30 Dec 18

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  06:45 – 09:35
The Flash:  09:40 – 10:20
Trench Lock Pool:  10:30 – 10:40 // 11:20 – 11:40
Trench Middle Pool:  10:45 – 11:15

9°C > 11°C:  Mainly cloudy with a few breaks. Calm start: light W wind later. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT once again

Priorslee Lake:  06:45 – 09:35

(195th visit of the year)

More song this morning. A Blackbird was singing at 06:45. Song Thrushes heard from 8 locations around the lake – perhaps fewer birds? A Mistle Thrush was sitting on its song perch at 09:30 though not singing or calling. Both Blue and Great Tits were calling and chasing around a lot: no ‘song’ as such though

I noted today that the part of the building site closest to the NE part of the lake is itself one huge muddy puddle. I suggest you don’t buy a house there!

Other bird notes
- the Mute Swans went for a long fly-around the lake but pitched back in
- the mixed group of 4 Greylag and 7 Canada Geese left at 07:35. No others today
- a pair of Teal new in
- 11 Goosanders W at 08:10; 2 S at 08:20. All brownheads
- 5 Great Crested Grebes seen together though for most of the time there were either just 4 together or two pairs. The 5th seemed to be lurking in the reeds most of the time
- 25 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:30. No more before 08:00 when c.175 arrived. By 08:10 only 3 remained! Thereafter c.115 returnees?
- Jackdaws in three separate groups today. c.95 over the E end of the lake at 07:40. >80 seen skimming the fields to the E of Castle Farm at 07:50. And then 34 over the lake at 07:51. Unusually at 09:00 7 birds flew E to the N
- 3 Siskins in Alders today. Not seen as many as usual so far this winter
- perhaps I was too late getting back to the Reed Bunting roost area. The only three birds I heard seemed to stay around

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 13 (0♂) Goosanders
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Stock Doves
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- >200 Jackdaws

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 3 Redwings only
- no Reed Buntings seen

The counts from the lake area:
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 7 Canada Geese
- 8 (4♂) Gadwall still
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 12 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 33 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Little Grebes
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 12 Moorhens
- 70 Coots
- >200 Black-headed Gulls

My log of other things, on lamp poles
- 1 Winter Moth
- 3 Mottled Umber moths
- 1 Early Moth
- 1 Chestnut moth
- 1 gnat sp. (Dixella aestivallis?) with many more gnats flying about.

A better early sky this morning.

Far to the east and behind the trees the sky looks clearer.

Bulrushes (properly Greater Reed-mace), the remains of willow-herb spikes rising above sedges.

Superficially marked like an Early Moth but with wings held at a narrower angle and a ‘hairy head’ suggest that this is a Chestnut moth. My second this year – the previous specimen was my first-ever here.

Another slightly puzzling moth sitting with its wings at a narrow angle reminiscent of Noctuid moths. I think the darker bar towards the back of the wing means this one form of a Dark Chestnut moth. Another new species for me here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:40 – 10:20

(154th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here
- many of the Goosanders flew in while I was walking around. All of them then left. Not before there had been an almighty scrum when a brownhead caught a large fish and had trouble dealing with it. Many of the others piled in to ‘help’
- unusually some of the Mallard took to the air when the Goosanders left and also climbed high in the sky – as did many of the Black-headed Gulls. Could not see why
- two Song Thrush singing here again
and
- 1 Mottled Umber on a different lamp pole to previous logs
- 1 Dark Chestnut moth on the same pole: my first in Shropshire

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 4 Feral Pigeons

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again
- 4 Canada Geese
- 42 (25♂) Mallard
- 33 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 16 (3♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Moorhens
- 16 Coots
- 46 Black-headed Gulls

A record shot at best. I was surprised to find this plant still in flower. Perhaps Smooth Sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) though the sow-thistles hybridise freely. Usually that is with Prickly Sow-thistle (Sonchus asper) which normally finishes flowering in August whereas Smooth Sow-thistle can be found most years in to November and is therefore a more likely candidate.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  10:30 – 10:40 // 11:20 – 11:40

(33rd visit of the year)

Nothing much to note here

Birds noted flying over / near here (other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws)
None

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans [the pen has the Blue Darvic ring ‘7HXA’ and was born at Priorslee Lake in 2013 (credit Martin Grant)]
- 72 Canada Geese
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) ‘feral’ Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 36 (28♂)Tufted Ducks
- 6 (4♂) Goosanders
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- no Moorhens
- 83 Coots
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:45 – 11:15

(32nd visit of the year)

Notes from here
- single apparently unringed Mute Swan back
- two duck Teal were new
- drake Pochard back (the additional bird at Trench Lock gone again, so ...?)
- Great Crested Grebe back yet again and has brought a friend
- 32 Black-headed Gulls when I arrived. When some food arrived the number increased to 65. Later they all left . To where? they were not at Trench Lock
and
- 1 unidentified spider was all I could find on the lamps

Birds noted flying over / near here
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 2 Stock Doves

The counts from the water
- 1 Mute Swan
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 44 Canada Geese
- 2 (0♂) Teal
- 22 (18♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) feral Mallard again
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 13 (7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 32 > 65 > 0 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 female Scaup
1 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
7 Gadwall
(John Isherwood/Dawn Balmer)

The Flash
5 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Yellow-legged Gull
(Dawn Balmer)

Horsehay Pool
12 Goosander
(Dawn Balmer)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Jim Almond/Chris Ballance)

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
9 Great Black-backed Gulls
Water Rail
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Yellow-legged Gull
Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
(Jason)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebes
19 Pochard
34 Tufted Ducks
>300 Black-headed Gulls
>298 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
12 Herring Gull
33 Robins
13 Blackbirds
10 Fieldfares
45 Redwings
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee lake
2 Little Grebes 
11 Great Crested Grebes 
1 Cormorant 
2 Mute Swans 
35 Pochard
84 Tufted Duck
243 Coot
c.250 Black-headed Gulls 
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 
1 Yellow-legged Gull 
32 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)