3 Feb 20

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  06:50 – 09:00
The Flash:  09:05 – 09:45
Trench Lock Pool:  09:55 – 10:00 // 10:40 – 11:00
Trench Middle Pool:  10:05 – 10:35

7.0°C > 8.0°C:  Started overcast. Cleared for a while. Very dull by 09:00 and then clearer again by 10:30. Light W wind, increasing somewhat. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:50 GMT

It remains very quiet at the moment. Three highlights
- My first Green Woodpecker of the year heard and then seen alongside Teece Drive.
- A pair of Gadwall; my first for the year at The Flash.
- An apparently different near-adult Yellow-legged Gull at Trench Lock.

Priorslee Lake:  06:50 – 09:00

(23rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Greylag Goose arrived from the E and stayed only a short while before flying off W.
- The two Canada Geese arrived from the W and stayed throughout mingling with and unmolested by the Mute Swans and their cygnets.
- The nine unidentified geese included both Canada and Greylag Geese but I have no idea of the ratio or whether any of them were the hybrids.
- Just two duck Tufted Duck present. No doubt after weekend disturbance on the water. The ‘missing’ birds did not seem to be at The Flash where numbers were similar to recent counts.
- One of the Great Crested Grebes seems to be ‘floating’ between the two locations typically occupied by single birds.
- I think we must assume that no Water Rail(s) are wintering this year. Sporadic records in November but nothing since.
- Magpies are now starting to refurbish their nests. It looks as if the roost totals have been reached: less than half the number of the last few years. I hope this means the species is in decline but I fear it is more likely that disturbance from the house-building has moved some of the birds elsewhere.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 6 Canada Geese (4 outbound; duo inbound)
- 9 unidentified geese (1 group outbound)
- 2 (1♂) Goosanders
- 5 Cormorants
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 64 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 19 Wood Pigeons
- c.1200 Jackdaws again
- 1 Rook

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 28 Magpies
- nothing else seen

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Canada Geese
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 Moorhens again
- 48 Coots

Gulls:
Arrival:
- Three large gulls were the first arrivals between 07:10 and 07:20. The first Black-headed Gulls spiralled down from above visual range overhead at the late time of 07:35. No more than 80 arrived. Another 64 Black-headed Gulls flew directly over NW to SE without stopping (as logged above).
counts
- 80 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 2 Herring Gulls: both immatures

Thereafter a single new gulls arrived.
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
[As a postscript to the small number of Black-headed Gulls logged there have been several tight groups of c.25 – c.30 birds over Newport in the last few days. Could they be starting return migration already?]

The lamp poles remained devoid of insects once more:

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#61     Green Woodpecker

A few twigs in the way sadly. No mistaking the Green Woodpecker though. The red centre to the black moustache is just about visible confirming this loudly calling bird is a male.

Slightly better angle. Here we see the green rump / back that is so obvious in the typical view of a bird bounding away.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:05 – 09:45

(22nd visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- The pair of Gadwall as highlighted.
- No idea why so few Mallard. Perhaps hiding inside the island?
- A Sparrowhawk ‘cruised’ toward the island and surprised the Goldfinches – but missed. It then sat in a tree on the island for a while.
- Two Song Thrushes singing here {11 at the lake).
- A Bullfinch almost in song – the song is rather quiet and indistinct.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 29 (18♂) Mallard only
- 6 (6♂) Pochard
- 50 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 (4♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 13 Coots again
- 56 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

No other sightings:

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#49     Gadwall

The drake of the pair of Gadwall new for my 2020 list here.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  09:55 – 10:00 // 10:40 – 11:00

(9th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- Now only three drake Pochard
- A fourth Great Crested Grebe today.
- The Yellow-legged Gull was a near-adult and apparently a different bird from the one at Middle Pool.
- First Coal Tit of the year here – in song.
- Song Thrush singing again

Birds noted flying over / near here:
None

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese only
- 4 (3♂) Mallard again
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 8 (5♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 6 Coots
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult
- 3 Herring Gulls: two (near) adults; one second-winter
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: near adult

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#40     Coal Tit

An adult Herring Gull. Rather extensive amount of black on the bill. You would never be confused in to thinking the legs might be yellow on this bird!

This, I suggest, is an adult Herring Gull in front of a near-adult Yellow-legged Gull. Note the extensive black on the bill of the Yellow-legged Gull.

Here the Yellow-legged Gull powers towards us showing the black on the bill even more clearly. The dark marks on the leading-edge of the wings indicate it is not a full adult. A single mirror is on the outer primary only. The leading-edge marks are more extensive than on the bird that I have photographed here for several weeks.

Yes we heard you! (Apologies for chopping a wing-tip off!)

For comparison a Herring Gull. This bird is also not fully adult with a hint of dark on the bend of the wing. White mirrors on the two outer primaries.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:05 – 10:35

(9th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- The all-white bird that I have been logging as a goose sp. seems to be paired with a drake Mallard, so perhaps it is a feral duck after all. Sure sound like a goose though.
- The putative near adult Yellow-legged Gull again: flew off.
- Also first Coal Tit of the year here – also in song.
- First Chaffinch song from here.
and
- First few Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) flowers.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
None

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans again
- 39 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral duck?-type
- 27 (17♂) Mallard
- 11 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 88 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: near adult, left with the Lesser Black-back

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#34     Coal Tit

Here is the other putative Yellow-legged Gull. Note there is the very slightest hint of black on the upper mandible only.

And, while not quite sharp, good-enough to see a slight difference in the black on the wings. This looks like the bird that has been present for a while, though the bill looks somewhat larger.

My first few Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) flowers. This site has a slightly warmer microclimate than Priorslee and flowers are usually a few days earlier here.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

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)