28 Feb 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Still mostly cloudy with a few light showers. Rather more brighter spells. Moderate N wind. Good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:00 GMT]

* = a species photographed today.

Another dull and damp start to the day suggested a later visit.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 11:00 – 11:30

(49th visit of the year)

Only viewing from the dam-top area again.

Severn-Trent were again carrying out their planned thinning of the some of the wooded areas. Last day.

Very quiet (apart from the chainsaw)

Bird notes:
- Just one displaying pair of Great Crested Grebes. A lone adult at the other end of the water. I did not see the first year bird noted on the previous two days.

Birds noted flying over here during my brief visit:
- 1 Wood Pigeon

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- no Mallard seen
- Pochard gone to The Flash
- 6 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens only
- 67 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes only
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant

 Most of the Great Crested Grebes had either departed or were hiding. This pair was displaying.

"My feathers are taller than yours".

Ships that pass in the night?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:55

(45th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *The adult Mute Swans were seen mating. Later they were both chasing the remaining cygnet.
- The quartet of Pochard were no doubt the birds seen at the Balancing Lake on the previous two days.
- The two Goosanders were resting on the island. I could not tell whether they were females or immature males with the views available.
- Both Great Crested Grebes had extensive head plumes. I am sure yesterday's first year bird (that was not located today) could not have sprouted the plumes overnight. Also these two were in threat posture to each other.
- *Long-tailed Tits were less busy nest-building but still obvious.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water
- *24 Canada Geese
- *2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 28 (19♂) Mallard only
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 56 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (?♂) Goosander
- 14 Moorhens
- 33 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again
- 46 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one second and one third year
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult
- 3 Cormorants: all departed
- 1 Grey Heron

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

A double-headed Canada Goose?

A Canada Goose arriving. I have tweaked the exposure but I did not need to crop this view.

All the action was a bit too far away for best photos. The Mute Swans were mating this morning, Here both have their tails in the air, the pen in the foreground has her tail more erect as an invitation to the cob.

He looks confused about which end to approach. Well he is a recent arrival and it is not entirely clear whether he was the father of the small second 2022 brood. It could be his first experience.

As with ducks it looks as if the female should drown and he pushes her neck underwater.

 "Let me up for air".

"Weren't we clever?"

The first year Black-headed Gull (bottom right) has found some food and the two adults want it. Note the tail of the first year has moulted to acquire adult feathers in the centre of its tail.

Did someone ask about Long-tailed Tits?

A different bird.

This Song Thrush did not seem too worried about the passing dogs and continued to extract food from the grass.

Another friendly Robin. When seen this closely they are well worth looking at.

So we'd better have another view.

(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)