2 Jan 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 4.0°C: Early fine and clear. Cloud increased and a light shower c.10:15. Light SW wind. Excellent visibility

Sunrise: 08:22 GMT still

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:45 – 09:25

(2nd visit of the year)

New Bird species
Five species added to my 2023 list from here in order of recording this morning:
- c.25 Lapwings were noted flying over fields to the East of Castle Farm Way at 07:55.
- 8 Starlings departed from a roost around or very close to the North side of the lake at 08:00.
- A trio of Stock Doves flew West at 08:10 (with another pair later).
- An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the water at 08:30, briefly.
- A Pheasant called from along the North side at 09:00
This takes my 2023 species count to 45.

A Woodcock was seen going to roost again at 07:30. Neither the Water Rail nor the Cetti's Warbler was noted. Also no geese were present (or seen flying over).

Other bird notes:
- A very different arrival of gulls this morning. Just 22 Black-headed Gulls arrived c.07:30 and these flew around and around for ages. They were eventually joined by another c.75 and also at least 80 large gulls. There was another long delay before any of them settled on the water and by that time some of the large gulls had got bored and moved on.
- I probably missed the main party of Rooks. It was calling Jackdaws that I heard first and these were even earlier than yesterday.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Stock Doves: duo and trio
- *87 Wood Pigeons: 46 of these in two groups flying North
- 26 Herring Gulls
- *63 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 17 unidentified large gulls pre-dawn
- 1 Cormorant
- 69 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
- 1 Siskin

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- 8 Starlings
- 1 Redwing
- Reed Buntings heard only

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 16 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 162 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 16 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.65 unidentified large gulls pre-dawn
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately; one departed

Noted on / around the dew-covered street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 midge
- *1 Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- *1 unidentified small spider

Noted later:
- Grey Squirrel

I missed out on the sunrise this morning. Early on it did not look too promising – as here.

So I was at the wrong end of the lake when the colour appeared. Here looking West the rising sun is illuminating the tops of the trees along the North side.

Here we have 27 of a party of 32 Wood Pigeons that flew North – towards the cold weather!

One of several groups of large gulls that passed over this morning. I usually wait for the beating wings to show me the upper side as the easy way to tell which are Herring and which are Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Here the lower left bird is certainly an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. From the small white area in their wing-tips I suspect the top three are as well. The lower right bird is an immature bird and from the lack of markings on the underwing I suspect a Herring Gull.

There are nine Redwings in these trees alongside Teece Drive. These, and eleven others, had flown off the football field.

Here is a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). The large palps indicate this is a male.

A tiny 'money spider'. The pattern on the abdomen of spiders is not a reliable identification feature and there are many species to choose from.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30

(2nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *Two fly-over (near?) adult Mute Swans elicited no response from the residents
- Yesterday's Pochard gone.

Birds noted flying over here:
- *2 Mute Swans

Noted on / around the water
- 8 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew off again
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 45 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- no Pochard
- 37 (>20♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 (1♂) Goosander
- *16 Moorhens
- *34 Coots again
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- *35 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons

On / around the street lamp poles
Nothing noted

Noted later:
- Grey Squirrel

New Bird Species
I added four more bird species to my 2023 list for here. In the order in which I recorded them (heard or seen): Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Nuthatch

The year's total for here is now 33.

The two Mute Swans that flew over here. They look to be adults or near adults. There is no brown in their wings...

...as seen here, zoomed in on one of them. The bill of this bird looks rather colourless for a full adult bird.

When the sun is on Goosanders, as here, the contrast is rather to much for the camera to cope with. Here are two 'brownheads'. At this date it is probably safe to consider these as ducks. Immature drakes should be showing signs of moulting in to adult plumage even if they might not attempt to breed this year.

 Battle stations. Two Coots spoiling for a battle while another (a female?) looks on. Watching for fighting tips are two adult and one juvenile Moorhen in the branches above.

One Coot fending off another.

Is this a better view of a first winter Black-headed Gull's upper wing pattern than the photo I took yesterday?

Even better: upper and underwing pattern at the same time.

Plane of the day: a Cessna 152 that was assembled in France and hence officially a Reims Cessna F152. It is owned by APB Leasing Ltd. of Oswestry and flies in the livery of Shropshire Aero Club out of Sleap Airfield near Wem. They use this two-seat aircraft for basic flight training.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013

Priorslee Lake

Drake Scaup still present.

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Yellow-legged Gull

4 or 5 Great Black-backed Gulls

1 Caspian Gull

(Ed Wilson and et al)

2010

Priorslee Lake

c.1500 gulls

Adult winter Ring Billed Gull.

Adult Common Gull

3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls

Black-necked Grebe

(Ed Wilson and Rob Stokes)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Caspian Gull

Adult Yellow-legged Gull

Iceland Gull

(Dawn Balmer, Peter Wilson and et al)