Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash3.0°C > 4.0°C: Medium overcast. A few breaks c.09:30 and then cloudy again. A few light spits and spots as I was leaving. Keen east-north-east wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:42 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:40
(31st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- a second duck Pochard was seen today.
- gulls were very different again today. Large gulls were heard arriving as early as 06:45 with c.100 on the water by 06:55 and c.350 by 07:10. Groups continues to arrive until at least 07:40 when I estimated c.580 Lesser Black-backs and c.50 Herring Gulls. Later when the light was somewhat better I noted at least one Yellow-legged Gull and a possible Caspian Gull.
- in contrast to the 500+ Black-headed Gulls noted yesterday there were none before 07:40 and I only noted c.50 birds. There were more than this at The Flash later!
- no Rooks were seen flying North.
- *a single Raven flying East was new for me here this year.
- *a Cetti's Warbler was heard calling and then seen in the lake-side vegetation in the north-west area. Another bird was hopping around on the ground close-by and might have been another of the same species. I never had a clear-enough view to eliminate, say, a Wren. No calls were heard from this other bird.
- *a Treecreeper was heard calling at its roost site along the North side and later it, or another, was seen in the north-west area. Also new for me here this year.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Stock Dove
- *13 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 51 Jackdaws
- 43 Rooks
- *1 Raven
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Pochard
- 24 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 118 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.50 Black-headed Gulls
- *>50 Herring Gulls
- *1 possible Caspian Gull
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull
- >580 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret:
Street Lamp Poles
Noted on the street lamp poles pre dawn:
Flies:
- 1 winter cranefly Trichocera sp.
Telford Sailing Club
The area around Telford Sailing Club HQ not visited.
Noted later:
Nothing
New Bird Species
Two additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
65 Treecreeper
66 Raven
A cloudy start.
A brief interlude of blue bits. No sun though.
A trio of Feral Pigeons strutting their stuff on Simon's roof. These are all 'blue morphs' with plumage closest to Rock Doves, their wild ancestors. I note that none of them has a ring so these are not Racing Pigeons.
I do not often photograph Wood Pigeons. This one flew my while I was photographing the gulls so I pointed the camera at it.
Those pesky gulls. This smart Herring-type is, I think, a Yellow-legged Gull, whereas...
...this beady-eyed individual might be a Caspian Gull.
An easier gull even if it is a first year. The extensive pale inner primaries, albeit enhanced by being fully spread, indicate it is a regular Herring Gull.
Another view of the same bird.
Do you ever get the feeling you are being watched? The Great (White) Egret seems to be keeping a close watch on me.
I was only indirectly guilty of disturbing it. I flushed the Grey Heron and it was that who put the egret to flight.
The bill on this species looks dangerous but the feet look like something to steer clear of.
A distant Raven fly-over: my first this year here.
I was trying to see where the calling Cetti's Warbler was. Here is its reflection in the water!
Hiding away as usual. Was this all I was going to see?
Amazingly out it popped for a great view only slightly spoilt by an out-of-focus reed across the base of its tail.
And the other side. In the three and half years this bird (or similar!) has been present this is only the third time I have managed a photo and these are by far the best.
A few photos of a Treecreeper in poor light so the photo editor has been busy. Note the strong feet for climbing and the curved bill for...
...getting in the nooks and crannies for goodies.
Where next?
Another crack there?
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:45 – 10:45
(29th visit of the year)
No ice remains
Bird notes:
- *Yesterday's Canada Goose that I noted lying on its side in the water but seemed to recover was, I presume, the dead individual alongside the west-side path this morning. Since it is possibly an avian flu casualty I have already reported it to the council. Keep all dogs away well from it.
- a report of an additional Mute Swan present again. It had departed before I arrived.
- *a surprise was a group of ten Shoveler. My first here this year.
- just one duck Pochard noted. Again two drakes noted.
- at least one Siskin was noted at a feeder in Westcroft Walk.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *1 Sparrowhawk
Noted on / around the water:
- *14 Canada Geese: one of these dead – see notes
- 4 Mute Swans: [but an extra bird was reported as being chased away earlier]
- *10 (7♂?) Shoveler
- 29 (21♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 65 (34♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 61 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: two adults; one second year
- 1 Cormorant
Elsewhere:
Nothing of note
New Bird SpeciesOne addition to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
50 Shoveler
Do not go near this dead Canada Goose and keep dogs away. It could well be an avian flu casualty. I have informed the environmental people at the council.
All ten of the newly-arrived Shovelers are seen here.
Four of the them here. Two obvious drakes with red-brown flanks. I am not 100% sure about the sex of the left-most bird: it looks superficially like a duck apart from the pale area at the base of the bill. That is characteristic of a drake in 'eclipse' (moult) plumage. I would have expected first year drakes to have acquired more of the adult features by this date.
And another three. What is clearly a drake on the left. The bird bottom right is another drake still coming in to plumage – note the dark head, the rufous tinge to the flanks and the white edging to the feathers on the back. The bird top eight is also a drake I suspect: the rufous tinge to the flanks and the pale area at the base of the bill.
Top marks if you can identify this as...
...male Sparrowhawk. A male because of the rufous tones on the upper breast. Here twisting its tail as it manoeuvres.
An even better view that required much photo-editing to show the feature from a photo in dull conditions.
I don't normally take photos of birds at feeders. However this allows me to show the yellow rump of a male Siskin – something that is hard to do when they are high up in the trees feeding on Alder cones.
No stopping a Robin from tucking in!
(Ed Wilson)
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2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
9 Pochard
9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c80 Black-headed Gulls
(Gary Crowder)
Telford Central Railway Station
35 Redwing
(Gary Crowder)
Horsehay Pool
1 Caspian Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2013
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site:
2 Glaucous Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Kris Webb)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
15 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
c.1200 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Gull
c.420 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.30 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
10 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock
2 Little Grebes
30 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
6 Goosanders
4 Pale Brindled Beauty moths
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
34 Greylag Geese
9 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
775 Black-headed Gulls
488 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
28 Robins
19 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
1 Redwing
1 Willow Tit
41 Magpies
250 Jackdaws
100 Rooks
4 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
22 Pochard
63 Tufted Ducks
164 Coots
600 Wood Pigeons
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
84 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
9 Herring Gulls
21 Robins
24 Blackbirds
9 Song Thrushes
3 Willow Tits
11 Greenfinches
15 Siskins
17 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
