8 Dec 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

5.0°C > 4.0°C: Broken cloud. Gusty and fresh northerly wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:09 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:20

(266th visit of the year)

After Storm Darragh there were very many twigs and small branches on the ground. A large double-trunked tree in the north-east area had been uprooted and had fallen in to the reed bed. *In the north-west area a tree had snapped half-way, the broken part hanging but not in danger of falling on the path. Otherwise the area seems to have escaped.

Bird notes:
- storms seem to blow things, especially large gulls, out of the lake rather than in!
- the roost-dispersal Jackdaws had a strong tail-wind and as a result were flying very high and difficult to see. More birds were heard calling and not located.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 37 Wood Pigeons: 28 of these flew north-west together
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Buzzard
- >27 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- c.75 Starlings: one group
- 1 Raven
- 2 Redwings
- 10 Goldfinches: did not seem to be the local birds

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: one of these arrived
- 21 + 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 28 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail: heard only
- 7 Moorhens
- 240 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

A careful examination of the street lamp poles and the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ again failed to find a single insect / spider etc.

Otherwise:
- I am even more convinced that it was Water Rat that ran and swam past me pre-dawn on Wednesday. One did so again this morning.
- *the first male catkins of Hazel Corylus avellana.

The pre-dawn view across the lake.

Slightly later with some (just) colour.

Bulrushes Typha latifolia against the dawn. I prefer the alternative name of Reedmace for this plant as I doubt Moses was found in anything like this. The story of Moses in the bulrushes is usually illustrated showing fronds of Papyrus Cyperus papyrus.

Can Spring be far away? Probably: despite the appearance of the male catkins of Hazel Corylus avellana.

The uprooted double-trunked tree.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:35

(268th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- in the poor light and strong wind I was unable to sex those Pochard that were not obviously adult drakes.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 11 Greylag Geese: arrived together
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 30 (22♂) Mallard
- 15 (>8♂) Pochard
- 48 (22?♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 102 Coots
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Herring Gulls: adult, one first winter and two second winters
- *1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

Of note around The Flash:

Nothing else

A first winter Black-headed Gull showing the wing and tail pattern of birds of this age.

Probably an adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull though the small amount of black on the lower mandible may indicate it is a fourth winter bird. The head streaking of large gulls reaches its peak at this time of year. Many large gulls start their moult into clean-headed breeding plumage around mid-December.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
3 Gadwall
9 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosanders
166 Coots
Peregrine Falcon
118 Black-headed Gulls
>500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.40 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
43 Redwings
2 Fieldfares
c.469 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
33 Swans
31 Pochard
70 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
308 Coots
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
c.300 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
102 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
225 Jackdaws
3 Siskins
2 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

Trench
2 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
8 Pochard
60 Tufted Ducks
drake Mallard x Pintail
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
6 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
2 Goosanders
3 Lapwings
1 Snipe
>1700 Black-headed Gulls
865 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Robins
22 Blackbirds
6 Redwings
243 Jackdaws
133 Rooks
22 Chaffinches
1 Brambling
12 Greenfinches
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
6 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
247 Coot
402 Jackdaws
483 Rooks
37 Siskins
1 Redpoll
21 Fieldfares.
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)