
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
11 Golden Plover
2 Kingfishers
16 Reed Buntings
5 Skylarks
8 Meadow Pipits
71 Redwings
457 Fieldfare
31 Siskins
1 Linnet
4 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
40 Tufted Duck
16 Pochard
2 Ruddy Duck
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
2 Goldcrest
42 Fieldfare
Willow Tit
14 Long-tailed Tits
(Martin Adlam)
1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull
1000+ large gulls
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
11 Golden Plover
2 Kingfishers
16 Reed Buntings
5 Skylarks
8 Meadow Pipits
71 Redwings
457 Fieldfare
31 Siskins
1 Linnet
4 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
40 Tufted Duck
16 Pochard
2 Ruddy Duck
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
2 Goldcrest
42 Fieldfare
Willow Tit
14 Long-tailed Tits
(Martin Adlam)