21 Feb 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 11.0°C: Some bright intervals though no sun. More cloud later. Moderate south-westerly wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:14 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 08:35

(40th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- nine Goosanders today: two full adult and one immature drake; six brownheads. Four birds seen later in flight were probably some of these: whether they were leaving or just flying around was unclear from my vantage point. Certainly a different adult drake flew West at 08:00
- back to five (two pairs and a single) Great Crested Grebe.
- a single Black-headed Gull and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull arrived together at 06:56. A steady arrival of Black-heads followed in dribs and drabs. A second Lesser Black-backed Gull was the only other large gull on the water and none flew over until a small passage after c.07:45.
- two large groups of Jackdaws each containing at least 150 birds passed well to the East. Smaller groups flew over the water and / or over adjacent fields.
- an unusual sighting was a group of c.45 Rooks flying North at 06:35. The usual roost dispersal number was, in contrast, very low.
- three Mistle Thrushes flew East loosely together: two carried on, across Castle Farm Way; the other stopped in trees on the lake side of Castle Farm Way.
- yesterday's Reed Bunting along the South side was singing its full song today. *What was almost certainly another was giving a partial song on the North side and was then seen to fly off East..

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair flew West.
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 20 Wood Pigeons again
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Herring Gulls
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.400 Jackdaws
- c.75 Rooks
- 1 Redwing

Counts from the lake area:
- 8 Canada Geese: the resident pair with a pair and a quartet arriving.
- 8 (4♂) Mallard
- 21 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 (4♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens again
- 27 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 95 Black-headed Gulls: 78 on the water and 17 on the football field
- no Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- *2 Grey Herons: the second chased away
- *1 Great (White) Egret: arrived 06:47; departed East 07:40

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Flies:
- 2 small plumed midges
- *1 unidentified fly

Bugs:
- *1 plant bug either Drymus ryei or D. brunneus

Springtails:
- >2 globular springtails, some perhaps Dicyrtomina saundersi-type

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp.

Disappointing: I hoped the mild weather might bring out some moths.

This was about as good as it got this morning. No traffic on Castle Farm Way: it was closed!

A Grey Heron leaving after being chased away by the other one present. Note the length of the legs beyond the tail and compare...

 ...with the very long projection of the Great (White) Egret.

A disgruntled-looking male Blackbird similar to one I photographed at The Flash recently. Ostensibly an adult but with retained first-year brown primary feathers.

I hope to do better! A male Reed Bunting photographed hiding amongst twigs. An out-of-focus foreground twig blurring the bird's eye.

I can't get an ID for this fly. The best suggestion of Obsidentify was the Lesser Dung Fly Sphaerocera curvipes. There is a strong resemblance though NatureSpot suggests that this fly would not be on the wing at this date.

This is a plant bug, probably either Drymus ryei or D. brunneus.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Balancing Lake and The Flash:

I walked between the two today and noted:

On the lower pool:
- 4 Moorhens having a dispute.

On the upper pool:
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:45 – 10:25

(37th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the single Mute Swan still present.
- a group of eight Tufted Duck was seen circling over while I was inside the wooded area. I could not tell whether these were coming, going or just flying around.
- *a third Great Crested Grebe noted: one with very few head plumes.
- *a male Blackcap again at the feeding station: there were many fewer birds at the feeding station, possibly due to the milder weather?
- *only three Siskins noted: a pair as the feeders and a single in flight.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Noted on / around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- 33 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 40 (20♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- *38 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes
- 46 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-year
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
- no Cormorants
- no Grey Heron

Around the area:

Nothing else of note

"Mud, mud, glorious mud". These Mallard apparently find it delicious?

"I am the King of my Castle" - or perhaps the Queen. How can I tell?

This Great Crested Grebe seemed to be hiding away from the two birds with adult head plumes.

A close-up reveals a soggy-looking bird.

Long-tailed Tits were at the feeders....

... and in the vegetation.

I wonder what it is thinking?

A challenge: two Goldcrests were dashing about high in the trees along the shaded squirrel alley. Here is one singing.

