25 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 – 09:20
The Flash:  09:25 – 10:10

1.0°C > 8.0°C:  Clear and rather hazy again. Some mist over the water for a while. Frost early. Light SE wind. Moderate visibility

Sunrise: 07:06 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  05:55 – 09:20

(52nd visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
63      Chiffchaff
A bird singing along the N side was my first for the year. Fine days in February often persuade otherwise silent over-wintering birds to start singing. However given the weather vector for the last week and more this is as likely a genuine migrant

Bird notes from today
- Mute Swans gone again!
- Sparrowhawk seen three times passing with languid wing-beats – display flight
- yet another Woodcock seen flying to roost – different location this time
- most Black-headed Gulls flew straight through W to E. Seven was the maximum count on the water
- a female Great Spotted Woodpecker heard and seen drumming: I did not know that females drummed. Not very loudly, but certainly drumming
- more Jackdaws went out below my sight-line across the fields to the E
- in addition to the 9 Reed Buntings leaving the roost there were two others singing and one more calling later

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 Greylag Geese (outbound)
- 18 Canada Geese (16 outbound; 2 inbound)
- 47 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 108 Wood Pigeons
- >740 Jackdaws
- 51 Rooks
- 1 Siskin

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- [Magpies not counted]
- 9 Reed Buntings

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese (arrived)
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard
- 5 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 9 Moorhens again
- 29 Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls only

Other things
- 1 Dotted Border moth on a lamp post early
- 1 Nursery Web spider on a lamp post later

A very early pre-dawn view.

Early mist did not stay around too long – unlike yesterday.

Sun just rising through the mist.

A few minutes later.

If I cannot get the man-made structure out of the photo I might as well exploit it.

The early light looking west.

This Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming on the dead wood. Drumming softly, but drumming it was. Strange as there is no red on the nape so it is a female. I had always assumed it was only the males that drummed to claim their territory – much like most birds where it is only the males that sing.

Certainly no red on the nape.

Managed to find a dark background to contrast these sunlit Hazel catkins.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash:  09:25 – 10:10

(47th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- where have many of the Mallard gone?
- Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in squirrel alley
- Treecreeper seen in squirrel alley

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

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose (arrived)
- 21 Canada Geese (13 of these arrived)
- 15 (9♂) Mallard only
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler still
- 41 (20♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 29 Coots

(Ed Wilson)

Note:
1. A few photos from Venus Pool - 24 Feb - Click Here
2. A few photos from Belvide - 23 Feb. Click Here

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
8 Pochard 
5 Tufted Duck
5 Cormorant
1 Kittiwake
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
1 Iceland Gull
1 Caspian Gull
23 Redwings
c.800 Jackdaws
 >300 Rooks
 9 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, J.Reeves, P.Jordan, John Isherwood, Gary Crowder)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe
215 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
11 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Telford Crematorium
Cackling Goose
300 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.20 Herring Gull
500 Black-headed Gull 
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Gary Crowder)

Nedge Hill
1 Stonechat
(John Isherwood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
25 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
17 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Greater Scaup
50 Tufted Duck
12 Pochard
(Jim Shannon)

2012
Priorslee Lake
5 Redpoll

Priorslee Flash
1 Goosander

Nedge Hill
8 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Gadwall
47 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
c.550 Black-headed Gulls
c. 800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 
56 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Pochard
7 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
2 Kestrel
1 Peregrine Falcon
1 Lapwing
3 Grey Wagtail
26 Wren
28 Robin
21 Blackbird
15 Redwing
53 Magpie
14 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
9 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
5 Cormorants
121 Coot
1 Mediterranean Gull
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
211 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
33 Herring Gulls.
741 Wood Pigeon
289 Jackdaws
108 Rooks
290 Starlings
21 Reed Bunting
1 Sky Lark
11 Greenfinches
6 Siskins
23 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)