27 Feb 16

Priorslee Lake:  07:15 – 09:30
Location

Telford sunrise: 07:01

c.2.0°C. Clear overhead with cloud to E soon encroaching over the whole area. Light but keen ENE wind. Very good visibility but rather hazy

Highlights today
- a Stoat: my first-ever at the lake
- a pair of Pintail seen leaving The Flash: a new species for my 2016 list

(28th visit of the year)

The fishing group were out on the water after 09:00 doing some maintenance work and this naturally flushed some of the birds (though they didn’t seem to be at The Flash)

Notes
- the ‘extra’ Swan was seen inbound as I was leaving and may have landed or been warned off – I have assumed the latter!
- the Cormorants were all singles today: each arriving, fishing and then leaving before the next arrived. The 4th saw the boat on the lake and decided to carry on
- less than 10 Black-headed Gulls arrived early but soon left to the N. A few drifted in later but after 09:00 a group of >50 arrived with, unusually for this year, a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls all of which stayed in an unusually tight group on the water until they were all flushed by fishermen’s boat
- I counted 248 Wood Pigeons leaving the trees in the area – mostly alongside the Ricoh factory and on the edge of the estate. All the birds in this unusually large number flew off E, with the bird-scarers in the fields here ensuring they kept going
also
- presumably the same March Moth in a different position but on the same lamp as yesterday

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Mute Swan
- 4 Canada Geese (1 group) again
- 3 (?♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 1 Herring Gull (4th day!)
- 4 Feral Pigeons (2 groups)
- 6 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 8 Starlings
- 4 Greenfinches
- 4 Goldfinches
- 4 Siskins

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 9 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 15 Great Crested Grebes again
- 20 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- >60 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

The cloud encroaching from the east, spoiling a promising start.

Here are some of the Black-headed Gulls in their tight group. Still rather few getting the black head of summer plumage. Note it is easy to tell the wind direction – gulls habitually rest on the water pointing in to the wind.

Here is today’s March Moth: in a slightly different position but on the same lamp as yesterday. However today it is the right forewing that is uppermost whereas yesterday it was the left forewing that was uppermost. Most species seem to be consistent as to which wing is ‘on top’ and my previous searches on the web have failed to produce any explanation as to whether individuals may be e.g. ‘left-handed’ – or even perhaps ‘ambi-wing-drous’!

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Flash: 09:40 – 10:00
Location

(18th visit of the year)

After talking to locals I was rather pushed for time to catch the bus home so a possibly incomplete count.

Of note
- the Pintail as highlighted

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Goldfinches
- 3 Siskins

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 14 Canada Geese again
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 20 (12♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 23 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- [the all-white feral duck not seen]
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 24 Black-headed Gulls

Here is the pair of Pintail leaving The Flash.

Another view: the drake in particular is a splendid-looking bird with the white stripe up its elegant neck and its thin ‘pin tail’. In Shropshire it is probably the least common of our regular dabbling ducks.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in 2006, 2007,  2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015

2015
Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 Iceland Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Greater Scaup
26 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
33 Tufted Ducks
84 Coots
c.800 Black-headed Gulls
c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.60 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool
1 Glaucous Gull
(J W Reeves )

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Shelduck
4 Pochard
30 Tufted Duck
35 Robins
24 Wrens
15 Dunnocks 
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
4 Gadwall
35 Pochard
51 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
103 Coots
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
c.225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
Common Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
2 Willow Tit
124 Jackdaws
86 Rooks
1 Linnet
14 Siskins
2 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Glaucous Gull

1 Iceland Gull

(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Pochard
19 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
600 Black-headed Gulls
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
36 Wren
28 Robin
7 Redwing
20 Magpie
134 Jackdaw
8 Greenfinch
4 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorant
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
110 Coots
150 Starlings
23 Pied Wagtails
21 Wrens
15 Robins
17 Blackbirds
2 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
16 Greenfinches
38 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)