This species shows a relatively large and staring eye.

The best of a mediocre bunch showing the "gold crest". When excited it can raise the crown feathers and then the crest looks red, inviting confusion with the scarce (in this area) Firecrest.

A chance to see the delicate feathering around the eye of a Dunnock.

A startled-looking female Blackbird, a first-year bird.

"I'm standing up straight". A male Chaffinch. The legs on this one look "clean" of parasites.

Whereas this female shows scaly growths, most obvious on it right leg.

A different female with healthy-looking legs.

Not many Siskins around this morning. A male here. "Is this my best side?"

"Or this?"

The daily male Blackcap shares the feeder with a male Siskin.

Plane of the day. A Eurocopter EC135 T2+ helicopter that is not, as you might imagine, operating for the Automobile Association but is an Air Ambulance. The red West Midlands Air Ambulance is away on annual maintenance and the company that provides the helicopters – Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore Ltd. – has brought its yellow-painted "spare" from Gloucestershire (Staverton as was) Airport to cover.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
5 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
7 Pochard
2 Tufted Duck
14 Redwing
c.600 Jackdaws
268 Rooks
17 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Greylag x Canada x ? Goose
180 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
1 Raven
2 groups of Fallow Deer.
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
1 Yellow-legged gull
(JW Reeves)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site / Buildwas
2 Caspian Gull
Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid
A leucistic Herring Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Common Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
33 Tufted Duck
8 Pochard
175 Black-headed Gulls
160 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Iceland Gull
35+ Redwing
(Martin Grant, John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
7 Goosander
1 Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

2007
Priorslee Lake
12 Tufted Ducks
2 Buzzards
2 Kestrels
1 Water Rail
269 Wood Pigeons
25 Blackbirds
11 Song Thrushes
4 Redwings
58 Magpies
140 Jackdaws
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
5 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
116 Coots
1 Water Rail
1 Great Black-backed Gull
403 Wood Pigeons
Barn Owl
228 Jackdaws
88 Rooks
1 Skylark
35 Pied Wagtails
31 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
10 Song Thrushes
1 Redwing
2 Willow Tits
16 Greenfinches
49 Siskins
2 Redpolls
13 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

20 Feb 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 6.0°C: Scattered below a medium-high overcast at dawn, the low cloud increasing later. Rain after 09:15. Moderate southerly wind. Very good visibility, less good after rain commenced.

Sunrise: 07:16 GMT

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:20 – 09:10

(39th visit of the year)

An addition to my 2026 bird species list for here. A Reed Bunting was making an effort to sing a few undistinguished notes along the South side at c.06:50 [I recorded the first song on 27 February last year]. This species has traditionally formed small winter roosts at the West end. Not this Winter. There are normally three breeding territories. These have been occupied by singing males for the last two years without any sign of successful breeding. Species #60 here this year for me.

Bird notes:
- six Goosanders today: certainly two full adults. Apparently four brownheads/ducks with none of these seeming to be the recently seen immature drake.
- back to just two pairs of Great Crested Grebe.
- the grass behind the dam is in much demand: at 06:50 there were two Canada Geese, a pair of Mallard, a Moorhen and 18 Coots feeding there.
- the first gull, a Lesser Black-back, flew straight in at 06:56. Over 20 more passed over before the main arrival of large gulls. This contained almost as many Herring Gulls as Lesser Black-backs. The first of just 17 Black-headed Gulls was not noted until 07:25.
- the Great (White) Egret arrived from the North at 06:47.
- most of the Jackdaws seen were passing very low and far to the East. Probably many overlooked / unseen. The Rooks were all flying much higher as well as closer.
- three Mistle Thrushes flew East loosely together: two carried on, across Castle Farm Way; the other stopped in trees on the lake side of Castle Farm Way.
- a Chaffinch was heard in song: my first this year [31 January was my first last year].
- also two Greenfinches were giving their nasal territorial call: I heard one on 20 January at The Flash. [I don't have a record of the first date for here in 2025].
- mobile group(s) of up to 30 Siskins were noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: a pair flew South and a pair flew West.
- 20 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 81 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>150 Jackdaws
- 173 Rooks
- 2 Mistle Thrushes
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 9 Canada Geese: the resident pair upset at three other pairs and a single arriving separately
- 12 (8♂) Mallard
- 18 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (2♂) Goosander
- 6 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 17 Black-headed Gulls
- 40 Herring Gulls
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *4 Cormorants
- *2 Grey Herons: when the second arrived it was soon chased away
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Noted on the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Flies:
- *3 small plumed midges: 2 males and 1 female

Springtails:
- *4 globular springtails, some perhaps Dicyrtomina saundersi-type

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
- *2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp.

