This group of mainly first year Black-headed Gulls were busy plucking what I presume were hatching flies. The one closest to the camera has its bill in the water....

...and has something in its bill as it brings it back out. I can't see what that might be.

Another bird doing the same thing.

If you zoom right in it does appear there might be an insect wing in its bill. I am not entirely convinced!

A male Pied Wagtail. Within the next few weeks I will be keeping my eye open for migrants of the race / species known as White Wagtail that breeds across Eurasia (and, just, Alaska). Some winter as far south as sub-Saharan Africa. These are generally paler and less contrasting birds and lack the grey on the flanks shown here.

Females are particularly challenging to separate with the only reliable distinction being the upper tail colour – black as shown here on both sexes of Pied Wagtail; and grey on all White Wagtails. It is not easy to see as the folded wings do their best to hide the upper tail.

A smart bird.

Plane of the day. Somewhat distant and against the light this is an MBB-Bk 117 D-2 (now marketed as an Airbus Helicopters EC 145T2). It is operated by Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore Ltd. as one of the Welsh Air Ambulances. It is currently stationed at Mid-Wales Airport at Welshpool. It normally takes patients to Liverpool or Stoke Hospitals and is an unusual sighting hereabouts.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:40

(57th visit of the year)

Highlight today was a new bird species for my log here, albeit a not particularly exciting species. A male Pheasant was heard calling from the East side of the area. Common-enough in Spring at the Balancing Lake and in surrounding area this was my first confirmed record here. I did in fact wonder whether I had heard one distantly a few days ago but in the absence of any previous records I decided to 'let it go'. Bird species #56 here this year for me.

Other bird notes:
- A drake Shoveler was noted tucked up against the island.
- Significant reduction in drake Tufted Duck numbers. Where have they gone? Very few to the Balancing Lake.
- Large number of Goosanders with four full adult and one first year drake. I suspect the rain and snow-melt has made the River Severn very murky and they have come to somewhere they can see the fish.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 14 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 25 (17♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 41 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 (5♂) Goosander
- 13 Moorhens
- 28 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 77 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls: all immatures
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: near(?) adult
- 3 Cormorants again
- 1 Kingfisher

On / around the street lamp poles or of note elsewhere

Nothing noted

I was just too slow to catch this pair of Canada Geese mating but it seems they both enjoyed the experience.

When birds are tucked up against the East side of the island it is difficult to get anything other than a record shot. A drake Shoveler this morning.

I keep thinking that we have just about seen the last of the Goosanders as they head off to breeding waters. But no: there were 18 today. Here a pair show their very different-looking head-shapes exaggerated by the head-plumes on the duck.

Two smart full-adult drakes here. Is it just an optical illusion that the drakes' bill looks thinner than that of the duck?

A drake gets its feathers back in place after a preen. A very distinctive head shape in profile.

Rather soggy-looking plumes on this duck.

And another duck with a bad-hair day.

One of three Great Crested Grebes I noted. I have no idea why some birds have red eyes. Mr. Google fails to provide a definitive answer.

Good lighting on this Moorhen to highlight the subtle browns and greys of a bird often thought of as black.

Not as I thought an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. The extent of black on the bill, the darker outer secondaries and the indistinct way the darker wing tip is separated from the rest of the wing all suggest this is a third year bird. In this view there seems to be no white 'mirror' in the outer primary feather...

...but that is clear-enough here.

A pair of Nuthatches – well I assume they are a pair – were inspecting their traditional nest hole. This one was just leaving.

Its mate immediately flew in to inspect the site.

Having a good peer about.

Then it too leaves: but not before checking...

...whether the coast is clear.

I could hear Siskins wheezing away in the Alders. This male was the only one I could find.

(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

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Iceland Gull

4 Yellow-legged Gulls

1 Caspian Gull

1 Common Gull.

(Tom Lowe, J Reeves)

2012

Priorslee Lake

Chiffchaff singing

4 Siskin

1 Willow Tit

(Martin Grant)

Nedge Hill

3 Lapwing

2 Green Woodpecker

4+ Skylark singing

(Martin Grant)

2011

Priorslee Lake

3 Pochard

34 Tufted Ducks

1 Water Rail

1 Kingfisher

4 Redwing

3 Chiffchaffs singing

57 Magpies

1 Brambling

10 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

3 Little Grebes

5 Great Crested Grebes

1 Cormorant

7 Swans

6 Gadwall

2 Pochard

47 Tufted Duck

77 Coots

1 Common Gull

253 Jackdaws

Linnet

9 Reed Buntings

Willow Tit

Siskin

( Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Glaucous Gull

(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill

1 Chiffchaff

25 Linnet

4 Lapwing

(John Isherwood)

Trench Pool

1 Water Rail

(John Isherwood)

2007

Priorslee Lake

19 Tufted Duck

4 Stock Dove

25 Wren

28 Robin

25 Blackbird

7 Song Thrush

2 Redwing

7 Chiffchaff singing

41 Magpie

142 Jackdaw

5 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe

5 Great Crested Grebes

7 Pochard

43 Tufted Ducks

2 Ruddy Ducks

86 Coots

1 Water Rail

176 Jackdaws

26 Blackbirds

41 Redwings

20 Greenfinches

7 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson)

4 Reed Buntings

(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

Friends of Priorslee Lake Wildlife Site

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14 Mar 23