16 Feb 16

Priorslee Lake: 16:15 – 17:10
Location

Telford sunset: 17:22

c.6.0°C. Clouding from SW with light sleety rain. Moderate / fresh S wind. Good visibility

A change of tactic with a (more or less) dusk watch today. Nothing special

(21st visit of the year)

No ice here – all the water exposed and any ice would have been broken up

Other notes
- conditions far from ideal for accurate counts but there did seem to be fewer Coots
- the Black-headed Gull numbers built up (from c.45) slowly until c.17:00 when about half of them got up from the water and circled around, though they were still in the area later
- 2 Kingfishers at least present
- Jackdaw and Rook counts were birds heading back to the roosts in rather more scattered groups than seen in mornings
- 13 Starlings arrived c.16:55 and circled around, increasing to 15, but instead of settling in the reeds they seemed to head off SE (towards Bayliss Pools?)
- the Linnet over was my first this year at this site

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Canada Goose
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Collared Dove
- c.260 Jackdaws
- 47 Rooks
- 15 Starlings
- 1 Linnet

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 13 (7♂) Mallard]
- 10 (10♂) Pochard
- 20 (7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 14 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail
- 20 Moorhens
- 53 Coots
- c.210 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Herring Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 15:40 – 16:05
Location

(13th visit of the year)

About 15% remnant ice – where the wind could not break the surface

Of note
- apparently what we needed was some cold weather: best count of geese and gulls for the year

Birds noted flying over
None

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 81 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 26 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 63 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 21 Coots
- 112 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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Newport Area
Location

90+ Brambling in the local area.

Brambling

A good 90 or more

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2015


2015
Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake

8 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

2010
Priorslee Lake

5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Gadwall
44 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
151 Coots 
12 Siskins
2 Redpoll
23 Linnets
9 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake

1 Glaucous Gull
(Paul King)

2006
Priorslee Lake

7 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
2 Gadwall
8 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
118 Coots
2 Lapwing
c.1200 Black-backed Gulls
c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
55 Herring Gulls
c.574 Wood Pigeons
220 Jackdaws
199 Rooks
1 Sky Lark
11 Pied Wagtails
20 Robins
19 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
2 Redwings
1 House Sparrow
10 Greenfinches
7 Siskins
16 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)