17 Jan 16

Priorslee Lake: 09:19 – 10:02
Location

Telford sunrise: not relevant.

0.0°C > 1.0°C. low cloud and light sleety / drizzle; light E wind; moderate / poor visibility; c.10% ice at the edges of lakes.

Very low cloud / mist / sleet at 06:45 decided me against an early visit

(6th visit of the year)

Best sighting was the (feral) Black Swan that circled over with two Mute Swan cygnets, the threat posture of the residents dissuading them from landing.

Other notes
- the Canada Geese flew off
- just 1 Little Grebe seen and that only briefly
- rather fewer Great Crested Grebes but all birds very mobile and diving so perhaps incomplete
- very few gulls again

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 Canada Geese
- 11 (6♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Teal
- 10 (5♂) Mallard
- 17 (15♂) Pochard
- 48 (27♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 20 Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Moorhens
- 126 Coots
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Here we see two immature Mute Swans and a Black Swan in flight. It is always a surprise to see Black Swans in flight when the white wing patches are so evident yet can barely be discerned on birds on the water. Exactly why the middle bird shows such a strange posture is unclear, but the birds were circling the water with the residents in full threat posture, so they were no doubt keeping a careful look-out for somewhere to pitch in.

Another fly-past showing the true extent of the white in the wing and showing some strange patchy-effect with several black secondaries and a few white primary coverts.

This shows that the patchy-effect is more or less symmetrical.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 10:05 – 10:41
Location

(4th visit of the year)

The NW corner was covered in a thin layer of ice: otherwise clear

Notes
- no sign of any Great Crested Grebes this morning – the ice?
- Chaffinch was new at this site this year for me

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 33 (20♂) Mallard
- 55 (25♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014

2014
Priorslee Lake
57 Magpies
10 Pochard
64 Tufted Duck
119 Coots counted
>500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
18 Redwings
>1500 Jackdaws
>325 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1st-winter female Velvet Scoter
102 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson and Unknown Observer)

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
4 Gadwall 
21 Pochard 
80 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
155 Coots
Snipe
Woodcock
Kingfisher
113 Redwing
30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)

The Flash
31 Tufted Duck
50 Goldfinches
1 Redpoll.
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Shoveler
21 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
15 Great Black-backed Gulls
117 Redwings
12 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

The Wrekin
6 Marsh Tit
2 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake
4 Cormorants
4 Pink-footed Geese
3 Greylag Geese
16 Pochard 
35 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
>600 Black-headed Gulls
>487 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
94 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
24 Robins
11 Blackbirds
8 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
39 Magpies
205 Jackdaws
76 Rooks
12 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
11 Pochard 
11 Tufted Duck
213 Coot
1 Water Rail
c.360 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
169 Jackdaws
117 Rooks
220 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
20 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
41 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)