23 Mar 20

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

Priorslee Lake:  05:20 – 07:50
The Flash:  07:55 – 08:45
Trench Lock Pool:  08:55 – 09:05 // 09:45 – 10:05
Trench Middle Pool:  09:10 – 09:40

0.0°C > 6.0°C :  Clear frosty start. Area of medium-level cloud after 08:00 gradually clearing. Initially calm with light SE breeze later. Hazy start with very good visibility later.

Sunrise: 06:04 GMT

A ‘socially-distanced’ visit to all four locations produced my first Telford-area Sand Martins of the year at Trench Lock

Priorslee Lake:  05:20 – 07:50

(57th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- One Grey Heron seen over the Ricoh Copse. Not the bird seen at the lake earlier.
- Rather fewer Moorhens. The frosted grass interrupted their breakfast schedule.
- Kingfishers heard calling before 06:00 in the SE corner. Three glimpsed flying off NW together. Later at least two flew back. I was unable to locate them again.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Greylag Geese (singles outbound)
- 3 Canada Geese (trio outbound)
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: seven adults
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Stock Dove
- 28 Wood Pigeons
- 25 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets)
- 11 (9) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck remain
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived
- 2 Little Grebe(s) heard only
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 39 Coots
- 3 Kingfishers

Not much to say about the sunrise this morning. At least the chill east wind had died down.

Some faint colour as cloud spread from the west. We are looking north here.

Spiky hair (feather tufts) on these displaying Great Crested Grebes. I only saw one of the birds at the ‘other end’ but I would think its mate was somewhere in the reeds.

A Chiffchaff from the ventral position – at least it shows the pale lower mandible. It is the early morning light that had made this bird appear almost Willow Warbler yellow.

A small group of Long-tailed Tits proved troublesome this morning, hiding behind dense twigs. Will be even worse in a few weeks when the leaves appear.

Patience rewarded ....

And off it goes, never to be found again.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  07:55 – 08:45

(56th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Mute Swans have three eggs so far.
- Some of the duck Mallard seem to have gone missing – no doubt sitting on eggs somewhere secluded.
- Tufted Duck seen mating. Will they stay and breed on the island this year as they did in 2018?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 4 Feral Pigeons

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 6 (5) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 12 Canada Geese
- 26 (18♂) Mallard
- 63 (37♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhen
- 16 Coots again

I had to chop her head off as otherwise the angle would not have shown all three Mute Swan eggs. As far as I understand it she will lay an egg just about every day until the clutch is complete – between nine and eleven eggs. Then she will brood them for up to 45 days leaving the nest only very occasionally to feed. About one in ten of the eggs is usually infertile.

This is a bit of a puzzle. The duck Mallard is suffering/enjoying the advances of a drake Mallard, but it must have turned itself upside down somehow as all I can make out is what I think are the white underwings. Most odd.

This Chiffchaff is just pushing off the branch. This bird shows a faint yellow wash on the breast. Note the long claw, only visible like this because it has let go of the branch to fly off.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool:  08:55 – 09:05 // 09:45 – 10:05

(19th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- The immature Herring Gull on the water was a definite ‘gas and go’ – a quick drink and it was off.
- Possibly more than four individual Sand Martins as there seemed to be a different number every time I looked and one bird was seen to fly out west.
- A Pied Wagtail (and not the more likely Grey Wagtail) flew over. New for me here this year.

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws]:
- 1 Common Buzzard (another out of the trees)
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: both adults
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: four adults, one immature
- 3 Herring Gulls: two adults, one immature

Count of hirundines etc. logged:
- 4 Sand Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese: four of these (two pairs) flew in
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 13 (7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Moorhens
- 9 Coots again
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: both first years
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults
- 3 Herring Gulls: two adults and one immature

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#47     Sand Martin
#48     Pied Wagtail

One of two Common Buzzards here. This one seems to have lost one or more feathers in its left wing.

On this bird the left wing looks fine but the right wing-tip looks most odd. Perhaps the primary tips are bent up in the air currents as I do not recall seeing anything unusual about this bird ‘in real life’.

I was rather pleased with this shot – well with the camera’s ability to ignore the trees and focus on the bird drifting though them.

Hard to see the mantle on this immature Herring Gull which would help age it. From the bill pattern this looks like a second year bird. A Coot getting in on the act.

A pair of Herring Gulls, one playing with a stick – practicing for nest-building?

Really getting to grips with the stick.

A fine pair – probably a pair though there is no plumage difference between the sexes. Males average larger than female but there is much overlap. No obvious size difference here but ....

 ... there is an obvious size difference between the Herring Gull and the first year Black-headed Gull. I guess it is the angle of the light but there should be no apparent difference in the tone of the mantle between these two species, yet they look very different here. In fact even at the time I thought the Herring Gulls looked rather dark, but there is no obvious alternative – no features to support Caspian or Yellow-legged Gulls.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  09:10 – 09:40

(19th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Grey Squirrel seen.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 1 Wood Pigeon (very high)

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets)
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 27 Greylag Geese
- 47 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral duck?-type
- 7 (6♂) Mallard only
- 11 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 6 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: both first-year birds

Additional bird species for my 2020 bird list at this site:
#41     Chiffchaff

(Ed Wilson)

Note:
Here are a few photos from Venus Pool on Sat 21 Mar, courtesy of Ed Wilson. Click Here.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Meadow Pipit 
1 Woodcock
7 Wigeon 
2 Gadwall 
33 Tufted Ducks
c.45 Black-headed Gulls
c.20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
 c.30 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
15 Golden Plover
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Teal
2 Redpoll
1 Siskin
1 Little Grebe 
2 Gadwall
24 Tufted Duck
c.160 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Great Crested Grebe 
28 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
13 Cormorant
6 Greylag Geese
29 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Kestrel
1 Lapwing
3 Stock Dove
242 Wood Pigeon
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Meadow Pipit
29 Wren
27 Robin
24 Blackbird
2 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
50 Magpie
6 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
9 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
3 Buzzard
1 Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
1 Cormorant
1 Pochard
26 Tufted Ducks
1 Ruddy Duck
700 Black-headed Gulls
125 Jackdaws
474 Wood Pigeons
1 Meadow Pipit
3 Grey Wagtails
20 Wrens
20 Robins
20 Blackbirds
7 Fieldfares
27 Redwings
9 Greenfinches
7 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)