2 Feb 18

Priorslee Lake: then Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

4.0°C > 5.0°C: Strange morning: started cloudy, cleared for while; then more cloud; finally cloudless. Moderate NW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:51 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 09:30

(15th visit of the year)

Yesterday I spied a man with a hard hat and a clip-board but was unable to intercept him to find out what was going on. Today I noted some orange spray-paint into a vegetated area and the same colour marks on at least one tree. Severn-Trent were at the lake this morning taking flow readings and I asked them about it. The operative confirmed that they only use blue paint as markers: he was unaware of any other activity. He noted that the houses, when built, would need mains water access and sewage outlets but did not know where these would be situated. Any information welcomed

A new species for me here this year was a Yellowhammer heard and then seen flying over fields to the E: my site total for the year now stands at 58 bird species

Other notes from today:
- all visiting Mute Swans have gone
- Pochard gone
- 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers making a lot of noise calling and chasing: later a bird heard drumming
- the usual c.30 Siskins near the Teece Drive gate: at least 8 more in trees to E of Castle Farm Way
- two male Reed Buntings seen at the W end then flew off from roost area
and
- the lamps empty again

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over / near the lake:
- 9 Greylag Geese (1 party outbound)
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Stock Doves
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- c.290 Jackdaws
- 24 Rooks
- 10 Starlings (1 group)
- 1 Yellowhammer

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
[Magpies not counted]
- 4 Redwings
- 2 (2♂) Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 13 (8♂) Gadwall again
- 15 (8♂) Mallard
- 65 (37♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 Little Grebe
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 105 Coots
- 42 Black-headed Gulls

The early cloud clearing for a while: rather chilly.

Pair of Mallard overhead – the undersides look unexpectedly pale in the bright sunlight.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 09:45 – 09:55 // 11:00 – 11:25

(6th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- Black-headed Gull numbers increased over previous visit but the majority left

Birds noted flying over here [apart from the local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws coming and going]
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull
- 3 Starlings
- 2 Goldfinches

A new bird species for me here this year was Bullfinch. Also new here were Grey Squirrel and Mole hills

The counts from the water
- 1 + 6 Mute Swans
- 27 Canada Geese
- 7 (4♂) Mallards
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 45 (21♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 (1♂) Goosanders
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 74 Coots
- 41 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

This Wood Pigeon was peering at me from within a Hawthorn bush. Whether it felt safe or whether it wondered how to escape without ripping its feathers to shreds I could not decide. Wood Pigeons have a strange shaped pupil (is it the pupil? we have three parts to the eye – the sclera (the white bit), the iris (the coloured bit) and the pupil (the black bit). This bird shows only two parts. Reference to the web was inconclusive!

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:00 – 10:55

(6th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- a very quiet day with nothing unusual

Birds noted flying over here
- 1 Buzzard
- 1 Jackdaw

No new bird species for me here this year today

The counts from the water
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 34 Canada Geese
- 29 (21♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) ‘feral’ Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Moorhens
- 43 Coots once moor
- 64 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull

In the absence of anything exciting I took some portrait shots of cooperative Black-headed Gulls. Something I had not noted before is that the white eye-ring is only around the back half of the eye.

Three pairs of red legs of adults: there is a pair of more orange-toned legs at the back – a hidden first-winter bird.

Different amount of black on the head of the nearest two birds.

And then some action shots of birds fighting for the bread – the notices asking people not to feed birds bread seems to have little effect on the diet provided.

These are all adults.

As are these: strange interference pattern on the right wing of the closest bird.

Another adult.

A first-winter pulling away (with a rather surprised-looking drake Tufted Duck).

Another first-winter bird. Not exactly clear what it is doing, but it shows the upper-wing pattern well. Meanwhile an adult sneaks away with a beakful.

The only other excitement: a bud just breaking in to leaf. This was along the shady part of the pool so I assume it is sheltered from the cold winds and that it why it is the first to break open. Not sure of the species – forgot to look: doh!

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 female Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup

2012
Priorslee Lake
 Dunlin 
6 Great Crested Grebes
14 Pochard
58 Tufted Duck
1 Dunlin
>5000 gulls, mostly Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Common Gull
20 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)

Trench Pool
11 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
94 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks 
2 Sparrowhawk
16 Linnets
Siskin in song 
4 Pale Brindled Beauty moths
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Golden Plover
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
19 Pochard
32 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Goldeneye
>700 Black-headed Gulls
>432 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.30 Herring Gulls
34 Robins
17 Blackbirds
3 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
34 Magpies
11 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Great Crested Grebes
2 Little Grebe
2 Gadwall
16 Pochard
101 Tufted Ducks
159 Coots
1 Water Rail
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
14 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls.
1 Willow Tit
2 Siskins
13 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)