28 Feb 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 8.0°C: Mainly medium-high overcast with a few breaks early and late. Rain between 07:15 and 08:25, sometimes heavy. Moderate / fresh S wind. Good visibility; very good after rain.

Sunrise: 07:00 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 09:10

(47th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pair of Canada Geese on the dam top were not happy when another lone bird arrived. They took to the water and soon ensured it knew it was not welcome.
- The single Mute Swan cygnet was again present when I arrived but was soon seen off again.
- Each of the two single Stock Doves was, strangely, flying with a Wood Pigeon. Later a pair seen. All flew E.
- The pair of Great Crested Grebes were moving all around the lake inspecting their territory.
- Just eight Black-headed Gulls arrived at the late time of 07:01. My maximum count was just 14 though there were probably more birds involved.
- No large gulls stopped off – not that there were many passing in the rain anyway.
- Eventually three Cormorants were fishing in the lake. Somehow I managed not to see any of these fly in!
- There were at least 30 Redwings on the football field at 08:55 until a dog-walker arrived.
- Just six Song Thrushes heard singing today. Perhaps the rain put them off. Four non-singing birds were seen though some could have been birds heard singing earlier.
- A Goldfinch was seen apparently pursuing a Redwings in to trees: most odd.
- The usual two Reed Buntings were seen and heard singing on territory. Another calling from a usual location. Oddly five other birds were seen to fly off from the SW / W area after 08:30 – a bit late for roost dispersal!

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs outbound
- 4 Stock Doves: a duo and two singles again: see notes
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 29 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls: seven of these first year birds
- 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 20 Jackdaws only
- 5 Rooks
- 2 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: pair throughout; one arrived and chased away
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans again: see notes
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 21 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: pair
- 14 Black-headed Gulls only
- no large gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived?
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 springtail sp., perhaps Entomobrya intermedia
- 1 small black beetle sp.

It seemed to be overcast so the sudden appearance of a red sky caught me by surprise and standing in the wrong area to get the best photo.

Luckily my Wellington boots allowed me to get to a slightly better vantage point.

Compare and contrast the size of a Coot, and its white shield; with a Moorhen and its red shield (with rain drops on its back).

Whilst keeping out of the rain in the sailing club shelter I was able to examine the various stages of head-moult on the adult Black-headed Gulls. This individual has yet to show any sign of breeding plumage.

One starting its moult.

The back bird here is more advanced with a well-defined rear edge.

And one in more or less full breeding plumage. Note that the dark area is a hood and not, as the species name implies, a head. In good light it is also apparent that the hood is a dark chocolate brown rather and not black.

At least thirty Redwings flew off the football field, mostly flying in to the tall trees in the Ricoh copse. This is one of the few that stopped in smaller bushes alongside Teece Drive.

Here looking quizzically at me. I am always surprised at the head-shape shown by many species when viewed front-on.

A springtail and seemingly differently marked from any I have seen previously. The best match I can find on the NatureSpot web site is Entomobrya intermedia. This species is noted as common and to be found all year.

I think I have seen this one of these small black beetles with their swollen hind femur previously. There are just too many small mainly black beetles for me to home in on an identity though I would think it is in one of the leaf beetle families.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:10

(45th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pair of Teal again went for a fly around. They probably went inside the island somewhere as I could not find them later.
- No Great Crested Grebes located.
- A Jay seen in trees at the top end. Only my second record here this year.
- At least two Redwings were in trees near the top end.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing again from trees around The Priorslee when I arrived, but not later. Later it, or another, was heard singing distantly beyond the top end.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

On /around the water:
- 14 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 31 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal
- 1 (1♂) Pochard again
- 71 (38♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls only

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

Nothing.

The dull conditions gave the best neutral light on this sleeping drake Pochard. With a slight photo-editing tweak the delicate flanks and back markings are visible for a change.

I had to shoot this singing Dunnock against the light. As a result it is does not show all its delicate plumage features to full advantage. They are most attractively marked despite their name being derived from 'dun-coloured bird'.

A mixture of shades of brown and grey.

Another 'branch in the way' photo. A male Siskin eating Alder seeds.

Not just a branch: I had a whole forest to negotiate to photograph this female Siskin.

(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

(Observer Unknown)

2013

Priorslee Lake

31 Wigeon 

7 Gadwall 

5 Pochard 

18 Tufted Ducks 

1 Greater Scaup

2 Lapwings

c.1600 Black-headed Gulls

c.800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.100 Herring Gulls

1 Iceland

1 Glaucous Gull

1 Caspian Gull

1 Yellow-legged Gull

38 Redwings

2 Fieldfare

15 Siskins

(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant, Tom Lowe)

The Flash

1 Little Grebe

10 Pochard 

123 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

21 Tufted Duck 

1 Goosander 

(Ed Wilson)

Horsehay Pool

1 Yellow-legged Gull

(Tom Lowe)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site

2 Yellow-legged Gulls.

(Tom Lowe)

2012

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

3 Pochard

32 Tufted Duck

4 Curlew

2 Siskins

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock

26 Tufted Duck 

9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

13 Herring Gulls

1 Yellow-legged Gull

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe as noted 

6 Great Crested Grebes

4 Gadwall

39 Pochard

57 Tufted Ducks

99 Coots 

29 Blackbirds

4 Redwing

8 Song Thrushes

22 Siskins

3 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Common Gull

6 Ravens

(Ed Wilson)

Woodhouse Lane

Stonechat

(John Isherwood)

2007

Priorslee Lake

4 Cormorant

2 Pochard

15 Tufted Duck

1 Ruddy Duck

1 Peregrine Falcon

26 Robin

11 Redwing

63 Magpie

196 Jackdaw

12 Greenfinch

10 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

2 Little Grebes

6 Great Crested Grebes

2 Cormorants

7 Pochard

35 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

800 Wood Pigeon

142 Starlings

14 Pied Wagtails

18 Robins

20 Blackbirds

11 Fieldfare

10 Song Thrushes

2 Willow Tits

15 Greenfinches

11 Siskins

7 Reed Buntings 

(Ed Wilson)