23 Feb 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 9.0°C: Mostly cloudy with an unexpected temporary clearance around sunrise. Rain starting as I departed The Flash. Moderate southerly wind increasing fresh. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:10 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:55 – 09:00

(44th visit of the year)

Bird notes
Surprise of the morning was hearing a Chiffchaff calling near the Wesley Brook bridge. While this species over-winters in the UK in very low numbers birds are usually silent after calls cease around late October. In Spring it is usually a warm and sunny day in mid-March that tempts the first song. Calls are unusual in Spring. I have only noted this species here twice previously during Winter (November – February).

Other bird notes:
- the duck Pochard seen again. Did I overlook it in the mist yesterday?
- many more gulls today with c.50 large gulls the first to arrive at c.06:45. At least 40 Black-headed Gulls arrived soon after. Then a tight group of at least 200 more Black-headed Gulls came in low from the West. Some ten minutes later I noted at least 200 in four groups also arriving from the West. I am not positive these were (all?) different birds – I could not see the water at this time and birds often do come and go.
- a Reed Bunting was heard calling from reeds along the South side. This is only my second record of this species here this year. It is usually to be seen in small numbers leaving a roost here: only once last November during this Winter period.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound again
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Herring Gull
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- *2 Sparrowhawks
- 53 Jackdaws
- 91 Rooks
- 2 Redwings

Counts from the lake area:
- 9 Canada Geese: of these a trio arrived
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 4 (2♂) Mallard
- *1 (0♂) Pochard
- 13 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- *9 Moorhen
- 65 Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- >250 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 13 Herring Gulls
- 45 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Great (White) Egret
- 1 Kingfisher: heard only

Street Lamp Poles
Noted on the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Springtails:
- *1 unidentified springtail

Spiders, harvestmen, etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius

Telford Sailing Club
Noted on the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ pre-dawn:

Springtails:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Spiders, harvestmen, etc.:
- 7 spiders, not specifically identified

Noted later:
- *Snowdrops Galanthus sp.
- *flowers of Colt's-foot Tussilago farfara

New Bird Species
One addition to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
68 Chiffchaff

An unexpected and brief break in the clouds led to a sunrise. A quartet of Canada Geese can be seen among Coots on the water. The camera was not doing justice to the colour (I have slightly enhanced the colours here). It has a "sunrise/sunset" setting and I tried that...

...with this unlikely result! I'll stick to tweaking the normal setting as I feel it necessary.

The break in the cloud did not last long.

The duck Pochard is still around and still likes the south-west area alongside the boat ramps. Here she has made friends with one of up to nine Moorhens that feed on the grass.

A not very good photo of a passing Sparrowhawk. The main point to note is the fluffed-out under-tail feathers. This is part of its territorial display. The full display involves male flapping leisurely on slow wingbeats quite unlike is usual quick "flap, flap, glide" flight.

This springtail was on a wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ. It looks to be a Pogonognathellus longicornis or similar.

A different springtail I noted on one of the street lamp poles. It is the size of the globular springtails but shares the basic shape of the species above.

Snowdrops I found in the grass among trees planted between the football field and the footpath. Whether these are garden escapes or whether they were planted along with the trees I suspect they are cultivars and best recorded as Galanthus sp.

These are flowers of Colt's-foot Tussilago farfara . An unusual plant because the flowers appear before any leaves are visible. The plant spreads vegetatively on rhizomes and is hard to eradicate as even the slightest piece of rhizome left will regenerate. Always early to flower: last year I photographed my first flowers on 16 February.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:05 – 10:10

(42nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- in addition to the 15 Canada Geese counted there was one floating in the water by the island. It looked very "fresh" as if it were yet another casualty.
- no Shoveler seen.
- *very belatedly there was my first Great Crested Grebe of the year here. This is the first time for many a long year this species has not been part of my 01 January log here.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- 10 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese: see notes
- 4 Mute Swans
- 33 (21♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- *54 (30♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- *1 Great Crested Grebe
- 39 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants

Noted elsewhere:
*- "sticky buds" of Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum
*- first flowers of Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris

New Bird Species
One addition to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
52 Great Crested Grebe

A drake Tufted Duck: more of a 'sail' than a 'tuft' in the wind. He looks displeased.

Bad hair day?

Definitely!

Little more than a record shot of my first Great Crested Grebe of the year here. This species is normally present throughout the year in small numbers, typically one or two pairs.

A "sticky bud" of Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum just splitting to reveal the leaves.

This stunted plant is in a sheltered position and the first to flower. None of the other plants show any sign of flower-stalks as yet.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
5 Cormorants
3 Grey Herons
8 Pochard
8 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Kingfisher
6 Redwings
391 Jackdaws
217 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
201 Tufted Ducks
2 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
4 Great Crested Grebes
(Ed Wilson)

Hortonwood
21 Redwings
(Dave Tromans)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Glaucous Gull
(Observer Unknown)

The Flash
Drake Scaup
(Richard Vernon)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Caspian Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
(Observer Unknown)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
55 Pochard
104 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
2 Ravens
22 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
200 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
20 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
Glaucous Gull
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Pete Nickless)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
3 Cormorant
5 Pochard
9 Tufted Duck
2 Kestrel
556 Wood Pigeon
27 Robin
23 Blackbird
1 Fieldfare
14 Redwing
47 Magpie
100 Jackdaw
96 Rook
16 Greenfinch
3 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorants
9 Pochard
36 Tufted Ducks
3 Water Rails
c.420 Wood Pigeon
c.60 Starling
29 Pied Wagtails
23 Blackbirds
6 Greenfinches
17 Siskins
1 Redpoll
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)