5 Dec 15

Priorslee Lake: 06:54 – 10:01
Location

Telford sunrise: 08:04

11.0°C > 11.5°C. Broken cloud under high overcast. Strong / gale SW wind. Good visibility. Very mild

Obviously weather affected today with the very strong wind making observation difficult and hearing anything also problematic. Sadly nothing of note ‘blown in’. Many small branches blown down and one large bough has snapped off the elderly and decaying large Ash tree just inside the Teece Drive gate

(146th visit of the year)

Notes
- now 13 (9♂) Gadwall – another new record here
- 2 drake Shoveler now back again, though a pair flew off later
- 2 Goosanders overhead pre-dawn; much later a drake fished the lake for a few minutes only
- at least 100 of the Black-headed Gulls seemed to have, unusually, roosted on the lake – they were very settled when I arrived before 07:00
- Magpie numbers again low: in the strong winds birds flying off to the N likely did so at low-level to stay out of the wind and hence could not be seen from my vantage point
- almost all Jackdaws were flying very low and ‘lake-hopping’ – never seen them do this in large numbers before
- Cetti’s Warbler not heard
- 12 Starlings left the reeds together this morning: just 3 more over
- very few Goldfinches and Siskins: those that were present must have been getting ‘branch-sick’ (or whatever) hanging on to the wildly swaying alder stems
and
- yesterday’s Mottled Umber on the same lamp but in a slightly different place

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 (1) Goosanders
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 521 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Fieldfare
- 4 Redwings (3 groups)
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Starlings (1 group)
- 12 Greenfinches
- 2 Siskins

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 40 Magpies
- 12 Starlings (1 group)
- 7 Redwings

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 13 (9♂) Gadwall
- 11 (6♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Shoveler
- 14 (9♂) Pochard
- 73 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Grey Heron
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- [1 Water Rail seen by others searching for the Cetti’s Warbler)
- 21 Moorhens only – too windy
- 230 Coots
- c.225 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls

The drake Goosander that was present on the lake for just a few minutes and then flew off W

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake

3 Gadwall.
9 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
158 Coots
9 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
27 Redwings
4 Fieldfares
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
7 Pochard
71 Tufted Duck
5 Goosander
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
5 Adult Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
36 Swans
15 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
1 Woodcock
300 Coots
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
5 Stock Doves
5 Redwings
c.35 Goldfinches
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
7 Pochard
58 Tufted Ducks
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
>2350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
20 Robins
20 Blackbirds
c.40 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
6 Redwings
2 Willow Tits
190 Jackdaws
278 Rooks
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
12 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
239 Coot
Golden Plover
c.1600 Black-headed Gulls
397 Jackdaws
261 Rooks
2 Meadow Pipits
3 Redwings
16 Robins
24 Blackbirds
62 Fieldfares
15 Wrens
2 Willow Tits
Redpolls
Siskins
(Ed Wilson)