30 Nov 23

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

0.0°C > 1.0°C: Mainly sunny and clear. Light northerly breeze. Good visibility: a bit hazy.

[Sunrise: 07:57 GMT]

A 'wrong way round' visit today avoiding the early frost and ice.

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:40 – 11:25

(249th visit of the year)

Only watching from the Castle Farm Way lay-by and the dam top.

Bird notes:
- After my first Common Teal of the year yesterday there were four, two pairs, together initially. One of the pairs disappeared, probably in to the reeds.
- All gull numbers were instantaneous counts as I arrived. Many of the large gulls drifted away.

Birds of note seen flying over:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Common Teal
- 61 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 130 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 102 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Herring Gulls
- 96 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants: of these one arrived and one departed
- 2 Grey Herons

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(234th visit of the year)

A small amount of ice at the Derwent Drive end.

Bird notes:
- So many geese for a change. I presume some of their usual haunts iced-over?
- I had failed to see any Common Teal tucked up against the island, possibly because of the number of geese splashing about. As I was about to leave I heard one calling and found a drake (on its own) paddling away from the island to the bottom end.
- Fewer Moorhens: they don't come out in the open to eat frosted grass.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Sparrowhawk

Noted on / around the water:
- 54 Canada Geese
- *19 Greylag Geese: of these 18 arrived in three groups one containing...
- *2 mainly white feral geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 28 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *1 (1♂) Common Teal
- *2 (1♂) Pochard
- 41 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- *44 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Herring Gulls: one second and three third winter birds
- *3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults
- 2 Cormorants: departed separately
- *1 Grey Heron

Of interest elsewhere.

Nothing found

Some of the Greylag Geese on their way in with two of the mainly white feral geese. The all-white bird is significantly the smaller of the two.

Top view.

 Size comparison: a (distant) drake Common Teal passes a Coot.

A pair of Pochard, the duck in the foreground.

A second winter Herring Gull. This individual is less well-developed than many with a more solid tail-band and more black retained in the grey forewing.

Here from the underneath. Note the dark bill with pale only at the base.

One of the third winter Herring Gulls. This example has less black in the tail band than the example I photographed here yesterday. (An out of focus Grey Heron in the background).

A third winter chases a second winter.

I'll try to do better. Bright, low winter sun gives makes contrasting subjects difficult to represent. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Just a small black mark on the upper mandible is allowable in winter so long as there is a red spot on lower mandible.

 Probable a third winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. This individual has a paler back and thus likely from the UK population. Scandinavian birds winter here and are those with darker backs.

(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

2012
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
3 Gadwall
1 duck Goldeneye
1750 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
370 Black-headed Gulls
76 Herring Gulls
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
Redpoll
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood / Martin Grant)

Holmer Lake
3 Goosander
1 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
11 Yellow-legged Gulls
An adult Caspian Gull
3,000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
30-40 Waxwings
2 Common Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Madeley
3 Waxwings
(Pete Nickless)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Cormorants
20 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
6 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
>1050 Black-headed Gulls
451 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
188 Wood Pigeons
18 Blackbirds
166 Fieldfares
62 Redwings
187 Jackdaws
80 Rooks
4 Siskin
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon again
3 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
215 Coot
4000 Black-headed Gulls
2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Fieldfare
1 Skylark
168 Jackdaws
72 Rooks.
19 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)