1.0°C > 5.0°C: A few bits of cloud; mainly clear. Keen north-westerly wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 07:55 GMT
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:30
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:30
(23rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- *two Mute Swans flew in together - a sub-adult and a first year bird. The first year soon departed. The residents had more trouble persuading the sub-adult to leave.
- there seems to be a gradual departure of some Coots heading off to breeding sites elsewhere.
- at least two more Great Crested Grebes present. As usual they were difficult to keep track of: there may well have also been a fourth.
- the gulls were very 'jumpy' this morning and would not settle. I thought initially this might be due to a Cormorant that was fishing in the area by 07:10. However the Cormorant left shortly afterwards and the gulls still would not settle. Numbers are therefore approximate.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 19 Canada Geese: five groups outbound
- 3 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 6 Wood Pigeon
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 115 Jackdaws
- 48 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 22 Canada Geese: of these six arrived as three pairs with one of these leaving
- *4 Mute Swans: see notes
- *4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 3 (1♂) Pochard
- 19 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 186 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- >10 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- >175 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *4 Cormorants: one departed 07:10; three others arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron
- *1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamp poles pre dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Early Moth Theria primaria
Telford Sailing Club
Nothing noted around Telford Sailing Club HQ pre dawn.
Noted later:
- *1 Early Moth Theria primaria
Telford Sailing Club
Nothing noted around Telford Sailing Club HQ pre dawn.
Noted later:
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 did not look as if the sunrise would amount to much.
A few clouds provided some colour later.
The sub-adult Mute Swan arriving.
With the first year bird right behind.
One of two pairs of Gadwall present. The drake at the front.
The angle on this arriving Cormorant makes it look as if the white thigh patch is in the middle of the belly. Also the early morning sun makes that white patch look pale yellow.
The Great White Egret attempting to hide in the reeds. Once settled it was indeed very hard to see.
A Wood Pigeon basks in the warmth(?) of the early sun while keeping an eye on me.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:40
(21st visit of the year)
Highlight was my first hoverfly of the year resting in the sun on the Ivy bank
Bird notes:
- *a Feral Pigeon was calling from from a roof in Westcroft Walk
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
All numbers "best effort". Several people were feeding the birds, moving them around.
- 21 Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 29 (18♂) Mallard
- *2 (1♂) Pochard
- 73 (44♂) Tufted Duck
- 17 Moorhens
- 41 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- *31 Black-headed Gulls
- *3 Herring Gulls: two adults; one first winter
- 1 Cormorant
- *1 Grey Heron
Noted elsewhere:
Hoverflies:
- 1 female Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax [Tapered Drone Fly]
New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025
A drake Pochard with the sun catching the red eye. The harsh light prevented the details of the back plumage from showing.
I heard this pigeon calling quietly and thought it a Stock Dove. Walking to get a better angle shows that it is a Feral Pigeon. These come in all manner of plumages. This is basically a "blue morph", closest to their Rock Pigeon wild ancestors. It sports a few white feathers on the head and a chequered pattern on its wings. Note the orange eye. Whatever colour variant an individual is it will always have a clean white rump, not shown by Wood Pigeons or Stock Doves.
- 1 female Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax [Tapered Drone Fly]
New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025
And a duck Pochard. Again perhaps the harsh light but she does look rather "washed-out".
A Black-headed Gull shows that if you have wings you can walk on water.
Grey Herons have not been here for several weeks. One was back lurking alongside one of the bridges.
(Ed Wilson)
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2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorants
1 Teal
7 Pochard
66 Tufted Duck
3 Greater Scaup
1 Velvet Scoter
91 Coots
1 Woodcock
50 Herring Gulls
33 Redwings
c.495 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
106 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
7 Pochard
25 Tufted Duck
4 Goosander
44 Coots
(Ed Wilson)
Park Pool, Chetwynd near Newport
31 Shoveler
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
29 Wigeon
10 Gadwall
8 Pochard
59 Tufted Ducks
1 Scaup
169 Coots
>300 Starlings
13 Redwings
46 Fieldfare
211 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)
The Flash
9 Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
2 Goosander
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)
Holmer Lake
1 Gadwall
9 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
Goldcrest
Nuthatch
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
21 Pochard
42 Tufted Duck
c.190 Black-headed Gulls
48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
8 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull
75 Redwing
16 Bullfinch
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)
Priorslee Flash
1 Pochard
43 Tufted Ducks
282 Black-headed Gulls
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 Herring Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Water Rail
4 Gadwall
2 Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)
2009
Priorslee Lake
A female Ruddy Duck
500+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring & Black-headed Gulls.
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)