19 Jan 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

1.0°C > 4.0°C: Clear and sunny. Light southerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:11 GMT]

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:55 – 12:15

(18th visit of the year)

c.80% ice.

Bird notes:
- There were far too many gulls to count individually though I did scan the complete morass carefully looking for the 'unusual' species. Apart from these species the totals are 'best estimate'.
- With only one main area of open water several hundred bathing gulls were in amongst the ducks and Coots making these very difficult to count.

Birds noted flying over:
None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 68 (32♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 73 Coots
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Great Black-backed Gulls: adults
- >250 Herring Gulls
- 2 Yellow-legged Gulls: adults
- 2 Caspian Gulls: adults
- >1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Did I mention that there were many gulls...

It was sometimes rather chaotic.

A slightly closer look. The majority of them are adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A few Black-headed Gulls in the foreground.

Standing head and shoulders above the rest is an adult Great Black-backed Gull. This species has pink legs at all ages.

And here is the other Great Black-backed Gull, probably a female as it is not so obviously large. Note again the pink legs which contrasts well with the yellow legs of the Lesser Black-backed Gull on its right.

A contrary bird marching the wrong way. It is an adult winter Yellow-legged Gull. Note the white head and the slightly darker back than the adult winter Herring Gull four gulls back. The legs do not look very yellow but then neither do the legs of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls around it. When the light is as bright as it was here the colours are not rendered accurately.

Probably not the same bird: it was hard to keep track of them. I had hoped the well-spread wing-tip feathers would provide a positive identity – Herring? Caspian? Yellow-legged? I have studied all my literature showing the typical wing-tip patterns of these three species and cannot come to a conclusion. I was somewhat mollified by finding that Obsidentify could not give a positive answer either: 54%; 31% and 17% respectively.

No confusion here: it is an adult winter Herring Gull.

And another.

A third winter Herring Gull with the wings slightly sullied brown and black and the bend in the wing. No red on the bill.

A mean-looking adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull, still with extensive head-streaking.

A plan-view of an adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull showing typical contrast between most of the wing and the darker wing tips. For some reason this bird has more black on the bill than I would expect on an adult (don't you just love gulls!).

One gull has found some food and everyone wants it. It is a first winter Herring Gull with the food. Pursuing it are a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull and an adult Herring Gull with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in its shadow.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:45– 10:50

(17th visit of the year)

>90% ice.

Bird notes:
- Three Bullfinches (two males) in bushes at the bottom of squirrel alley was about the best.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull

Noted on / around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 53 (32♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 15 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 54 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 24 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first winter
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult

Elsewhere:
Nothing of note, apart from five Grey Squirrels. Aren't they supposed to hibernate?

A first winter Herring Gulls. It will soon be even more of a challenge to age gulls as they begin to moult in to summer plumage as varying rates.

A Moorhen treading carefully on the ice.

Two Moorhens here. Both with a red shield and bill-base indicating these are adults. There are still many first winter birds around the water.

There is a little-known local bye-law that requires me to photograph Robins.

Aircraft(?) of the day: a Robinson R44 Raven II with an owner near Malvern. The registration letters on the thin rounded boom are difficult to make out. Are the final letters 'O' or 'U'? Luckily the registration is also painted under the cabin. So G-CEUU it is.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
1 female Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup - 1st winter male, 2 1st winter females
(David Barnes / Tony Beckett / Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Adult Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Andy Latham)

2007
Priorslee Lake
8 Cormorants
3 Pochard
31 Tufted Ducks
9 Goosanders
c.50 Golden Plover
>1100 Black-headed Gulls
133 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
250 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
17 Blackbirds
8 Fieldfares
4 Redwings
43 Magpies
279 Jackdaws
136 Rooks
5 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1100 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Gadwall
8 Pochard
14 Tufted Duck
198 Coot
376 Jackdaws
265 Rooks
200 Wood Pigeons
28 Robins
21 Blackbirds
22 Siskins
1 Redpoll
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)