22 Feb 24

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

5.0°C > 7.0°C: Cloudy after and before more rain. Light southerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:13 GMT]

* = a species photographed today

Another rain-(deluge-?) delayed start so, as usual, I started at the The Flash and then went on to the Balancing Lake, watching from the dam area only.

The survey work from a boat on The Flash seemed to have cleared out almost all the Tufted Ducks, most of which seemed to have settled at the Balancing Lake.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:25 – 11:25

(39th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly from the North side and clearly audible from the dam.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 2 Stock Doves
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: what is presumably the breeding pair on the dam-top throughout
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 65 (31♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 42 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: four departed
- 3 Herring Gulls: an adult and two first year birds, all briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 3 Cormorants: one of these arrived.

A different Air Ambulance today. Since late last year there have been two Air Ambulances based at Cosford, 'our' regular West Midlands Air Ambulance (Eurocopter) EC145 registered G-RMAA and this, the East Midlands Air Ambulance, registered G-HWAA which is a slightly smaller EC135. Both are kitted-out with full medical facilities. G-RMAA was already on a task with a transfer to Stoke Hospital so G-HWAA was called up. I think it was stood-down. After passing over the lake it briefly hovered somewhere near the Railway Station and then seemed to head back to base.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40– 10:15

(40th visit of the year)

It was a paddle around the flooded paths here. I have never encountered so much water streaming across the paths. Also the water level was very high and I am not sure how relevant the survey results might be as a result.

Bird notes:
- the arrival of the duck Goosander was a surprise as I have not noted any here for several weeks. Perhaps it was the bird from the Balancing Lake as that was not seen.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 26 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: arrived
- 6 Moorhens
- 46 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- no gulls

Elsewhere.
Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
5 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
7 Pochard
3 Tufted Duck
11 Redwings
>800 Jackdaws
127 Rooks
9 Ravens
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Little Grebe
1 Greylag x Canada x ? Goose
172 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Telford Crematorium
Iceland Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Priorslee Lake
23 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
(Martin Grant)

The Flash
Drake Scaup
(JW Reeves)

Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
(Jim Almond)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 Iceland Gulls
2 Glaucous Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Grant)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Teal
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
2 Shoveler
4 Pochard
4 Tufted Duck
2 Buzzard
1 Common Gull
5 Fieldfare
6 Redwing
41 Magpie
197 Jackdaw
13 Greenfinch
7 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
7 Great Crested Grebes
2 Herons
4 Cormorants
6 Pochard
21 Tufted Ducks
116 Coots
1 Water Rail
627 Wood Pigeon
13 Pied Wagtails
28 Blackbirds
4 Willow Tits
10 Greenfinches
133 Siskins
1 Linnet
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)