An attempt at hand-holding a pre-dawn time exposure to show that the early cloud was at medium-high level. Must take more water with it (or perhaps I just needed coffee).

Looking West after (nominal) sunrise it looked promising. It did not stay like this.

Three of the four Cormorants present. The left-hand bird is the most-advanced in to breeding plumage I have seen here this year. In addition to the white thigh-patch there are white plumes around the throat and a small spiky crest.

One of the Grey Herons being chased away. The bill colour indicates this is a breeding condition adult. For reasons I cannot explain my erstwhile defunct Sony RX10 camera started working again when I checked it last evening. Fingers crossed.

As usual the Siskins were high up in the trees against what was by now a lowering sky with spits of rain. A male here.

One of four small plumed midges on the street lamp poles: this, with feathered antennae, is a male.

A Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius closing in on a globular springtail. The spider looks smaller than usual but I guess all spider have to start as spiderlings from an egg and gradually grow (by eating springtails?).

And a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. also closing in on a springtail. A larger springtail to its right.

A few seconds later and the first springtail seems to have gone!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:20

(36th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the single Mute Swan still present: again it did not come close-enough for me to check its sex / any ring.
- did I overlook the drake Pochard yesterday? a drake was present today.
- two Great Crested Grebes again: both of them had head plumes.
- *just a male Blackcap with other species at the feeding station. The arrival of the refuse cart saw the birds disperse (the rain did not help!)
- *>30 Siskins again seen both on the feeders and in the trees.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 3 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 22 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan
- *33 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 20 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *21 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: both (near?) adults
- no Cormorants
- no Grey Heron

Of note around the area:

Nothing else

Food!! Five Black-headed Gulls try to steal the bread from a trio of Mallard (two drakes).

"You'll choke!"

I am not sure how the first-winter Black-headed Gull is going to cope with its prize. Another first-winter is anxious to help.

Another first-winter Black-headed Gull giving a good view of the feather tracts in the wing. This bird seems to have replaced two of its black-tipped tail feathers. I suspect the original feathers were damaged and regrown as adult feathers. The moult would not normally happen until June time.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker. With red on the nape this is a male. Nice red trousers.

Just a male Blackcap...

....visited the feeders while I was there. As noted the arrival of a refuse lorry and the operatives saw the birds go in to cover.

A female Blackbird. Some individuals, as here, show rufous tones. This bird may be a first year bird: the bill is not all-yellow (never as bright as the male); and her pale yellow eye-ring is barely visible.

A Song Thrush started by looking for food dropped off the feeders but...

...then decided to visit the feeders. I cannot recall this shy species visiting feeders too often in the past.

Do I need to say – a Robin.

A male Siskin on one of the feeders.

A messy eater.

And a female.

Another female shares the feeder with a Blue Tit.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
5 Pochard
7 Tufted Duck
13 Redwings
227 Jackdaws
172 Rooks
Meadow Pipit
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Pochard
174 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
29 Wigeon
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves, John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
2 Goosander
Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

Horsehay Pool
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(JW Reeves)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Kumlien's Gull
(Peter Wilson/Dawn Balmer )

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Pochard
13 Tufted Ducks
1 Curlew
c.620 Black-headed Gulls
68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
146 Wood Pigeons
34 Robins
18 Blackbirds
15 Song Thrushes
8 Redwings
193 Jackdaws
101 Rooks
12 Greenfinches
11 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Cormorants
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
122 Coots
963 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
14 Greenfinches
62 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)