Map
Telford sunrise: 7:30am
4.5°C> 6.0°C Cloudy with occasional drizzle early and late; brief brighter spell c.08:00. Moderate SE wind, fresh at times. Moderate visibility, poor in drizzle.
Best bird was my first Linnet of the year over the lake.
(10th visit of the year)
Notes
- 2 Canada Geese on the water and SW grass were, unusually, ignored by the resident Swans
- the presumed Lesser Canada Goose ssp. again was with one of the outbound Canada Geese parties
- lower Great Crested Grebe count may have been due to poor conditions – wind keeping them inside the reeds?
- low Coot count (down c.20 on yesterday) may also be due to the poor weather rather than any departure of the wintering birds (though they have started to drift away)
- many Wood Pigeons this morning: c.70 logged flying over (these were flying high N and looked to be a migrating party); at least 75 more were in trees around the lake (usually c.30); c.80 flew E to the N in a local movement; and these seemed to be different from the c.400 in / over the trees in Wards Rough to the NE
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker: my first of the year here – I suspect the work along Teece Drive makes them reluctant their usual ‘pathway’ of the trees alongside here
- 7 of the 8 Song Thrushes logged were singing this morning: I should note that most birds are singing for only a short while and it is possible that there are fewer birds involved, singing from different locations
- a Blackbird singing again for a while
- 2 Starlings from a roost around the lake – my first Starling roost noted here this year
Counts of birds flying over the lake (therefore in addition to those on / around lake)
- 24 Greylag Geese
- 88 Canada Geese
- 1 Lesser Canada Goose ssp.
- 1 Cormorant
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 6 Feral Pigeons
- c.70 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 340 Jackdaws
- 128 Rooks
- 4 Redwings
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Linnet
Counts of birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 74 Magpies
- 2 Starlings
Redwing roost area not visited
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 10 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 26 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 9 Moorhens
- 102 Coots
- c.280 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 9:09am - 9:53am
Map
(9th visit of the year)
Notes
- 5 Shelduck seem quite happy here: nearly a week now
- 2 more drake Pochard: however some Tufted Duck moved on
- more Goosanders: and like yesterday more drakes than ducks. The drakes were chasing each other as well as the ducks and were displaying by pointing their bills to the sky while opening their wings
- a Buzzard put all the gulls up: my first at this site this year
- a Long-tailed Tit party was also, surprisingly, the first I have logged at this site this year
- no Song Thrushes in song this morning
Birds counted flying over The Flash
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Raven
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 16 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 33 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 white feral duck
- 5 (3♂) Shoveler
- 8 (5♂) Pochard
- 29 (12♂) Tufted Ducks
- 12 (8♂) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Moorhens
- 15 Coots
- 81 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
(Ed Wilson)
Notes
- 2 Canada Geese on the water and SW grass were, unusually, ignored by the resident Swans
- the presumed Lesser Canada Goose ssp. again was with one of the outbound Canada Geese parties
- lower Great Crested Grebe count may have been due to poor conditions – wind keeping them inside the reeds?
- low Coot count (down c.20 on yesterday) may also be due to the poor weather rather than any departure of the wintering birds (though they have started to drift away)
- many Wood Pigeons this morning: c.70 logged flying over (these were flying high N and looked to be a migrating party); at least 75 more were in trees around the lake (usually c.30); c.80 flew E to the N in a local movement; and these seemed to be different from the c.400 in / over the trees in Wards Rough to the NE
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker: my first of the year here – I suspect the work along Teece Drive makes them reluctant their usual ‘pathway’ of the trees alongside here
- 7 of the 8 Song Thrushes logged were singing this morning: I should note that most birds are singing for only a short while and it is possible that there are fewer birds involved, singing from different locations
- a Blackbird singing again for a while
- 2 Starlings from a roost around the lake – my first Starling roost noted here this year
Counts of birds flying over the lake (therefore in addition to those on / around lake)
- 24 Greylag Geese
- 88 Canada Geese
- 1 Lesser Canada Goose ssp.
- 1 Cormorant
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 6 Feral Pigeons
- c.70 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 340 Jackdaws
- 128 Rooks
- 4 Redwings
- 4 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Linnet
Counts of birds leaving roosts around the lake
- 74 Magpies
- 2 Starlings
Redwing roost area not visited
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 10 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 26 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 9 Moorhens
- 102 Coots
- c.280 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
(Ed Wilson)
-------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 9:09am - 9:53am
Map
(9th visit of the year)
Notes
- 5 Shelduck seem quite happy here: nearly a week now
- 2 more drake Pochard: however some Tufted Duck moved on
- more Goosanders: and like yesterday more drakes than ducks. The drakes were chasing each other as well as the ducks and were displaying by pointing their bills to the sky while opening their wings
- a Buzzard put all the gulls up: my first at this site this year
- a Long-tailed Tit party was also, surprisingly, the first I have logged at this site this year
- no Song Thrushes in song this morning
Birds counted flying over The Flash
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Raven
The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 16 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 33 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 white feral duck
- 5 (3♂) Shoveler
- 8 (5♂) Pochard
- 29 (12♂) Tufted Ducks
- 12 (8♂) Goosanders
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 6 Moorhens
- 15 Coots
- 81 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
(Ed Wilson)
2 of them in close(r)-up.
A Long-tailed Tit at The Flash.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014
2014
Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
(Observer Unknown)
-----------------------------
20122 Iceland Gulls - 2nd winter and juvenile
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)
-----------------------------
2009
2nd winter Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)
1st winter Glaucous Gull
(Geoff Holmes)
(Observer Unknown)
-----------------------------
20081st winter Glaucous Gull
(Geoff Holmes)