8 Feb 19

Priorslee Lake only

7.0°C > 8.0°C:  Cloudy with rain after 07:25. Fresh S wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 07:41 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:40 – 09:20

(38th visit of the year)

Badly rain-affected forcing me in to the Sailing Club shelter for most of the time

Bird notes
- the pair of Mute Swans are behaving strangely. Much of the time they were not that close together. Twice they went for a fly well outside the confines of the lake and on both occasions the cob returned some while before the pen
- the outbound Greylag Geese were not specifically with any Canada Geese though I thought I could hear them somewhere – I was engaged in checking Jackdaws and Rooks at the time. Two parties of Canada Geese later
- drake Shoveler re-found. Probably hiding yesterday
- Pochard and Tufted Duck numbers fading away at the moment
- 413 Black-headed Gulls counted arriving from the W. How many of these were repeat arrivals is hard to say. Never more than c.175 on the water at any one time. Most seemed to fly off to the SE so perhaps most were different birds
- from my position in the Sailing Club hut I probably did not see some of the Magpies that left the roost to the N – assuming any did leave ‘downwind’. 51 is a lower roost total than the previous two years around this date
- the passing Jackdaws were in several long streams at 07:15: judged to be at least 530 birds. At least 10 Rooks in with the last group. Then a few stragglers of both species
- the mild weather encouraged 7 Song Thrushes to sing. Great Tit the only other songster noted in the rain

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 17+ Canada Geese [2 groups outbound]
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- c.540 Jackdaws
- >14 Rooks

Birds recorded leaving roosts around the lake
- 51 Magpies (incomplete?)
- 1 Reed Bunting

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 3 (1♂) Pochard
- 12 (6♂) Tufted Ducks only
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 9 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]
- 413? Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again

Nothing on the lamp poles – too wet and / or windy

In the rain it was a rather black and white morning. Black represented by these Coots (and 2 Moorhens). Meanwhile.

White was all Black-headed Gulls.

In the gloom amidst the rain drops this Black-headed Gull now has an almost complete ‘black head’.

(Ed Wilson)

Note

1. A few photos from Venus Pool on 7 Feb Here.

2. A few photos from Belvide on 4 Feb Here.

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Velvet Scoter
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Iceland Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Water Rail
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
131 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
2 Gadwall
14 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
162 Coots
1 Water Rail
293 Jackdaw
105 Rook
c.120 Starling
27 Robins
18 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
8 Greenfinches
28 Siskins
2 Redpolls
19 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)