30 Jan 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Clearer to South and West with persistent cloud forming overhead and to the East. Brisk WNW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:56 GMT

* = a photo from today.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:40 – 09:25

(25th visit of the year)

*Highlight today was a party of 10 Eurasian Wigeon that circled around at 07:30 before eventually settling on the water to reveal themselves as six drakes and four ducks.

Other bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan was already chasing the cygnets by 07:15. Later the four cygnets went for another lengthy flight within the confines of the lake before splashing back down.
- Just two Black-headed Gulls arrived at 07:50 with another 22 passing East high overhead. A few on the water thereafter but never more than four at any one time. Probably more individuals.
- The / a Cetti's Warbler called once and then sang once along the middle of the North side. Later presumably the same bird was heard to sing once in the north-east corner.
- Two Mistle Thrushes flew South along the line of the dam in to the trees in the south-east corner as they did yesterday. I did not see or heard any birds in the Ricoh Copse alongside Teece Drive.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: a single, a duo and a trio outbound; a single inbound
- 54 Greylag Geese: flew South to the East in one straggling group
- 64 Wood Pigeons: 42 of these flew high North in two groups
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Herring Gulls
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Cormorants: singles
- 2 Jackdaws again
- 1 Rook
- 1 Redwing

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 19 Canada Geese: small numbers coming and going
- *2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- *10 (6♂) Eurasian Wigeon: arrived; as highlighted
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- 16 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 124 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
- 4 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons: one chased off at 07:15

On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn: a chilly breeze blowing
Nothing noted

Later:

Nothing noted

'Our' four Mute Swan cygnets go for a fly-about. Number four needs to work on its formation timing. Numbers two and four both seem to be calling. Not so 'mute' swans.

Just three here with number two still with its bill open.

The ten Eurasian Wigeon stayed as a scattered group in the middle of the water. Identify the six drakes by the white area ahead of their black rear end.

One of the two Cormorants seen. This one had either roosted here or arrived very early: I noted it at 07:15. Much white on the belly means it is an immature – a first year bird I think. Note the bare skin under the eye stays yellow at this age. On breeding condition adults it turns orange.

Here comes Cormorant number two, touching tail-first as ever. Also an immature, probably a second year bird, with less white on its belly.

Maximum concentration as it hauls itself out to balance on the buoy.

There is always a twig in the way! A Long-tailed Tit shows its long tail but not much else.

Very acrobatic..but.

(Ed Wilson

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:45

(22nd visit of the year)

New Bird Species

Yet another addition to my 2023 bird species list from here:
- While I was peering through my binoculars counting Tufted Ducks a Kingfisher flew through towards the top end. I could not relocate it amongst its favourite overhanging branches.
This takes my 2023 bird species total for here to 47.

Other bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan was giving half-hearted chase to the remaining cygnet though he kept getting sidetracked to chase any Canada Geese that got in his way.
- A trio of drake Pochard back.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Noted on / around the water
- 29 Canada Geese: two of these arrived with...
- *15 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- *43 (28♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 3 (3♂) Pochard
- 61 (37♂) Tufted Duck
- *3 (1♂) Goosander
- 21 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 66 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both briefly
- no Grey Herons
- 1 Kingfisher

On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere.
Nothing noted

Fifteen Greylag Geese inbound. They circled overhead, likely judging the wind so as to land in to the wind. We need a wind-sock for them!

 This group need to work on their formation landing.

 Eight out of ten for these four.

Nine marks for these four.

A comparison in head shape and colour between a drake Mallard and a duck Goosander.

Probably the same duck Tufted Duck with the white at the base of her bill.

One of today's two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A full adult with some winter head-streaking remaining and a small amount of black on the mandibles to lose as it comes in to breeding plumage.

 species I do not often photograph. A female House Sparrow. The male was more nervous and flew off.

Plane of the day #1: this is a 42 year-old Reims-assembled Cessna 152 operated out of Derby Airfield at Eggington. This model is a basic two-seat training aircraft.

Plane of the day #2: This is an Airbus A330 200 series operated by German holiday airline Condor, once part of the state airline Lufthansa but now a separate company. They recently introduced
a new livery with aircraft being painted in coloured hoops around the fuselage and tail supposedly to represent beach towels. They probably paid some 'image consultants' a lot of money to come up with that idea. On this aircraft only the tail has been painted so far. This one has blue markings. Other aircraft in the fleet have green, or yellow or red markings. What can I say?

Oh yes: the routing. Los Angeles to Frankfurt. Data from FlightRadar24. Busy local airspace this morning.

(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

Priorslee Lake

2 Cormorants 

1 Teal 

7 Pochard 

66 Tufted Duck 

3 Greater Scaup 

1 Velvet Scoter 

91 Coots 

1 Woodcock 

50 Herring Gulls 

33 Redwings 

c.495 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

106 Tufted Ducks 

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

7 Pochard 

25 Tufted Duck 

4 Goosander 

44 Coots

(Ed Wilson)

Park Pool, Chetwynd near Newport

31 Shoveler

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

29 Wigeon 

10 Gadwall 

8 Pochard 

59 Tufted Ducks 

1 Scaup

169 Coots

 >300 Starlings

13 Redwings

46 Fieldfare 

211 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

The Flash

9 Pochard 

54 Tufted Duck

(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool

2 Goosander

Sparrowhawk

(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake

1 Gadwall

9 Goosander

1 Little Grebe

Goldcrest

Nuthatch

(John Isherwood)

2012

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebes

21 Pochard

42 Tufted Duck

c.190 Black-headed Gulls

48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

8 Herring Gulls

Glaucous Gull

75 Redwing

16 Bullfinch 

(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant) 

Priorslee Flash

1 Pochard

43 Tufted Ducks

282 Black-headed Gulls

3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

2 Herring Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

 1 Water Rail

4 Gadwall

2 Willow Tit

(John Isherwood)

2009

Priorslee Lake

A female Ruddy Duck

500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring & Black-headed Gulls.

1 Yellow-legged Gull

1 Great Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)