4.0°C > 5.0°C: Mostly cloudy with a few very light showers. Just a couple of brighter spells. Light / moderate NNE wind. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise: 07:02 GMT]
* = a species photographed today.
A very dull and slightly damp start to the day suggested a later visit might be better. Perhaps it was.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:50 – 11:35
(48th visit of the year)
Only viewing from the dam-top area.
Severn-Trent were carrying out their planned thinning of the some of the wooded areas. Tomorrow is the last date such work is permitted ahead of the breeding season.
Bird notes:
- The Mute Swan cygnets were presumably three of 'ours' returned. The adults seemed sanguine about their presence and I doubt they would have been so with strangers. So where is the fourth cygnet?
- Three pairs of Great Crested Grebes were noted. *A lone adult was near the dam. The first year bird was mostly asleep in the middle of the water.
Birds noted flying over here during my brief visit:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *1 Sparrowhawk
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans: some cygnets back
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall still
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 (3♂) Pochard again
- 14 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 66 Coots
- *8 Great Crested Grebes
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: departed
Not a brilliant photo of the Sparrowhawk passing over at some distance against a leaden sky. Hard to tell what colour the barring on the belly might be: looks to be a chunky bird and therefore a grey-striped female.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 09:25 – 10:45
(44th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The Greylag Goose arrived apparently paired with a Canada Goose. There has been such a pairing for a number of years leading to an array of hybrids.
- A fly-over Collared Dove did not seem to be one of the local birds. The locals were present and correct where they normally are.
- A Jay was heard giving its Buzzard-like mewing call from trees at the top end. Only my second record of this species here this year.
- *Long-tailed Tits were still busy nest-building.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Collared Dove
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 5 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water
- 20 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- *2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 40 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *65 (41♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- *2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gulls: a third year
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult and first year again
- 3 Cormorants again
On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere
Nothing noted
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:45
(44th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The Greylag Goose arrived apparently paired with a Canada Goose. There has been such a pairing for a number of years leading to an array of hybrids.
- A fly-over Collared Dove did not seem to be one of the local birds. The locals were present and correct where they normally are.
- A Jay was heard giving its Buzzard-like mewing call from trees at the top end. Only my second record of this species here this year.
- *Long-tailed Tits were still busy nest-building.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Collared Dove
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 5 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water
- 20 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- *2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 40 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- *65 (41♂) Tufted Duck
- no Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 34 Coots
- *2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gulls: a third year
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult and first year again
- 3 Cormorants again
On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere
Nothing noted
A duck Tufted Duck in a bit of a flap.
Here showing the underwing and white belly.
This looks to be the first year Great Crested Grebe now beginning to grow some neck plumes.
And here with the full adult in the foreground. Most of the time these birds keep well apart.
You cannot have too many Long-tailed Tit photos
These were taken as birds brought nesting material to two different sites.
Dull lighting conditions did not make for pin-sharp photos.
A camera-shy bird.
Once the nests have been completed these birds will be much harder to photograph.
(Ed Wilson)
Note:
Ed Wilson's visit to the Wirral on 22 Feb 23 can be found Here.
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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)