27 Feb 17

Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:10

c.5°C: Rain, sometimes heavy, until c.09:00; thereafter a few breaks. Light / moderate S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:00 GMT

A rather quiet morning with unexpected rain – nothing in the forecast until late morning and nothing showing on the rainfall radar before I left home

(16th visit of the year)

A Skylark heard singing over the fields to the E was my 63rd species for my 2017 Priorslee Lake list

Notes from today:
- the Mute Swan cygnet has gone
- possibly 26 of the Black-headed Gulls had roosted overnight
- 3 singing Song Thrushes this morning
- also singing this morning were Great Tit, Blackbird; Mistle Thrush; Dunnock, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Reed Bunting (Chaffinch and Reed Bunting my first of the year)
and
- a few of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) bushes coming in to flower
- the Daffodil heads are beginning to swell

Birds noted flying over the lake
- 13 Canada Geese (2 groups)
- 1 Cormorant
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Too late for any roost / departure counts

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 18 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 26 Black-headed Gulls

The few adult Black-headed Gulls have now all acquired full breeding plumage with the dark hood.

Meanwhile this first-year bird shows mainly 1st winter plumage – it will almost certainly get some black on the head later.

A gaggle of such birds – the orange tone to their bills confirms them as 1st winter even though it is not possible to see the brown feathering in the wings of some of them. This photo taken in heavy rain when it was very dull!

Many of the Coots were, as usual except when they are nesting, feeding on the SW grassy area by the shelter.

Meanwhile some of the Moorhens were feeding at the other end of the SW grassy area by the shelter.

Here are the Daffodils near the gate from the lake to Castle Farm Way. Some heads are swelling already.

 The first of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) flowers.

Not strictly in my recording area these Snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) were lurking at the edge of the field in the Priorslee Academy grounds.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 09:35

(13th visit of the year)

No new species for my 2017 Flash list

Notes from today:

- Chaffinch song also heard here

Birds noted flying over here

None

The counts from the water

- 2 Mute Swans

- 8 Canada Geese

- 1 all white feral goose

- 20 (14♂) Mallard

- 35 (22♂) Tufted Duck

- 1 Cormorant

- 1 Great Crested Grebe

- 5 Moorhens

- 11 Coots

- 6 Black-headed Gulls only

Also not strictly in my recording area, these Ribes sanguineum (Flowering currant) flowers were by the surgery near The Flash. Likely a garden escape or even planted here. The plant originates in the western states of the USA but there are many cultivars available in the UK.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

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)