19 Jan 16

Priorslee Lake: 13:58 – 14:50
Location

Telford sunrise: not relevant

5.0°C > 6.0°C. Fine with broken cloud and some sun. Light SE wind. Good visibility

Another day with early afternoon visits

(7th visit of the year)

Notes
- strangely no Herring Gulls

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 10 (5♂) Mallard
- 20 (17♂) Pochard
- 36 (19♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Little Grebes
- 19 Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Moorhens
- 114 Coots
- 58 Black-headed Gulls
- 39 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 12:59 – 13:54
Location

(5th visit of the year)

Notes
- the lone Greylag Goose – my first of the year here – was associating with the all-white feral goose
- other birds seen that were also ‘firsts’ for the year at this site included Buzzard, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch (and Grey Squirrel)

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 21 (12♂) Mallard
- 46 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 16 Coots
- 38 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

An interesting Moorhen: this was probably a late-brood bird in 2015 that has still to acquire the red shield and other aspects of adult plumage.

At The Flash gulls are often more approachable than on the lake: here is an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull showing a typical amount of head-streaking. Birds will begin to lose this over the next few weeks to become white-headed by end-March for the breeding season.

A male Tufted Duck. Note the slight gloss on the side of the head – this can look either purple or green depending on the angle of the light. I think it looks green here, but I know that others see this colour as more mauve!

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2014

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 female Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup - 1st winter male, 2 1st winter females
(David Barnes / Tony Beckett / Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)

2007
Priorslee Lake
8 Cormorants
3 Pochard
31 Tufted Ducks
9 Goosanders
c.50 Golden Plover
>1100 Black-headed Gulls
133 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
250 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
17 Blackbirds
8 Fieldfares
4 Redwings
43 Magpies
279 Jackdaws
136 Rooks
5 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1100 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Gadwall
8 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
198 Coot
376 Jackdaws
265 Rooks
200 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
21 Blackbirds
22 Siskins
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)