10 Feb 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Low overcast / mist, lifting gradually. Light and variable wind. Very poor visibility, improving somewhat.

[Sunrise: 07:38 GMT]

* = a species photographed today

My first venture out after "man flu".

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 11:05 – 11:35

(34th visit of the year)

Viewing only from the dam-top area.

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: pair throughout
- *9 (6♂) Mallard
- 13 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 59 Coots
- *54 Black-headed Gulls
- *10 Herring Gulls
- *13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants: one departed

"Dear Camera: how can you freeze the action of this drake Mallard's wing tip yet render the body and the head so fuzzy?" An excellent view of the white-bordered blue speculum on this species.

The duck is much less 'flashy'.

Of the 50 or so Black-headed Gulls here this was the bird with the most well-developed dark on the head.

Seen perhaps better from this angle when it does look to be a black head that is developing. However when adult birds are standing or sitting and the breeding plumage is fully developed it is shown to be a 'hood' of dark chocolate-brown. It is likely that birds will have already departed to their breeding sites before such time.

Here is a first winter Black-headed Gull. Birds of this age can develop variable amounts of black on the head and lose much of the black in the wings during the Spring and Summer. A constant feature until the next Autumn moult will be the black tail-band.

A 'classic' first year Herring Gull with paler inner primaries, an all-dark bill and well patterned upper tail.

A first year gull. Looks pale-enough to be another Herring Gull but...

...the upper side view shows it to be a Lesser Black-backed Gull with unpatterned dark but pale-fringed secondary coverts.

A prehistoric-looking Cormorant departs. There is no pale on the breast and belly that would suggest an immature yet there is only the merest suggestion of a few white thigh feathers, an area that should be fully developed by this date on an adult. Perhaps a 'sub-adult' – whatever that means.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:55– 10:55

(33rd visit of the year)

Highlight was a flock of at least 35 *Siskins in Alders close to the path along the East side. Pity the light was so poor.

Other bird notes:
- a / the pair of Gadwall flew from around the island and was not seen again.
- a noisy gathering of at least 25 Magpies was noted in trees near The Priorslee. Birds flew in from all directions to join the throng. After a few minutes they mostly departed. I fully expected them to be mobbing a Common Buzzard or an owl but it seemed it was just annoyed Magpies. I have read that there are Spring gatherings where it is suggested that birds 'move families' thereby diversifying the gene pool.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
**birds on the water had to be counted in sections due to limited visibility. There was scope for both under- and duplicate- recording. Also much of the island was never fully visible.
- 18 Canada Geese: of these 11 flew off as four pairs and a trio
- 5 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 44 (27♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 70 (39♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one (near?) adult; *one first year
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults; one third(?) year
- 1 Kingfisher at least heard only

A rather odd-looking gull – but so many seem to be! Clearly a first year bird. It lacks the paler inner primaries that would indicate it is a Herring Gull yet there are no features to positively identify it as anything else. It is not dark enough for a Lesser Black-backed Gull, particularly as the secondary coverts are not solidly dark but notched pale. A Yellow-legged Gull would not show so much mottling on the upper tail. And a Caspian Gull would never have such a stout bill. So I have to agree with Obsidentify: Herring Gull.

Here are five from the party of at least 35 Siskins feeding on Alder cones alongside the footpath. It was dull and misty at the time. All of the photos I took required quite a bit of work with the photo editor to get some clarity which means they are not as 'crisp' as they would be on a sunny day (what are those?). I may not get the opportunity to photograph them on such a day.

 Four here.

Two belligerent males.

 Two more males.

One male.

A male tucks in.

A male munching.

Bits go flying as a male characteristically hangs upside down.

A messy eater.

One with the bill covered in soggy bits of Alder cone.

As so often most of the birds seemed to be males. This was about the only female I noticed.

Well that's not very friendly.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
1st-winter female Velvet Scoter
(Tom Lowe)

2013
Priorslee Lake
27 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
11 Pochard
48 Tufted Duck
118 Coot
(Tony Beckett)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
2 Iceland Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Common Gull
1 Peregrine
(John Isherwood, Martin Grant and Roger Clay )

Telford
1 Waxwing
(Mike Shurmer)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Goosander
1 Snipe
10 Pochard
39 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
1500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
25+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson and Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
5 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
148 Coots
2 Water Rails
c.1000 Black-headed Gulls
6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
385 Wood Pigeon
473 Jackdaws
394 Rooks
12 Robins
18 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
13 Greenfinches
53 Siskin
5 Redpolls
14 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)