3 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  09:45 – 10:10
The Flash:  10:15 – 11:00

0.0°C:  Mainly clear. Light S wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:50 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  09:45 – 10:10

(33rd visit of the year)

The lead of open water still present: it seemed somewhat narrower. The patch of open water along N side larger. New narrow lead along S side

Bird notes
- Shelduck not located
- fairly certain there were just 2 pairs of Gadwall
- Shoveler perhaps gone back to The Flash?
- 4 Grey Herons all standing along the S edge – where there was a small open lead: unusual
- 5 Cormorants when I arrived: 2 more flew in: then 2 left a few minutes later

Birds noted flying over / near the lake
None

Bird counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 10 (6♂) Pochard again
- 57 (28♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Little Grebes
- 7 Cormorants
- 4 Grey Herons
- 1 Moorhen
- 46 Coots
- 55 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  10:15 – 11:00

(28th visit of the year)

Almost iced over still: same hole beside SW part of island

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
45      Stock Dove
46      Siskin

Notes from here: still difficult to census things as the area of open water was in part under and behind overhanging trees where birds could hide. With patience things would emerge: but then vanish
- pair of Gadwall re-found
- drake Shoveler still here: whether this is the bird that was at the lake yesterday we will never know
- a Great Crested Grebe eventually emerged from under the vegetation
- even fewer Coots
- the two passing Collared Doves seemed to be too high to be local birds flying about
- first Herring Gulls on the water – well ice really – this year: previous record from here was a fly-over
- at least 4 Siskins in trees in NW area – my first of year here

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 2 Collared Doves

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 37 Canada Geese
- 2 (1) Gadwall
- 39 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler remains
- 15 (5♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Moorhen
- 15 Coots only
- 54 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

Ungainly landings on ice by some of the Canada Geese.

I guess they have to throw their necks well-forward to try and counter-balance their body weight.

The bird on the left looks like it was complaining. It was much more likely it was excited by the food in prospect.

Probably the best landing.

This drake Mallard seems to be using its bottom as an additional brake. A Black-headed Gull looks bemused.

A duck Mallard also at touch-down.

Not sure the Black-headed Gulls were any more sure-footed.

Probably an adult Herring Gull though the small black smudge on the upper mandible may indicate a 4th year bird. The contrasting light makes it difficult to see the extent of any remaining winter plumage head-streaking. I will call this bird 1.

A different bird – bird 2 – in flight. Note the outer primary on the right wing (P10) is still growing. My book says that 5% do not finish their wing moult until late January so this is unusual but not perhaps exceptional.

Here we see the moult is symmetrical and this eliminates the possibility that the primary had been lost or damaged and was simply regrowing.

I (over!) enlarged the head of bird 2 here to see the bill pattern more clearly. The red ‘spot’ on the lower mandible is more extensive than it is on bird 1. There is only the smallest black mark on the upper mandible.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Viking, or possibly a dark Iceland
(J Reeves)

Telford Crematorium
1 Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2013
Priorslee Lake
12 Wigeon
6 Gadwall
3 Pochard
32 Tufted Duck
2 Reed Bunting
(Tony Beckett)

The Flash
15 Pochard 
53 Tufted Duck
3 Goosander
(Tony Beckett)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Glaucous x Great Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe / Andy Latham)

2012
Priorslee Lake
26 Pochard
29 Tufted Duck
>5000 gulls
Ring-billed Gull hybrid
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Roger Clay / Ed Wilson / John Isherwood / Martin Grant)

Trench Pool
Snipe
(Dave Tromans)

2011
Priorslee Lake
8 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck 
77 Herring Gull
5 Pale Brindled Beauty moths
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Merlin
(Observer Unknown)

2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Sky Larks
4 Fieldfare
c.55 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
17 Pochard
37 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
3 Lapwings
30 Robins
14 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
11 Song Thrushes
3 Redwing
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
2 Wigeon
19 Pochard
77 Tufted Ducks
151 Coots
1 Water Rail
15 Robins
13 Blackbirds
90 Siskin
5 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)