25 Feb 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 10.0°C: Medium/high cloud on cold front slowly clearing to E and sun after 08:50. Mainly light W wind . Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:06 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:15 - 09:35

(16th visit of the year)

Notes:
- Coots are very quarrelsome birds but usually it all about noise and waving feet at each other. What seemed to be a dead bird seen, though as it was still being attacked perhaps it was only playing dead.
- 18 Black-headed Gulls flew WNW with six Lesser Black-backed Gulls and seemed unconnected with the lake
- Very many of the 177 over-flying Wood Pigeons were much higher than usual, possibly partly due to the better weather. Of these 73 were seen in seven groups that contained more than six birds, as if they might be migrants. Most of these were flying N, though the largest group of 18 flew S!
- *Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers heard drumming concurrently. As far as I know females do not drum so seems we have two birds setting up territory.
- Not sure why I noted so few Jackdaws. Those I did see were in small groups and some way W of their usual flight lines.
- The group of four Fieldfare were flying SW. Wrong way guys - or do they know something we don't about the weather to come?

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 18 Canada Geese: 10 outbound; 5 inbound
- 4 Greylag Geese: pair outbound; (same?) pair inbound
- 177 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 18 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.125 Jackdaws
- 18 Rooks
- 31 Starlings: two groups
- 4 Fieldfare
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the water:
- 4 Mute Swans: a visiting pair of adults VERY briefly
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: departed
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens again
- 34 Coots: one of these dead
- Little Grebe heard
- *3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.175 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Cormorant: one arrived and departed; later another arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

My 2021 bird species list for here moves to 64 with:
- the four Fieldfare overhead
- and a Kingfisher seen speeding low across the water

On /around the street lights pre-dawn:
- *5 midge sp.

Noted later
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 3 flies, all different but unidentified species, sunning on a fence
- *My first flowers of the year - Daisies (Bellis perennis)!

This pair of Great Crested Grebes are full of the joys of Spring.

I managed to find a clearer line on to one of the drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. Nice red trousers!

Why do birds always perch behind branches and twigs. A Jay misbehaving today.

That's a bit better. This bird was giving its mewing call that could easily be mistaken for a Buzzard. However Buzzards usually only call while soaring so if the sound appears to come from trees the likely culprit is a Jay. Jays can also make good Tawny Owl calls as well.

This Blue Tit was peering in to the hollow top of this pole on the dam. If it was thinking of it as a potential nest site that seems unwise - no protection from the rain. Perhaps just searching for spiders.

My daily Long-tailed Tit photo. This one having a good preen ....

... which may not be easy as this individual seems to have a deformed bill. Difficult to say but I think the lower mandible is too long.

A fine male Siskin amongst the Alder cones.

"Do I look better in profile?"

Good to record something on the lamp poles pre-dawn. One of five midges I noted. This presumably a female with simple antennae.

This will not win prizes but they are my first flowers here this year. Daisies (Bellis perennis) of course. Can usually be found flowering in all months.

(Ed Wilson)

Thank you to Mark Williams for the following images taken this afternoon on a nice Spring walk.







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The Flash: 09:40 - 10:30

(7th visit of the year)

An overdue return visit.

Notes:
- Two juvenile Mute Swans in flight with the adults in threatening pose. I presume these are the same two juveniles I saw later keeping out of the way on the island.
- Several of the Coots here are already on nests.
- Just one singing Song Thrush and that was more muttering than singing. I logged none in song earlier at the lake, albeit that was around dawn.
- *Nuthatches seemed to be busy clearing their nest hole.
- A Grey Wagtail with rings seen briefly in Derwent Drive. Too briefly to confirm it is the same ring pattern as on the bird seen in November / December 2020.
- The only finch singing in the area was a lone Greenfinch. There are normally several Chaffinches singing. The Goldfinches and Siskins were fly-overs.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Common Buzzards
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Goldfinches
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the water:
- 35 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 + 2 Mute Swans
- 27 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 80 (39♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 8 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 25 Black-headed Gulls also

My 2021 bird species list for here moves on to 45: in recorder order new today were
- Greenfinch
- Common Buzzard
- Great Crested Grebe
- Siskin
- Song Thrush

Also noted:
- *what I think is Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia) coming in to 'flower'.

A Nuthatch at a traditional nest hole.

Well we better have a look ....

 ... and see what's what.

Get rid of this rubbish to start with!

Watch it all the way to the ground.

I struggle to identify flowers and here there is always the chance I am looking at garden escapes. I think this is Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia).

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
8 Pochard 
5 Tufted Duck
5 Cormorant
1 Kittiwake
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
1 Iceland Gull
1 Caspian Gull
23 Redwings
c.800 Jackdaws
 >300 Rooks
 9 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, J.Reeves, P.Jordan, John Isherwood, Gary Crowder)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe
215 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
11 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Telford Crematorium
Cackling Goose
300 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.20 Herring Gull
500 Black-headed Gull 
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Gary Crowder)

Nedge Hill
1 Stonechat
(John Isherwood)

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
25 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
17 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
Greater Scaup
50 Tufted Duck
12 Pochard
(Jim Shannon)

2012
Priorslee Lake
5 Redpoll

Priorslee Flash
1 Goosander

Nedge Hill
8 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
5 Great Crested Grebes
4 Gadwall
47 Pochard
55 Tufted Duck
c.550 Black-headed Gulls
c. 800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 
56 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Pochard
7 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
2 Kestrel
1 Peregrine Falcon
1 Lapwing
3 Grey Wagtail
26 Wren
28 Robin
21 Blackbird
15 Redwing
53 Magpie
14 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
9 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
5 Cormorants
121 Coot
1 Mediterranean Gull
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
211 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
33 Herring Gulls.
741 Wood Pigeon
289 Jackdaws
108 Rooks
290 Starlings
21 Reed Bunting
1 Sky Lark
11 Greenfinches
6 Siskins
23 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
29 Pied Wagtails
23 Blackbirds
6 Greenfinches
17 Siskins
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)