3 Mar 20

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

Priorslee Lake:  06:00 – 09:00
The Flash:  09:05 – 09:50
Trench Lock Pool:  10:00 – 10:10 // 10:40 – 11:00
Trench Middle Pool:  10:15 – 10:35

2.0°C > 7.0°C:  Cloudy: passing mainly light showers. Calm start with moderate WSW breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:51 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  06:00 – 09:00

(48th visit of the year)

More overnight heavy showers have left the paths around the water, especially along the N side, as wet as I can recall.

Notes:
- The cob Mute Swan was gently moving one of the cygnets away from time to time.
- No Tufted Ducks. Very unusual at this date. Perhaps all the mud brought in to the lake has sunk and covered the underwater vegetation making feeding difficult.
- A single drake Goosander noted and seen flying off before 07:10. Some 10 minutes later it, or another, on the water, staying throughout.
- Great Crested Grebes moving around over all the water. Certainly three seen together. It again seemed as if one bird was spending time with each of the others.
- Most of the Black-headed Gulls showed no interest in the lake and flew SE overhead.
- A group of eight large gulls arrived c.06:45, all first-winters. Two were Lesser Black-backs and the other six Herring Gulls. They stayed only a few minutes. An adult Lesser Black-back arrived later.
- The Magpies mostly flew low, straight out of the roost, during one of the showers and were difficult to count. Nothing too much should be read in to the lower number today.
- I was ready for the Jackdaws to pass to the W – so c.200 flew past to the E. Typical. This after a tight group of 16 birds flew very low right over the water.
- Two Skylarks were singing over the fields to the E. In addition, a presumed migrant flew W calling.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing from the top of the conifer by the Castle Farm Way gate. It flew off E. My first for a month and my first song since 13 January. Also not a location I usually see this species.
- A Siskin flew W. Unusually scarce this winter.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 1 Greylag Goose (outbound after several indecisive circuits)
- 18 Canada Geese (outbound in four groups)
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 79 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adult
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 3 Stock Doves
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- c.216 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Skylark
- 2 Redwings
- 1 Siskin

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- 21 Magpies only

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived again
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- [no Tufted Ducks]
- 1 or 2 (♂♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Grebes
- 3 (4?) Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 23 Black-headed Gulls only
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2 first winters early; 1 adult later
- 6 Herring Gulls: all first-winters early

Also noted:
- first flowers of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
- first Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia)
- first ‘new’ Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)

This was not easy to ID as it approached with the elongated and flattened head / bill. ‘Just’ a Carrion Crow carrying something (I once saw an Indian House Crow carrying a papadum – that was even stranger).

My first flowers of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara). This dandelion-like flower can be recognised because the flower and stem appear before any leaves. It also has a rather distinctive funnel shape.

Plants are not my strong point. I think Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia). As ever if you think differently get in touch through the web site

This is the very common flower Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris). It can be found more or less throughout the year, my earlier sightings this year have been struggling plants left over from 2019. Often thought of as a weed. Remember a weed is a wild flower in an undesirable, to us, place.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:05 – 09:50

(47th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The two arriving Canada Geese were promptly chased on to the island by the cob Mute Swan. He was being aggressive with all the Canada Geese and the 2018 cygnet from time to time.
- Back to more normal number of Mallard after the low numbers yesterday.
- Kingfisher heard near Derwent Drive: then one seen and another heard at the top end. They are very hard to see here even when you know they are there.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Jackdaw

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans as ever
- 8 Canada Geese: 2 of these arrived
- 30 (18♂) Mallard
- 7 (7♂) Pochard
- 60 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhen
- 16 Coots
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Kingfishers

The cob Mute Swan on the warpath. He is wearing a yellow Darvic ring – means he was ringed on Staffordshire. His mate has a Worcestershire green Darvic ring. Birds ringed in Shropshire have blue rings.

Closing in on the object of his ire.

A very distant passing Cormorant. The white thigh patch shows well, the silvery head plumes less so at this range. Adult birds will soon be losing these plumage features and be reverting to all-black.

(Ed Wilson)

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

(17th visit of the year)

Bird notes from here:
- An unmemorable visit.

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws]:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 17 Canada Geese: 2 of these flew off
- 4 (4♂) Mallard again
- 5 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull

Many of the Great Crested Grebes that have been here much of the winter seem to have moved on. Just three birds noted today, including this displaying pair. As far as I know males and females cannot be distinguished on plumage. The difference here is either age-related or due to one bird moulting in to breeding plumage slightly later.

This flight shot of an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull appears to show two ‘landing lights’ on the leading edge of the wing. I have never noticed this feature before and I cannot find it illustrated anywhere. Some photos show a single longer and evenly thinner white area at the bend in the wing. This bird seems to have some remnant winter head-streaking that may or may not be relevant.

A very smart adult summer Herring Gull

As it takes off it is easy to see the detailed black and white markings on the spread primaries on both the upper and under wing.

Another view. Certainly pink legs – with black nails indeed.

This Robin had spotted a potential food item and was twisting its body toward whatever it could see, using a wing to aid its balance.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool:  10:15 – 10:35

(17th visit of the year)

It might have been the wettest ever underfoot at the lake this morning. Here there was less water on the paths around the water.

Notes from here:
- Only one Great Crested Grebe confirmed
- Otherwise a non-singing Song Thrush was as good as it got.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 41 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral duck?-type
- 13 (10♂) Mallard
- 10 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 11 Moorhens again
- 17 Coots
- 36 Black-headed Gulls

also seen:
- several very large Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor) fungus

Two large Turkeytail fungus (Trametes versicolor) growing on the top of a felled tree stump. (A fallen post alongside). I was going to remove the dead bramble branch but it the fungus is growing around it and I assumed I would damage the fungus if I pulled the branch out.

One of the fungus in close-up. (and no: I have no idea why the camera resolves this as a different colour).

If you refer back to the first photo this can be seen growing against the side of the tree stump – a more usual place to find this fungus. We are looking edge-on as the bark peels away from the decaying core.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019
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

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Caspian Gull
1 Iceland Gull
(Tom Lowe)

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

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
6 Gadwall
33 Pochard
71 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
5 Great Crested Grebes
11 Mute Swans
10 Tufted Ducks
1 Iceland
1 Glaucous Gull
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)