3.0°C > 4.0°C: Slight ground frost. Excellent sunrise. Increasing high cloud after a few early clear spells. Light south-westerly wind increasing moderate. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:19 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:25
(276th visit of the year)
Highlight was seeing a Water Rail wandering and poking about in one drainage channels that only contains water after significant rainfall.
Bird notes:
- the Canada Goose with the injured leg was sleeping on one of fishing platforms. Later it was hobbling on the south-west grass again.
- some movement among the Mute Swans. At first light there were 20 (near) adults, four more than on most recent days. Later there were only 11 (I did not notice any leave). As I was walking up Teece Drive to depart to The Flash there were three adults flying around the over the lake: coming? going? flying around? The two cygnets/first winters were present throughout.
- the trio of Gadwall seen again. I suspect they are just hiding on visits where I fail to see them.
- probably more Black-headed Gulls that I have tabulated. Something spooked them before it was light-enough to get an accurate count and many did not settle back.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Goosander: sex not determined
- 13 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 76 Jackdaw
- 105 Rooks
- 1 Mistle Thrush
- 2 Siskins
Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Canada Goose
- *20 > 11 + 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- 14 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Water Rail
- 10 Moorhens
- 235 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >200 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 65 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
- *1 male Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
Flies:
- 1 female plumed midge
- 1 gnat
- *1 fly, possibly Scoliocentra villosa
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
- 1 female plumed midge
- 1 gnat
- *1 fly, possibly Scoliocentra villosa
- 2 winter craneflies Trichocera sp.
Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata
Telford Sailing Club
Around the outside of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 1 male plumed midge
- 1 male plumed midge
Barkflies:
- *2 barkflies Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- 7 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus
- *2 barkflies Ectopsocus briggsi agg.
- 7 barkflies Valenzuela flavidus
Springtails:
- 1 globular springtail from the Dicyrtomina group
- 1 globular springtail from the Dicyrtomina group
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 spiders, species not determined
Later:
- 3 spiders, species not determined
Later:
Nothing noted
Slightly fuzzy as the waning Cold Moon was shining through a thin layer of high cloud.
The early sky did not show much promise.
It soon got better.
Even better.
Much better
A group of the Mute Swans decided to crash the photos so...
...I decided to make a feature of them.
The best of a not very inspiring bunch. As far as I can recall this is the first time I have managed to photograph this species here.
The only Winter Moth, a male, Operophtera brumata today.
One of two barkflies of the Ectopsocus briggsi aggregate.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel pre-dawn:
Flies:
- 2 unidentified gnats
- 2 unidentified gnats
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 spider only, species not determined
- 1 spider only, species not determined
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35
(278th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- when I arrived there were at least 48 Greylag Geese inside and around the island with the two white feral geese. Later 43 more arrived in three groups.
- numbers of Tufted Duck and Pochard again "best effort" with many birds continually diving and moving around.
- no Great Crested Grebe (or Little Grebe) noted.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- *91 Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 mainly white feral geese
- *6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 33 (22♂) Mallard
- 13 (>6♂) Pochard
- 86 (>56♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 86 Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls: two adults; four second winters
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult briefly
Elsewhere:
Nothing noted
Once again the four non-resident adult Mute Swans went for a fly around together. Later they were as two well-separated pairs as usual.
Zoomed in on part of the group. Worryingly the bird top dead-centre seems to be slightly smaller and to have a small and partly dark bill. These features might indicate it to be a Pink-footed Goose. I think not: there is too much pale showing in the wing. I cannot pick this bird out in any of the other photos I took of this group.
(Ed Wilson)
24 – count them – Greylag Geese arrive with some of the lowering their undercarriage.
Splash down.
I know we are not supposed to anthropomorphise but this Song Thrush look glum.
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
6 Pochard
94 Tufted Ducks
10 Goosander
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
2 Fieldfare
85 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1 Little Grebe
151 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
1 Little Grebe
1 Shoveler
1 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
133 Coots
54 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Horsehay Pool
Iceland Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Mallard x Pintail
c.200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
6 Herring Gulls
1 Redwing
4 Fieldfare
5 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Water Rail
>3000 Black-headed Gulls
28 Swans
2 Gadwall
52 Pochard
112 Tufted Ducks
287 Coots
10 Redwings
199 Jackdaws
6 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
31 Pochard
33 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Black-headed Gulls
c.2800 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
31 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
18 Pied Wagtails
2 Redpolls
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)