4.0°C > 6.0°C: Some early breaks. Mainly low/medium overcast. Light southerly wind. Mostly good visibility.
Sunrise: 08:12 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:30 – 09:25
(15th visit of the year)
Still >25% thin ice.
Bird notes:
- very different behaviour by the gulls today. None was present on the water or ice until c.07:35 when at least 600 birds, both Black-headed Gulls and large gulls, arrived together. Many more continued to stream in until c.07:50 when I made my first estimation of the numbers of each gull species. By 08:45 there were just seven gulls remaining. Then at c.09:00 at least 250 large gulls streamed (back?) in from the North after which I made my second estimation of the numbers of each gull species.
- at c.09:15 at least 12 Carrion Crows and a few Magpies were making a lot of noise and jumping around in trees inside the Ricoh grounds. I searched in vain for a predator that they might have been mobbing.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 10 Canada Geese: outbound
- 16 Greylag Geese: outbound
- 1 Stock Dove
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove: my first here this year
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 51 Jackdaws
- 9 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 31 Canada Geese: most (all?) departed
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 21 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 253 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- >350 // 10 Black-headed Gulls
- >50 // >50 Herring Gulls
- 3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
- >550 // >200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived together
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret: arrived 07:45 again: set your watch!
Noted on the street lamp poles pre dawn.
Flies:
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus sp.
- 1 gnat sp.
- 1 male plumed midge Chironomus sp.
- 1 gnat sp.
Springtails:
- 2 globular springtails Dicyrtomina-type
- 2 globular springtails Dicyrtomina-type
Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata still
Telford Sailing Club
Noted around Telford Sailing Club HQ pre dawn.
- 1 Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata still
Telford Sailing Club
Noted around Telford Sailing Club HQ pre dawn.
Flies:
- 1 female plumed midge Chironomus sp.
- 1 female plumed midge Chironomus sp.
Barkflies:
- 2 barkfly Valenzuela flavidus-type
- 2 barkfly Valenzuela flavidus-type
Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- *3 globular springtails Dicyrtomina-type
New Bird Species
One addition to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
58 Collared Dove
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- *3 globular springtails Dicyrtomina-type
New Bird Species
One addition to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
58 Collared Dove
Peeping through cloud as I arrived was a now distinctly lop-sided waning Wolf Moon.
A pre-dawn view to the West with that moon just peeking through.
On one wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn was this springtail of the Pogonognathellus longicornis-type. Even though this appears to be not in perfect focus for some reason the hairy nature of this insect is more evident than usual.
Also present was a trio of globular springtails of the Dicyrtomina-type. Here are two of them.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 09:30 – 10:45
(12th visit of the year)
Still >35% ice cover
Bird notes:
- the Little Grebe was seen again, briefly
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
Bird notes:
- the Little Grebe was seen again, briefly
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 Mute Swans
- *43 (28♂) Mallard
- [the all-white feral Aylesbury Duck not seen]
- 87 (60♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- *53 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 98 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls: at least two adults: rest immatures
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
Noted elsewhere:
Nothing
(Ed Wilson)
2014
Priorslee Lake
57 Magpies
10 Pochard
64 Tufted Duck
119 Coots counted
>500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
18 Redwings
>1500 Jackdaws
>325 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1st-winter female Velvet Scoter
102 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson and Unknown Observer)
2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
21 Pochard
80 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
155 Coots
Snipe
Woodcock
Kingfisher
113 Redwing
30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)
The Flash
31 Tufted Duck
50 Goldfinches
1 Redpoll.
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Shoveler
21 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
15 Great Black-backed Gulls
117 Redwings
12 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)
The Wrekin
6 Marsh Tit
2 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Cormorants
4 Pink-footed Geese
3 Greylag Geese
16 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
>600 Black-headed Gulls
>487 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
94 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
24 Robins
11 Blackbirds
8 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
39 Magpies
205 Jackdaws
76 Rooks
12 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
11 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
213 Coot
1 Water Rail
c.360 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
169 Jackdaws
117 Rooks
220 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
20 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
41 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
Noted on / around the water:
- 10 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 Mute Swans
- *43 (28♂) Mallard
- [the all-white feral Aylesbury Duck not seen]
- 87 (60♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- *53 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 98 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Herring Gulls: at least two adults: rest immatures
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
Noted elsewhere:
Nothing
New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025
It cannot be much fun being a Mallard. The drakes always outnumber the ducks.
During the freeze the Coots seemed to declare a truce. No longer. "Stay away".
"No"!
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014
Priorslee Lake
57 Magpies
10 Pochard
64 Tufted Duck
119 Coots counted
>500 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
18 Redwings
>1500 Jackdaws
>325 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
1st-winter female Velvet Scoter
102 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson and Unknown Observer)
2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
4 Gadwall
21 Pochard
80 Tufted Ducks
1 Greater Scaup
1 Goldeneye
155 Coots
Snipe
Woodcock
Kingfisher
113 Redwing
30 Siskins
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)
The Flash
31 Tufted Duck
50 Goldfinches
1 Redpoll.
(Ed Wilson)
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Shoveler
21 Pochard
95 Tufted Duck
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
15 Great Black-backed Gulls
117 Redwings
12 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson / John Isherwood)
The Wrekin
6 Marsh Tit
2 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Cormorants
4 Pink-footed Geese
3 Greylag Geese
16 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
1 Goldeneye
>600 Black-headed Gulls
>487 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
94 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
24 Robins
11 Blackbirds
8 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
39 Magpies
205 Jackdaws
76 Rooks
12 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
12 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
11 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
213 Coot
1 Water Rail
c.360 Black-headed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
169 Jackdaws
117 Rooks
220 Wood Pigeons
21 Robins
20 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
41 Siskins
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)