22 Jan 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 1.0°C: Mostly light cloud at medium / high level. Light NNW wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:07 GMT]

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:35 – 11:05

(18th visit of the year)

About 50% ice-covered

I had just about finishing scanning and counting the birds on the water when the Sailing Club's safety boat set out across the water and many of the birds departed.

New Bird Species
Two additions to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- A duck Eurasian Wigeon was with one of the pairs of Mallard.
- Just as I was leaving a Pintail flew high East directly overhead: sex not determined
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 62.

Other bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan was still chasing one of the cygnets.
- *A pair of Goosanders flew in: my first actually on the water this year. They left with all the other ducks.

Birds logged flying over here:
- 1 Pintail

Counts from the lake area (before the disturbance):
- no Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 7 (3♂) Gadwall
- 1 (0♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 11 (7♂) Mallard
- 4 (4♂) Pochard
- *2 (1♂) Goosander: arrived
- *87 (48♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 136 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- *? Black-headed Gulls
- *22 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *46 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

Some of the Black-headed Gulls quickly returned: I counted 31

After yesterday's fog all the vegetation was covered in rime ice. Here are some views.

It will probably be some years before we see this phenomenon quite as extensive as this.

We had better have another view.

It was a flower stalk until it got covered in ice.

Up go all the Tufted Duck. Here are some of them (29?) orientating themselves.

The pair of Goosanders departing. Note the white extends across the width of the wing on the drake.

The gulls were rather slower to get going. Here are four adult winter Black-headed Gull, one first-winter Herring Gull and two (count the legs!) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

If only it was always this easy! An adult Herring Gull on the left along with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 11:15 – 12:25

(15th visit of the year)

Over 75% ice.

New Bird Species
An addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- A trio of Fieldfare trio flew North
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 43.

Bird notes:
- One of the Mute Swan cygnets was not seen.
- Some of the ducks were moving between the two patches of open water on opposite sides of the water. I hope I have the totals correct.
- Many of the Tufted Ducks (and all the Pochard?) were refugees from the Balancing Lakes.
- All gulls were moving around and possibly more were present.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Fieldfare

Noted on / around the water
- *13 Canada Geese
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *36 (24♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *3 (3♂) Pochard
- *124 (68♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 17 Moorhens
- *49 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gull
- *6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere
Nothing noted

More view of the rime ice-covered vegetation. Here looking past the island to the distant St Georges Parish Church (that has no apostrophe for some reason).

Another perspective.

A closer view of part of the last view.

Almost makes the estate look attractive. (It is one of the better-looking Telford housing areas)

A weeping willow to add interest.

Part of the island.

Food was being provided at the other side of the lake. This Canada Goose in on the case...

...closely followed by a drake Mallard...

...a drake Tufted Duck with wings a-whirr – you can count his tail feathers. 14 I think – there should be anyway.

...and then a duck Tufted Duck also allowing you to count her tail feathers. I make it 11 only.

A drake Pochard with a duck Tufted Duck. Pochard average slightly larger though that is always hard to discern.

Adult drake Pochards have very finely vermiculated back plumage which can be hard to capture because of the contrast with the dark head. Today's flat lighting provided a good opportunity.

"Say that again"

Oh! OK.

A drake Tufted Duck with 'maximum tuft' at this time of year.

Little and large. A first winter Black-headed Gull shares a roof with an adult Herring Gull. Pink legs on Herring Gulls at all ages.

A fierce-looking adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Adults of this species are supposed to have yellow legs. The legs are certainly a different colour to the orange of the Black-headed Gull alongside. But yellow? I checked at the time and to my eyes they looked just about the same as they have been rendered by the camera. Only the merest hint of black on the bill of this one.

A lot of black on both mandibles of this adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Also some retained winter head-streaking. Those legs look 'more yellow' but hardly what I would call yellow.

 More black on the bill and more head-streaking on this one. All other indications are that it is an adult.

Plane of the day: it is the Midlands Air Ambulance, probably en route to Stafford Hospital. It is what is now known as an Airbus Helicopters EC 145T2, though this model helicopter started out being made in Germany by MBB-Bk (don't ask) where it had the catchy name of Bk 117 D-2. It is operated, as are most Air Ambulances, by Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore Ltd. (Bond Helicopters as was) who service them at Gloucestershire Airport.

(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

2014

Priorslee Lake

2 Great Crested Grebes

9 Pochard

106 Tufted Duck

1 Velvet Scoter

106 Coots

c.260 Black-headed Gulls

3 Herring Gulls

204 Redwing

c.250 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Great Crested Grebes 

32 Wigeon 

6 Gadwall 

25 Pochard 

105 Tufted Ducks

166 Coot

>1700 Black-headed Gulls

>1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

>450 Herring Gulls

13 Great Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

2012

Priorslee Lake

1 Water Rail

2 Great Black-backed Gulls

(John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash

1 Great Black-backed Gull

(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake

28 Goosander

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

65 Herring Gulls

(Martin Adlam)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

3 Great Crested Grebes

3 Cormorants

31 Pochard

41 Tufted Ducks

c.200 Black-headed Gulls

128 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

6 Herring Gulls

20 Robins

23 Blackbirds

19 Fieldfares

17 Redwings

3 Jays

31 Magpies

183 Jackdaws

159 Rooks

7 Greenfinches

5 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)