5 Feb 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

3.0°C > 6.0°C: After a clear and slightly frosted start high cloud began to spread from the South. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:45 GMT

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:25

(29th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the first Lesser Black-backed Gull arrived at 06:58; a steady arrival of groups of birds from the north-east continued until after 07:25 by which time there were c.400 large gulls on the water, not all identified to species. I noted just one fly-over large gull!
- an unusual sighting was 33 Rooks flying North to the East more or less together c.08:00. These were in addition to the 53 seen flying the opposite direction on roost dispersal some 30 minutes earlier. Return flights are usually seen in late afternoon as birds return to their roost.
- I counted 11 Song Thrushes in song. Just one Blackbird singing.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 3 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 2 Stock Doves together
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 110 Jackdaws
- 86 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 29 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 13 (9♂) Mallard
- 17 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Water Rail
- 7 Moorhens
- 135 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- c.75 Black-headed Gulls
- >21 Herring Gulls
- >2 Yellow-legged Gull
- *1 possible Caspian Gull
- >350 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants: arrived separately; one departed
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Great (White) Egret:

Street Lamp Poles
Nothing noted on the street lamp poles pre dawn:
Another blank morning with most poles slightly frosted

Telford Sailing Club
The area around Telford Sailing Club HQ not visited.

Noted later:
Nothing

New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025

A clear morning (and a blurred start it appears!)

The beginnings of some high cloud catching the sunrise to the south-east.

I am not confident about identifying Caspian Gulls from all the Herring-type Gulls. This first winter seems to have a too-solid tail band and too-dark secondaries for a regular Herring Gull. The extensive pale inner primaries exclude both Lesser Black-backed Gull (which would also have an unmarked upper-tail) and Yellow-legged Gull. So Caspian Gull seems the best option.

 The relatively plain under wing is another supporting feature.

Whose buoy is it anyway?

Two Cormorants vie for supremacy.

A Long-tailed Tit. The odd thing was this bird seemed to be on its own. Normally they go around in gangs sometimes with as many as 15 birds.

Plane of the day: this is a Boeing 777-FS2 – a Boeing triple-seven purpose-built as a freighter. This 13+ year-old example is one of 57 operated by Heinz, no oh sorry – FedEx. Freighter aircraft are not a common sight in daylight, often utilising airport spare capacity for overnight delivery.

The Flight Radar 24 data for the flight. Oakland is "just across the bay from San Francisco". This month this aircraft has already flown from Anchorage to Indianapolis and back: and then down to Oakland. Last month it also visited Australia, China, Dubai, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea. It has many stamps in its passport.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(27th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a second duck Pochard noted. Perhaps the bird missing from the Balancing Lake?
- three Coal Tits noted singing.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 33 Canada Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 27 (17♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 68 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- 18 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 31 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls: two adults; two immatures
- 1 Cormorant

Elsewhere:
Nothing of note

New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Priorslee Lake
10 Gadwall
29 Wigeon
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gull
7 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood, Kris Webb)

The Flash
2 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

Holmer Lake
13 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
11 Pochard
65 Tufted Duck
c.50 Lapwings
Dunlin
c.300 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.50 Herring Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Common Gull
(Ed Wilson / Jim Almond)

2011
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
>1000 Black-headed Gulls
82 Herring Gulls
1 Glaucous Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
>500 Wood Pigeons
248 Jackdaws
211 Rooks logged
1 Redpoll
(JW Reeves, Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
102 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
9 Herring Gulls
(Martin Adlam)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Pochard
57 Tufted Ducks
2 Water Rails
32 Robins
26 Blackbirds
13 Song Thrushes
4 Redwings
2 Willow Tits
11 Greenfinches
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
c.850 Black-headed Gulls
8 Great Crested Grebes
2 Gadwall
20 Pochard
85 Tufted Ducks
163 Coots
20 Robins
22 Blackbirds
10 Song Thrushes
1 Willow Tit
13 Greenfinches
10 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)