31 Jan 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 2.0°C: Clear and frosty start with cloud soon spreading over making it dull again. Light southerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:55 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:40 – 09:25

(29th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- most of the large gulls came and went before there was enough light to critically examine them all with pale birds logged as Herring and dark birds as Lesser Black-backed. Later singles of apparently both Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls noted.
- a Great Tit confused me: I know they have a wide range of calls but this one sounded just like a Long-tailed Tit. It was only because it was on its own (Long-tails are always in groups) that I checked what was making the noise.
- Song Thrushes were singing from 13 locations this morning despite the frost. I noted three birds calling. Whether these were additional bird (females) or just the males 'winding up' is hard to say.
- two Mistle Thrushes flew out of the wooded area by the Castle Farm Way gate. Not a usual place to see them. Later one was sitting on a tree at the West.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair flew North to the East
- 4 Greylag Geese: two pairs outbound
- 4 Stock Doves: two pairs
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 75 Jackdaws
- 26 Rooks
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds seen leaving roosts around the lake:

None

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- 11 (8♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 9 Moorhens
- 55 Coots again
- c.165 Black-headed Gulls:
- *21 Herring Gulls: see notes
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *1 probable Caspian Gull: second winter?
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 2 Grey Herons: the usual sparring

On or around the very frosted street lamp poles pre-dawn

Nothing noted

Later:

Nothing of note

The waning Wolf Moon during the clear skies very early.

Cloud soon rolled in giving a colourful sunrise.

 The full view down the length of the lake.

An attempt at an 'arty' shot using one of last year's reeds as foreground.

The colour soon faded with darkening clouds arriving.

A first winter Herring Gull with a pale grey back and pale inner primaries. Another distinction from the dark-backed and darker-winged Lesser Black-backed Gull is the rather smudgy tail band. On a Lesser Black-backed this a solid dark area contrasting with an almost white upper tail area.

A different first winter gull with a more scaly appearance and less obvious pale inner primaries. Obsidentify said this was most likely a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

It isn't. The pale bases to the back feathers clearly put it in the Herring/Caspian/Yellow-legged group. With the messy tail band shown in the previous photo I see no reason to think it is other than another first winter Herring Gull.

Seems it is tiring sitting about on the lake.

Don't you just love gulls? So what is this? A very smart-looking second winter bird. I reckon, on the basis of the white head and dark-looking eye it is a Caspian Gull. The white head is becoming a less reliable feature of this and Yellow-legged as birds begin a rapid moult in to Summer plumage.

Not an identification shot per se but a useful size comparison between the Redwing (bottom left) and the boldly-speckled Mistle Thrush (top right).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30– 10:25

(28th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I counted 70 Tufted Duck (36 drakes) on the water and then as I was walking back to my car seven more flew in from the direction of the Balancing Lake.
- back to a single Great Crested Grebe.
- two Goldcrests were noted chasing around at the top end.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 44 (29♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 4 (3♂) Pochard
- 77 (>36♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 13 Moorhens
- 42 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- *25 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: two first and one third winters
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult

Of note.

Nothing

An adult winter Black-headed Gull concentrating one where to pounce for the proffered food.

Homing in.

Amazing aerial contortions may be needed...

...to get in to position.

The grey marks on the wings here are caused by the feathers lifting as the airflow 'stalls' over the top of the wing.

Your guess is probably as good as mine. No webs on the feet so not a duck or a gull.

Turning it over did not help. I suspect a Wood Pigeon. How and why I cannot say.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
22 Greylag Geese
19 Pochard
42 Tufted Duck
c.390 Black-headed Gulls
c.350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
32 Herring Gulls
1 Common Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
69 Redwings
25 Greenfinches
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)

Priorslee Flash
Tundra Bean Goose
8 Greylag Geese
37 Tufted Ducks
c.1000 Black-headed Gulls
246 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Herring Gulls.
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)

Trench Pool
8 Pochard
50 Tufted Ducks
79 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake
50 Goosander
(John Isherwood)
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)