22 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool – but not in that order

Priorslee Lake:  12:20 – 12:50
The Flash:  11:30 – 12:15
Trench Lock Pool:  09:45 – 10:00 // 10:45 – 11:15
Trench Middle Pool:  10:05 – 10:40

6.0°C > 9.0°C:  Early fog and mist prevented an early start. Thereafter sunny if a bit hazy. Light / ESE wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 07:13 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  12:20 – 12:50

(50th visit of the year)

I abandoned my early start and returned later to view from the dam, only recording birds on the water

Bird notes
- two Mute Swan when I arrived. Another flew in and was summarily dismissed. Thanks to the camera I know that bird wore a blue Darvic ring ‘7FAD’. The, presumed, cob chasing him was wearing a metal BTO ring. This was unread by me but Martin Grant visited an hour or so after me. ‘7FAD’ had returned for more ‘treatment’ and the other two were confirmed as the second pair from last year who raised three cygnets. So where has the other pen seen on Wednesday gone?
- only 1 Great Crested Grebe located: both it and the Little Grebe took some while to find so perhaps others were in the reeds?

Bird totals

The counts from the lake area only:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 3 (3) Pochard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Little Grebe
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- c.140 Black-headed Gulls

The Mute Swan that flew in is being chased here. The visitor wearing blue Darvic ring 7FAD.

Here is a cob in pursuit – he has a BTO ring on hid right leg. Even my camera cannot read this!

Seems I am not wanted ....

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  11:30 – 12:15

(45th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- pair of Gadwall not seen – just the presumed ‘extra’ duck
- single drake Shoveler still here
- Pochard and Tufted Duck numbers lower
- single Great Crested Grebe seen: its mate likely hiding under the vegetation at the traditional nest site
- no Black-headed Gulls on the water: just two circling overhead briefly
and
- 1 Common Done Fly (Eristalis tenax): my first-ever February record of this species
- 1 apparent Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 2 Black-headed Gulls!

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 22 Canada Geese
- 1 (0♂) Gadwall
- 30 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler still
- 1 (1♂) Pochard only
- 46 (23♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 4 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- no Black-headed Gulls!

A lone duck Gadwall today. She was being very friendly. We can clearly see the bright markings on the bill.

“Perhaps my other side is better?”

“Or would you prefer full-face?”

The Common Done Fly (Eristalis tenax). It was on the wall of ivy. Since there is no nectar here at the moment it was just sunning itself. The short antenna tell us it is not a bee.

Whereas this is a bee – a bumblebee. This is rather a puzzle as it is not the ‘obvious’ White-tailed Bumblebee because the rufous thorax is too extensive. Common Carder Bee has an extensive and scruffy rufous thorax but has an orange tail. This looks to me like a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) – my first sighting in Shropshire. The problem remains that none of the these bees should be flying until much later in the year. Even Early Bumblebee is not supposed to be flying until next month but March is quite close now and it is exceptionally mild.

In a garden bordering the lake. I just about recall “a host of golden daffodils” in the Wordsworth poem that I never really (bothered to) learn at school.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  09:45 – 10:00 // 10:45 – 11:15

(11th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
37      Great Spotted Woodpecker
38      Raven
39      Nuthatch

Today’s notes from here
- the erstwhile lone Mute Swan seems to have found a mate. Neither bird has any rings
- once again a lower number of Coots: where are they all and why?
- in the absence of any significant number of Black-headed Gulls the two large gulls that appeared overhead were disinclined to stop
- a Nuthatch calling loudly along W edge: I have not recorded this species here since 2013 at least

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws]
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Raven

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) feral Mallard
- 32 (19♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Little Grebes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 3 Moorhens
- 22 Coots only
- 6 Black-headed Gulls only
at Trench Lock

This is the pen Mute Swan: the left leg has no ring.

And neither does the right leg.

Hazel catkins gleaming in the Spring sun.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:05 – 10:40

(11th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
35      Stock Dove
36      Song Thrush
37      Grey Wagtail

Notes from here
- Black-headed Gulls drifting in all the while. Maximum count as I was about to leave
- 2 and 3 Stock Dove were flying to and fro – assumed the same three birds
- 1 Grey Wagtail flew in

Birds noted flying over / near here
- 3 Stock Doves
- 2 Jackdaws

The counts from the water
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 39 Canada Geese
- 10 (8♂) Mallard only
- 5 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 33 Coots yet again
- 62 Black-headed Gulls

I showed Canada Geese landing at The Flash earlier this week. Here a pair of Greylag Geese on finals.

And one flaring to ‘land’.

 Looks a prefect touchdown ....

But this does not look quite right.

After the displaying pair of Great Crested Grebes I also photographed at The Flash earlier this week the pair here gave me another chance to shoot some great images of these charismatic birds displaying.

They both have bills slightly open here – some communication?

Even more open here. I could not hear any sound from these birds at any time.

 The bird on the left head-shaking so fast I could not ‘freeze’ the action.

After this it looked like they were going their own ways, but ....

They both dived and then reappeared with weed. I cannot be sure whether only one brought the weed to the surface and presented it to the other or whether both brought weed up.

After the display one of the birds decided a drake Tufted Duck was too close and needed to be seen off.

The wind here was very light and swirling around giving the Black-headed Gulls some difficulty in determining how to settle ‘in to the wind’. Here a first-year bird seems to be doing the dance of the seven veils.

And this one decides the vertical approach is best.

This one seems to have been watching the grebes and wonders how weed might work for him.

How could I resist?

And the Robin was very patient and allowed VERY close approach.

Just last week there was but a single Blackthorn flower: now the branches are laden with flowers. Indeed there were petals scattered all over the ground. I hope there have been enough insects to pollinate the flowers.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes 
5 Cormorants 
1 Grey Heron 
7 Pochard 
3 Tufted Duck
11 Redwings
>800 Jackdaws
127 Rooks
9 Ravens
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe 
1 Greylag x Canada x ? Goose 
172 Tufted Ducks 
3 Goosanders 
(Ed Wilson)

Telford Crematorium
Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Priorslee Lake
23 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
(Martin Grant)

The Flash
Drake Scaup
(JW Reeves)

Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
(Jim Almond)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 Iceland Gulls 
2 Glaucous Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Grant)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Teal
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
2 Shoveler
4 Pochard
4 Tufted Duck
2 Buzzard
1 Common Gull
5 Fieldfare
6 Redwing
41 Magpie
197 Jackdaw
13 Greenfinch
7 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
4 Cormorants
6 Pochard
21 Tufted Ducks
116 Coots
1 Water Rail
627 Wood Pigeon
13 Pied Wagtails
28 Blackbirds
4 Willow Tits
10 Greenfinches
133 Siskins
1 Linnet
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)