30 Nov 16


The Flash: 10:15 – 10:40

1°C > 3°C: Increasing cloud chased the frost away. Calm / light SW wind. Good visibility

Unable to get down early today. Hoped that the frost and ice might have brought some visitors: it didn't!

(120th visit of the year)

There was >90% ice today with only a small area of open water at the W side of the island

 The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 26 (17♂) Mallard
- 6 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- no Goosanders
- 3 Grey Herons
- 4 Moorhens again
- 13 Coots again
- 51 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again again

I’ll have to have strong words with the camera. I took this shot with the intention of a caption something like “there: Lesser Black-backed Gulls DO have yellow legs”. However the legs may have looked yellow in the binoculars but they do not here. Who said the camera never lies!

They don’t here either though the legs look less pink than the feet. Note the difference in leg and bill colour on the two Black-headed Gulls. The back bird is almost certainly a 1st winter bird but we cannot be sure unless we can see the wing pattern.

A rare case of a truce between these two Grey Herons: it did not last long! Note that both birds are standing on just one leg – a very normal posture.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake: 10:50 – 12:05
Location

(161st visit of the year)

No noticeable ice despite The Flash being more or less iced over

Notes from today
- a second pair of Gadwall also new in
- a drake Teal new in: I thought I glimpsed a 2nd bird but was unable to locate it in the reeds later
- same drake Shoveler as the past two days, still well away from the long-staying duck

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 30 (16♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Shovelers again
- 8 (6♂) Pochard
- 106 (52♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes remain
- 8 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls

My only contribution today is this flying Great Crested Grebe.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool
Location

The immature drake Velvet Scoter is still present. Via BirdGuides Here
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On this day in ...........
2012
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
3 Gadwall
1 duck Goldeneye
1750 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
370 Black-headed Gulls
76 Herring Gulls
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
Redpoll
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood / Martin Grant)

 Holmer Lake
3 Goosander
1 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

 Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
11 Yellow-legged Gulls
An adult Caspian Gull
3,000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30-40 Waxwings
2 Common Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

 2010
Madeley
3 Waxwings
(Pete Nickless)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
20 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
6 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>1050 Black-headed Gulls
451 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
188 Wood Pigeons
18 Blackbirds
166 Fieldfares
62 Redwings
187 Jackdaws
80 Rooks
4 Siskin
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

 2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon again
3 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
215 Coot
4000 Black-headed Gulls
2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Fieldfare
1 Sky Lark
168 Jackdaws
72 Rooks.
19 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)