7.0°C > 8.0°C: Cloudy and rather dull again. Very light S wind . Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:15 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:30 - 09:15
(11th visit of the year)
Notes:
- A single immature Mute Swan was seen in flight only, being chased away by the resident cob. This immature circled for some while before heading off W. Just as I was about to leave two immatures approached the lake from the W and were last seen circling over.
- >400 Black-headed Gulls arrived c.07:00 in very disorganised groups, hard to count with birds still arriving as birds started to leave. Later a tight group of 26, with four Lesser Black-backs, flew high W.
- Just a single Lesser Black-backed Gull stopped on the lake, and that briefly.
- I may have missed the first groups of Jackdaws as those I did were early, while it was still quite dark and rather further to the E than usual.
- While I was trying to count Magpies leaving their roost a group of c.15Jackdaws popped up on the trees that the Magpies use as a post-roost look out. I did not see these birds arrive or depart.
- An unusual sighting was eight Carrion Crows together in the same tree. These are typically seen as pairs and chase away any others that come close. I have read that in late winter groups of Magpies get together and move between families, thought to be in order to mix the gene pool. Perhaps crows do the same.
- *A Long-tailed seen collecting nesting material.
- *At least two Redwings were muttering in trees near the Teece Drive gate.
- At least four Siskins were in Alders along the N side. Whether these were the six birds that flew E along the S side is unclear.
- Three Reed Buntings were seen leaving their W end roost. Two more were heard singing and four other non-singing birds were seen.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese: single outbound; pair south
- 3 Greylag Geese: pair and single outbound
- 2 or 3 immature Mute Swans (see notes)
- 31 Wood Pigeons
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- *10 Herring Gulls (see also pic)
- 79 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: together
- c.375 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 6 Siskins
Counts from the water:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout and unmolested by the Mute Swans
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck: 2 (2♂) flew off
- 11 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- >400 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, briefly
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and much later departed
- 1 Grey Heron
My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 61.
On / around the street lights pre-dawn
Sunrise: 07:15 GMT
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 06:30 - 09:15
(11th visit of the year)
Notes:
- A single immature Mute Swan was seen in flight only, being chased away by the resident cob. This immature circled for some while before heading off W. Just as I was about to leave two immatures approached the lake from the W and were last seen circling over.
- >400 Black-headed Gulls arrived c.07:00 in very disorganised groups, hard to count with birds still arriving as birds started to leave. Later a tight group of 26, with four Lesser Black-backs, flew high W.
- Just a single Lesser Black-backed Gull stopped on the lake, and that briefly.
- I may have missed the first groups of Jackdaws as those I did were early, while it was still quite dark and rather further to the E than usual.
- While I was trying to count Magpies leaving their roost a group of c.15Jackdaws popped up on the trees that the Magpies use as a post-roost look out. I did not see these birds arrive or depart.
- An unusual sighting was eight Carrion Crows together in the same tree. These are typically seen as pairs and chase away any others that come close. I have read that in late winter groups of Magpies get together and move between families, thought to be in order to mix the gene pool. Perhaps crows do the same.
- *A Long-tailed seen collecting nesting material.
- *At least two Redwings were muttering in trees near the Teece Drive gate.
- At least four Siskins were in Alders along the N side. Whether these were the six birds that flew E along the S side is unclear.
- Three Reed Buntings were seen leaving their W end roost. Two more were heard singing and four other non-singing birds were seen.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Canada Geese: single outbound; pair south
- 3 Greylag Geese: pair and single outbound
- 2 or 3 immature Mute Swans (see notes)
- 31 Wood Pigeons
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- *10 Herring Gulls (see also pic)
- 79 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants: together
- c.375 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 6 Siskins
Counts from the water:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout and unmolested by the Mute Swans
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck: 2 (2♂) flew off
- 11 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- >400 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, briefly
- 1 Cormorant: arrived and much later departed
- 1 Grey Heron
My 2021 bird species list for here remains at 61.
On / around the street lights pre-dawn
Nothing - disappointing.
Also worthy of note was a Rabbit road casualty just N of Limekiln Bank. 25 years ago Rabbits were common around the lake, some of them becoming familiar with me and getting on with whatever they were doing and ignoring me. I recall seeing their foot-prints in the snow some 15 years ago but I cannot recall seeing any since.
Today's gull puzzle for me. Apparently a first-winter bird with rather little contrast in the inner primaries. It seems too pale to be a Lesser Blacked-Gull and on its own that would point towards to Yellow-legged or Caspian Gull. The very pale-looking upper tail and the rather smudgy tail-band don't really fit either of these species. The size of the bill would seem to rule out Caspian so Yellow-legged is perhaps the most likely. I remain unconvinced.
Also worthy of note was a Rabbit road casualty just N of Limekiln Bank. 25 years ago Rabbits were common around the lake, some of them becoming familiar with me and getting on with whatever they were doing and ignoring me. I recall seeing their foot-prints in the snow some 15 years ago but I cannot recall seeing any since.
One day when we get some sun perhaps I will be able to get a better photo of Long-tailed Tits.
Though this is slightly better: one collecting nesting material.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Priorslee Lake
5 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
7 Pochard
2 Tufted Duck
14 Redwing
c.600 Jackdaws
268 Rooks
17 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Greylag x Canada x ? Goose
180 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
The Wrekin
1 Raven
2 groups of Fallow Deer.
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Iceland Gull
1 Yellow-legged gull
(JW Reeves)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site / Buildwas
2 Caspian Gull
Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid
A leucistic Herring Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
1 Common Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
33 Tufted Duck
8 Pochard
175 Black-headed Gulls
160 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
11 Herring Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Iceland Gull
35+ Redwing
(Martin Grant, John Isherwood)
Holmer Lake
7 Goosander
1 Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)
2007
Priorslee Lake
12 Tufted Ducks
2 Buzzards
2 Kestrels
1 Water Rail
269 Wood Pigeons
25 Blackbirds
11 Song Thrushes
4 Redwings
58 Magpies
140 Jackdaws
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
5 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
116 Coots
1 Water Rail
1 Great Black-backed Gull
403 Wood Pigeons
Barn Owl
228 Jackdaws
88 Rooks
1 Skylark
35 Pied Wagtails
31 Blackbirds
1 Fieldfare
10 Song Thrushes
1 Redwing
2 Willow Tits
16 Greenfinches
49 Siskins
2 Redpolls
13 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)