13.0°C: Dullsville. Overcast with patchy light rain from time to time. Fresh southerly wind. Very good visibility except while raining.
Sunrise: 07:13 GMT
* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area
Not a day for getting accurate counts. Dull and breezy with some things presumed to be hiding, especially at the more exposed Balancing Lake.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:30
(270th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- unusual was a male Pheasant walking past the Telford Sailing Club HQ before flying over my head to disappear in to the small copse in the south-east area.
- two pairs of Gadwall noted.
- all the gulls spent ages circling around after they first appeared overhead at 06:35. Lower than usual numbers eventually settled for their early visit. Higher numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls visited later.
- a small Starling roost noted with 24 birds leaving the north-east reeds.
- at least 50 Goldfinches were again in trees alongside Castle Farm Way today accompanied by a few Siskins.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Greylag Geese: westbound together
- 21 Wood Pigeons: no migrant groups
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 549 Jackdaws
- 116 Rooks
- 2 Redwings
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 24 Starlings
Counts from the lake area:
- *2 Mute Swans
- *4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 14 (9♂) Mallard
- 38 (18?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 27 Herring Gulls
- c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: c.125 early: c.175 after 08:00
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Not much: wet from overnight rain
Moths:
- one seen in flight only
- one seen in flight only
Flies:
- *4 flies of different species
- *4 flies of different species
Bugs:
- 1 unidentified leafhopper: same species as yesterday?
- 1 unidentified leafhopper: same species as yesterday?
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli / rotundum
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted later all on the Teece Drive fence:
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli / rotundum
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis
Noted later all on the Teece Drive fence:
Flies:
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana
- *1 cranefly Tipula pagana
Bugs:
- *1 Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus
- *1 Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus
Beetles:
- *1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- *1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
On the left two pairs of Gadwall. Only part of the head of the duck of the right-hand pair is visible. One of the Mute Swan pair in a "no publicity" pose.
I can identify this cranefly as Tipula pagana. Another individual holding its antennae back over its head and thorax.
If this Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus is trying to get back in the canopy it is going the wrong way about it.
A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis of the form succinea looks to be contemplating whether it can hide under a nail in the Teece Drive fence.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
(265th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- only four Mute Swans seen.
- the pair of (Common) Teal still here
- *even more Goosander and scattered all around the water. Significantly more drakes.
- Coot numbers seem to be low. Last year there were c.150 here at this date though numbers declined thereafter.
- *the Little Egret again.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- >48 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- >18 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- 2 mainly white feral geese: other(s) inside the island?
- 4 Mute Swans
- 23 (16♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) (Common) Teal
- *7 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- *63 (9♂) Goosander: maybe more
- 8 Moorhens
- 66 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *34 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Herring Gulls: all immatures
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two (near) adults
- *5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Little Egret
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted around the area:
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Fly #1 on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn.
Fly #2: ditto.
Fly #3: ditto.
Fly #4 – well actually probably a midge and one of the smallest I have seen.
This harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus reaches a new low: just four legs.
Seven legs on this one.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 4 midges only
- 4 midges only
Arthropods:
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 9 spiders: usual species
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:35 – 10:55
- 9 spiders: usual species
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:55
(265th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- only four Mute Swans seen.
- the pair of (Common) Teal still here
- *even more Goosander and scattered all around the water. Significantly more drakes.
- Coot numbers seem to be low. Last year there were c.150 here at this date though numbers declined thereafter.
- *the Little Egret again.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- >48 Canada Geese: more inside the island?
- >18 Greylag Geese: more inside the island?
- 2 mainly white feral geese: other(s) inside the island?
- 4 Mute Swans
- 23 (16♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) (Common) Teal
- *7 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- *63 (9♂) Goosander: maybe more
- 8 Moorhens
- 66 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *34 Black-headed Gulls
- 11 Herring Gulls: all immatures
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two (near) adults
- *5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Little Egret
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- none
- none
Bees, wasps etc.:
- >5 wasps: as usual only Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris specifically identified
- >5 wasps: as usual only Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris specifically identified
Springtails etc.:
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta
I now think this springtail is most likely Orchesella cincta. The species is noted to have a pale yellow band on the third abdominal segment. None of the photos for this species on the NatureSpot web site show just a single band on each of the antennae nor the pale areas on the legs. There is however a link from Google Lens that shows a specimen like this which is identified as this species.
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta
Pity the poor duck Tufted Duck on the right with six suitors.
A brownhead Goosander swims by oblivious as to what is going on alongside her. I suspect another brownhead having a wash.
This trio comprises, from the front, a drake Goosander, a brownhead Goosander and the Little Egret.
Showing the wing-feathers enables me to confirm this brownhead is a duck Goosander. On an immature drake the white wing-panel would extend across the width of the wing.
Two opportunistic first-winter Black-headed Gulls were harassing any Goosander that looked to have caught anything edible. Whatever the drake Goosander has in its bill here it hardly looks worth the effort.
This looks to be a more profitable hunt. Sadly the action is not "frozen" to be able to see what the drake Goosander has caught...
...and is seen here making off with it.
A trio of Cormorants attending to their feathers.
Some less than perfect Little Egret photos taken in dull conditions. This showing the bird in flight with its tongue out. Presumable it was calling though I do not recall hearing it do so.
A good view of the yellow feet showing that the yellow does not extend on to the back of the legs as it would if it were a New World Snowy Egret.
Another way to eliminate Snowy Egret is to check the colour of the bare skin between the eye and the bill. The difference is most noticeable when the birds are in breeding condition. On a Snowy the bare skin would be obviously yellow even at this date. This photo indicates this Little Egret is an adult as immatures show some pale colouration, often yellowish, at the base of the lower mandible.
Untidy plumes are a feature of birds outside the breeding season.
(Ed Wilson)
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2011
Priorslee Lake
Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
Yellow-legged Gull
Kingfisher
400+ Jackdaws
17 Fieldfare
7 Redwings
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
24 Pochard
81 Tufted Ducks
c.180 large gulls
5 Redwings here
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Pochard
4 Wigeon
8 Tufted
42 Mute Swan
400+ Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)
Wrekin
Firecrest
2 Brambling
(Dave Barrow / Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
650+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
134 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
450 Wood Pigeons
15 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
13 Dunnocks
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
85 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
14 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
Yellow legged Gull
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
Yellow-legged Gull
Kingfisher
400+ Jackdaws
17 Fieldfare
7 Redwings
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
24 Pochard
81 Tufted Ducks
c.180 large gulls
5 Redwings here
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)
2009
Priorslee Lake
17 Pochard
4 Wigeon
8 Tufted
42 Mute Swan
400+ Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yellow Legged Gull
(Mike Cooper)
Wrekin
Firecrest
2 Brambling
(Dave Barrow / Andy Latham)
2006
Priorslee Lake
23 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
650+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
134 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
450 Wood Pigeons
15 Pied Wagtails
18 Wrens
13 Dunnocks
25 Robins
18 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
5 Song Thrushes
85 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
14 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)