1 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake only

0.0°C > 1.0°C:  Variable cloud. Moderate NNE wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 07:53 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  09:25 – 10:45

(31st visit of the year)

Even though temperature stayed below freezing all yesterday more open water now

Bird notes
- Shelduck still here: definitely a first year bird
- a photo in to the dark recesses of overhanging branches along the N side revealed a 3rd drake Gadwall, but failed to locate a 3rd duck
- no Great Crested Grebes seen – but 4 (just perhaps 5) Little Grebes
and
- fungus which might be Trametes ochracea

Birds noted flying over / near the lake
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Ravens
- 5 Greenfinches

Bird counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Shelduck remains
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall (see notes)
- 15 (12♂) Mallard
- 10 (6♂) Pochard again
- 50 (26♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Little Grebes
- 1 Water Rail
- 2 Moorhens
- 55 Coots
- 21 Black-headed Gulls

Yesterday there were just two small patches of open water along the N side: today, even after the temperature remained at or below freezing, a long ‘lead’ of open water was available.

Necessarily ‘over blown’ we see the Shelduck has white on the face behind the bill and is therefore an immature. It shows no sign of the swelling at the bill-base which both sexes show when adult. The swelling at the base of the drake’s bill becomes much larger than that of the duck during the breeding season.

Also over-blown is this shot showing just 5 Gadwall – three drakes.

This fungus might be Trametes ochracea, a paler species than the more common Trametes versicolor (Turkeytail). I was unable get access to these fruiting bodies to check the undersides which would have helped distinguish between these two species – and indeed eliminate several other similar fungi, particularly Daedaleopsis confragosa (Blushing Bracket).

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 female Velvet Scoter 
3 Scaup
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
1 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)

2013
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3 Caspian Gulls
Iceland Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
21 Pochard
59 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
3 Dunlin
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
c.120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
19 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood, Martin Grant, Andy Latham, Jim Almond)

Priorslee Flash
1 Teal
64 Greylags
32 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
65 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
17 Herring Gulls (Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake
40 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow-legged Gull
Glaucous Gull
6 Pochard
25 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson, Richard Vernon)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Pochard
29 Tufted Ducks
>200 Black-headed Gulls
113 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
7 Herring Gulls
107 Wood Pigeons
21 Wrens
40 Robins
26 Blackbirds
6 Fieldfares
10 Song Thrushes
10 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
54 Magpies
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
c.450 Black-headed Gulls
c.650 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
26 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
10 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
27 Tufted Ducks
168 Coots
200 Wood Pigeons
3 Redwings
2 Willow Tit
17 Siskin
5 Reed Buntings.
(Ed Wilson)