1 Feb 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  06:55 – 09:05
The Flash:  09:10 – 09:50

8.0°C:  Broken cloud clearing for a while before reforming. Fresh WSW wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:53 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:55 – 09:05

(22nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Excellent view of Tree Creeper on a small trunk along the N side. Often it is only the calls I note.
- My first singing Chaffinch of the year. Just about on cue – I usually reckon the last few days of January or first few days of February is when this species starts singing on fine days.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 22 Greylag Geese (two groups outbound)
- 31 Canada Geese (28 in four groups outbound; trio inbound)
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 49 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Stock Doves
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- c.1200 Jackdaws
- 4 Redwings (1 group)

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpies not counted]
- no others seen

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 8 (5?) Mallard
- 20 (10?) Tufted Duck
- 4 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 51 Coots

Gulls:
Arrival:
-.The first five Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:10. Steady arrival of more Black-headed Gulls and with large gulls beginning to arrive by 07:20. Few arrivals after 07:45. Many of the Black-headed Gulls had departed by this time.
counts
- c.180 Black-headed Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mainly adults
- 20 Herring Gulls: mainly first-winters
- 1 Great Black-backed Gull: adult

Thereafter no new gulls arrived.

Nothing on any lamp pole pre dawn:

No other sightings:

Part of a group of passing Canada Geese. One assumes they are separated vertically rather more than is apparent here.

A trio of gulls. From the left: adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; immature Herring Gull (too distant to age accurately); adult Great Black-backed Gull.

A Tree Creeper shinning up – only ever up – a tree. Note the thin curved bill and the tail used as a prop.

Here with beak open gathering a morsel from the lichen.

From this angle we see the proportionately large feet used for gripping the trunks. Tail in use as a prop again.

Here, turned away, we see the back marking – makes the bird quite well camouflaged against tree trunks. Look at the rather ‘spiky’ tail giving it the strength to be used as a prop.



Another Redwing in the trees alongside Teece Drive. This bird’s legs look fine. Note the length of the claws. Note too the rather short tail – a useful separation from most other thrushes when seen in flight.


(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:10 – 09:50

(21st visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Further decline in Pochard numbers
- Kingfisher(s) very noisy with two seen chasing around the island.
- Greenfinch heard giving its rasping territorial song / call.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 24 Jackdaws
- 1 Redwing [my first 2020 record here]

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as usual
- 3 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 30 Canada Geese
- 36 (21?) Mallard
- 4 (4?) Pochard only
- 48 (29?) Tufted Duck
- 5 (3?) Goosander
- 2 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 12 Coots
- 62 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults, briefly
- 2 Kingfishers

No other sightings:

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#47     Redwing

Not a very ‘crisp’ shot of the distant circling Common Buzzard. A particularly dark individual. The dark tips to the tail feathers are just about discernible – only adults show this feature. On the right wing the alula – the feather at the bend of the wing – is pushed well forward, no doubt to aid control in the rather gusty wind.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 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)