24 Jan 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:07 – 10:06
Location

Telford sunrise: 08:04

11.0°C > 12.0°C. Cloudy and dull with a few early brighter bits. Light / moderate SSW wind. Very good visibility. Very mild

(10th visit of the year)

Best today was the pair of Shoveler that may or may not have touched down, briefly

Other notes
- party of 8 Wigeon circled over but seemed even less likely than the Shoveler to land
- Little Grebes seen again today
- after weeks with almost no early arrival of Black-headed Gulls c.320 arrived in three large groups at 08:02. At least 200, presumably some of these birds, seen flying fast N away from the area at 08:25 (I was in the field around the Academy and could not see where they had come). Then >75 birds drifted in from the N after 09:45 – the same returning?
- two Kingfishers this morning
- no big roost of Starlings: a lone bird flew out of the NW reeds after 09:00 – a full hour later than the usual departure!
- in addition to the 17 Greenfinches logged flying over another 20 flushed out of the hedge alongside the new Academy (discretion means I do not to visit here while school is in session!)
- Bullfinches seen feeding on Ash keys this morning
and
- disappointed the mild weather failed to produce any moths
- however did find my first flower of the year (catkins apart): a single Meadow Buttercup

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 7 Greylag Geese (2 groups)
- 103 Canada Geese (8 groups)
- 8 (?♂) Wigeon
- ?? Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 31 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 1 Redwing
- c.290 Jackdaws
- 18 Rooks
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 17 Greenfinches
- 1 Goldfinch
- 3 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 83 Magpies
- 1 Starling
- 2 Redwings

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 7 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Shoveler
- 21 (19♂) Pochard
- 39 (17♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes
- 16 Great Crested Grebes
- 22 Moorhens
- 108 Coots
- >320 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Herring Gulls

This pair of Shoveler flew around and around. Several times they looked as if they might be landing, but not sure whether they ever did.

Less than five minutes later 8 Wigeon appeared and also circled for a while before heading off S. In the rather dull conditions I was unable to see how many drakes there were and was rather hoping these photos might help. They don’t! None of the six birds here is an adult drake which would show a large white patch on the upper-wing. Bird 1, perhaps bird 5 and just possibly bird 4 look as if they could be immature drakes. Bird 3 in particular shows the distinctive Wigeon head shape and otherwise there is rather little to be going on here.

Here we see all eight birds and the obvious white belly of Wigeon. Gadwall would be the only confusion species though we can dismiss that species as this view shows the very pointed wings typical of Wigeon.

2 Cormorants hang their wings out to dry / aid digestion of their food (delete that which does not apply: opinions are divided). The bright yellow chin patch shows that both are full adults but only the nearer bird shows the white thigh patch and head plumes of a bird in breeding condition.

My first flower here this year: a lone Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) [I could not even locate any of the umbellifers that were still flowering just before Christmas – the plants seemed to have disappeared]

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014
2014
Priorslee Lake
12 Pochard
56 Tufted Duck
1 Velvet Scoter
108 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

 The Flash
95 Tufted Ducks
4 Goosanders
9 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
31 Wigeon 
8 Gadwall 
26 Pochard 
99 Tufted Ducks 
1 Greater Scaup 
>1200 Black-headed Gulls
>2200 large gulls
(Ed Wilson)

 The Flash
23 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)

 Trench Lock Pool
1 Cormorant 
16 Swans 
2 Gadwall 
1 Shoveler 
5 Pochard 
37 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
117 Coots
96 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
38 Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

 Horsehay Pool
1 Caspian Gull
(Jim Almond)

2010
Priorslee Lake
>300 Jackdaws
36 Swans
4 Gadwall
26 Pochard
64 Tufted Ducks
315 Coots 
>300 Black-headed Gulls
39 Lesser Black-backed
28 Herring Gulls
11 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
(Jason Buckley)

2008
Priorslee Lake
120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
16 Herring Gulls
50 Black-headed Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
3 Wigeon
2 Gadwall
14 Pochard
23 Tufted Ducks
151 Coot
370 Jackdaws
118 Rooks
250 Wood Pigeon
15 Robins
14 Blackbirds
47 Siskins
3 Redpolls
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)