27 Feb 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 3.0°C: Almost clear skies. A keen moderate / fresh SE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:02 GMT

* = a photo today

Back after a few days away.

Priorslee Lake: 06:10 – 09:05

(46th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Only a single Mute Swan cygnet was present when I arrived. When the cob woke up he spent his time chasing this and the Canada Geese. The cygnet left to the E at 07:30 and the Canada Geese went out of reach on the dam top.
- Two Great Crested Grebes were along the N side more or less throughout and displayed once. A third bird, a first year, moved around for a while and then went to sleep in the middle of the water.
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls were on the water and flying up and down at 06:10. They soon all settled until c.06:30. Whether they had been disturbed from roosting here or were just arriving when I first saw them is unclear. Later 78 were noted overhead, all flying S. These were likely different birds as those on the water had mainly headed off S or E.
- Just two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls dropped in briefly while the Black-headed Gulls were present. Later two more single adults visited briefly and then a lone first year Herring Gull.
- When the Grey Heron departed it revealed missing feathers on its wing identifying it as the same bird I photographed departing on 8th February.
- Siskins were back in some number today but very mobile and it was impossible to get an accurate count.


Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: two singles outbound; duo inbound
- 13 Feral Pigeons: two groups
- 4 Stock Doves: a duo and two singles
- 63 Wood Pigeons
- 78 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls: all first year birds
- 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants: together
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 24 Jackdaws only
- 6 Rooks
- 3 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: throughout
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans: see notes
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 30 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- >150 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Herring Gull: first year bird
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Street lamp poles:

Not checked:

Note:
Feedback from Nigel about the small spider with an all dark body and pale orangey legs that I photographed on Wednesday confirmed two things: it is one of the several hundred species of money spiders; and it cannot be specifically identified from a photograph!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:10 – 10:00

(44th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pair of Teal went for a fly around but soon returned to their frequent location alongside the island.
- I could only locate a single drake Pochard.
- Likewise only a single Great Crested Grebe.
- A few Siskins giving their wheezy calls from the trees. I have recorded no Lesser/Common Redpolls with them this winter.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

On /around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal still
- 1 (1♂) Pochard only
- 73 (39♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 25 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe only
- 28 Black-headed Gulls

On /around the street lamp poles or of interest elsewhere:

Nothing.

The very brisk wind made it rather too cold to be active with the camera. This male Pied Wagtail was happily mopping up crumbs alongside Derwent Drive, allowing me to take a few photos out of the car window.

A few ruffled feathers in the breeze. It will soon be time to check all these wagtails for migrant White Wagtails. The males are relatively easily separated as they have contrasting grey rumps, though that can be tricky to see. Females of both species look very similar, being greyer on the back. Both sexes of White Wagtails have very white flanks unlike Pied Wagtails that, as we see here, are sullied grey.

One more.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2014

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

2 Iceland Gulls

1 Caspian Gull

(Observer Unknown)

2013

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

1 Greater Scaup

26 Wigeon

4 Gadwall 

33 Tufted Ducks 

84 Coots 

c.800 Black-headed Gulls

c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.60 Herring Gulls

1 Great Black-backed Gull 

(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool

1 Glaucous Gull

(J W Reeves )

2012

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

1 Shelduck

4 Pochard

30 Tufted Duck

35 Robins

24 Wrens

15 Dunnocks 

(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash

3 Great Crested Grebes

9 Pochard

53 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe 

6 Great Crested Grebes

1 Heron 

4 Gadwall

35 Pochard

51 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

103 Coots 

c.700 Black-headed Gulls

c.225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

27 Herring Gulls

Common Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

2 Willow Tit

124 Jackdaws

86 Rooks

1 Linnet

14 Siskins

2 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Glaucous Gull

1 Iceland Gull

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

4 Pochard 

19 Tufted Duck

1 Ruddy Duck

600 Black-headed Gulls

100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

1 Herring Gull

1 Great Black-backed Gull

36 Wren

28 Robin

7 Redwing

20 Magpie

134 Jackdaw 

8 Greenfinch

4 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

2006

Priorslee Lake

6 Great Crested Grebes

1 Heron

2 Cormorant

2 Gadwall

7 Pochard

42 Tufted Ducks

110 Coots

150 Starlings

23 Pied Wagtails

21 Wrens

15 Robins

17 Blackbirds

2 Redwings

1 Willow Tit

16 Greenfinches

38 Siskins

1 Redpoll

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)