5.0°C > 8.0°C: Light rain cleared from W after 06:45. Some high cloud and much later a few shower clouds. Very light S wind changed to light / moderate W wind. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 07:11 GMT
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 06:02 – 09:32
(239th visit of the year)
*First a correction to yesterday. Thanks again to Tom Lowe for identifying a different second winter Caspian Gull from my "motley collection of gulls" photo from yesterday.
Two highlights today:
- A Merlin shot along the footpath at the W end c.09:20. I had recently seen a female Sparrowhawk circling over the fields to the E of Castle Farm Way and initially assumed this was causing all the Blackbirds and tits to go in to panic mode. Then I noted it was too small, too dark on the outer wing and it had a moustachial streak. Also it was not gliding along like a Sparrowhawk often does but flying fast. Species #108 here this year. Interestingly I had an unconfirmed sighting on 2nd November last year.
- A huge passage of Wood Pigeons. When I added up my counts of the 54 groups I saw it totalled 9290 birds. With groups of <150 birds I attempted to specifically count them. Larger groups we estimated from how many '10s' or '50s' I reckoned there were dependent upon the size of the group and its relative ease of counting – groups overhead are hard. At 08:25 one huge group that I estimated at 1800 birds was perhaps the largest I have ever seen. Initially birds were passing a long way W of the lake. Gradually they were passing closer to the overhead with eventually some bird passing to the E. It would be interesting to know where these birds had spent the night. Passage petered out after 09:00 though a few small groups were still passing later at The Flash. Most people underestimate large groups of birds and it is likely the true total exceeded 10000.
Other bird notes:
- The cygnets went for a two-lap flight all on their won. As far as I know they have yet to leave the confines of the lake.
- One pair and the last 'spare' drake Gadwall not located.
- The recent duck Pochard also AWOL.
- A drake Goosander flew, unusually, E trailing what I hope was vegetation from one of its lags.
- It was another dark and wet start. By 06:30 there were just c.50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the water. These soon departed and none was seen arriving from the Hortonwood area.
- No Black-headed Gulls were present before 16 arrived at 06:35. I estimated c.200 arrived during the next hour..
- By 06:45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were clearly passing overhead and very few arrived at the lake afterwards. Just two Herring Gulls and an adult Yellow-legged Gull stopped off.
- Starlings back in some number, roosting in the NW reeds. Three main groups left just after 07:00 with a lone bird, probably a teenager, some five minutes later.
- The only Fieldfare was chasing a Common Buzzard to no avail.
- Two Song Thrushes flew off from the W end as if they had roosted there. Cannot recall seeing this species fly off like this previously. Another Song Thrush had a short, quiet sing.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 12 Canada Geese: inbound together
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 6 Cormorants
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 71 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes)
- 2 Feral Pigeons: duo again
- 1 Stock Dove: in one of the Wood Pigeon groups
- *c.9350 Wood Pigeons: c.9290 of these in 54 migrant parties S / SW
- >380 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 6 Starlings again: together
- 1 Fieldfare
- 31 Redwings: five groups
- 13 Pied Wagtails
- 13 Siskins: two groups
- 3 Lesser Redpolls: together
Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:
- c.140 Starlings
- 2 Song Thrushes
- 10 Redwings
- 4 Reed Buntings
Counts from the lake area:
- *2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (?♂) Mallard
- 5 (5♂) Pochard
- 23 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Cormorants: single and trio arrived
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 Little Grebe
- *10 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 124 Coots
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- c.60 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (see notes).
- 2 Herring Gulls: one adult; one first-winter bird
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull: adult
Playing fields
Not visited
Street lights etc.
Not checked pre-sunrise – raining
Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Firstly a repeat of the motley collection of gulls from yesterday. Tom Lowe has again kindly corrected me and pointed out that the right-hand of the two second-winter 'Herring Gulls' is actually a Caspian Gull and a different bird from the one present a week or so ago. I've gone scurrying to my literature – again. Features that point to this species are the rather unstreaked head, the dark-looking eye, the two-tone bill, the prominent dark centres to some of the greater coverts and the prominent white edges to the folded tertials. It is noted as smaller-headed and longer-necked than Herring Gull which shows here though it is hard to know how much that relates to posture. Another instructive bird and one day I will be confident-enough to ID one myself.
I hope I have got today's gull lesson right! The harsh light when the sun eventually came out does not help. It is an adult Yellow-legged Gull. The tone of the back is hard to judge here. The head is very clean-looking and apparently unstreaked. The other thing that caught my eye was the obvious long white 'mirror' in the outer primary, though some Herring Gulls show this too.
Noted later:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
One of 'our' cygnets take a turn in fine style.
Two of them here. I thought they were supposed to be 'mute'. Ah! The joy of flying.
An immature Cormorant with feathers stuck on its bill.
Not sure what these two Great Crested Grebes were up to. They were not displaying.
Dreadful photo in many ways (all ways?!) but yellow legs!
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:35 – 10:40
(224th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Only three cygnets recorded. So many other birds to look at I hope I just overlooked the others.
- Light passage of Wood Pigeons continued.
- At least two Redwings in the trees as well as flying over.
- At least one *Siskin with Goldfinches in Alders at top end.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 83 Wood Pigeons: five migrant groups
- 43 Jackdaws
- 12 Starlings (two groups)
- 2 Redwings
Counts from the water: best effort in the rain
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 34 (21♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard again
- *130 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 33 (5?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron still
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 7 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 75 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
On the lamp poles:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(224th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Only three cygnets recorded. So many other birds to look at I hope I just overlooked the others.
- Light passage of Wood Pigeons continued.
- At least two Redwings in the trees as well as flying over.
- At least one *Siskin with Goldfinches in Alders at top end.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 83 Wood Pigeons: five migrant groups
- 43 Jackdaws
- 12 Starlings (two groups)
- 2 Redwings
Counts from the water: best effort in the rain
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 Canada Geese
- 34 (21♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard again
- *130 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 33 (5?♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron still
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 7 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 75 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
On the lamp poles:
Nothing
On / around the Ivy:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *1 Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- >50 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- many 'flies'
Of interest elsewhere:
- Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) again active at their nest site.
Butter wouldn't met in its mouth! I think this is an immature drake Tufted Duck – the few white flank feathers I am sure would not occur in a duck.
On / around the Ivy:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *1 Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- >50 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
- many 'flies'
Of interest elsewhere:
- Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) again active at their nest site.
A female Siskin munching on Alder seeds.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
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On this day
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2013
Shifnal, Lizard Wood
2 Hawfinch
(Arthur Harper)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Several Herons
>3800 Wood Pigeons
11 Skylarks
2 Meadow Pipits
199 Fieldfare
32 Redwings
9 Siskins
1 Linnet
Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
Wrekin
Location
1 Crossbill
Several Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
21 Pochard
58 Tufted Ducks
2 Buzzards
>900 Black-headed Gulls
176 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
807 Wood Pigeons
16 Pied Wagtails
26 Wrens
14 Dunnocks
34 Robins
24 Blackbirds
213 Fieldfares
6 Song Thrushes
150 Redwings
5 Mistle Thrushes
1 Blackcap
447 Starlings
2 Siskins
7 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)