0.0°C > 3.0°C: Clear and frosty. Almost calm. Very good visibility if a bit hazy.
Sunrise: 07:43 GMT
* = a species photographed today
I should not really complain about the sun shining in my eyes but it did make things challenging at times.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:25 – 09:25
(30th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- four unidentified ducks circled overhead for more than five minutes at 07:05. These seemed to be Mallard-sized dabbling ducks and indeed they may have been Mallard though it would be unusual for this species not to visit. I heard no calls.
- a duck Pochard seen again. Did I overlook it yesterday? I thought it might have been the extra duck seen at The Flash yesterday but there were two extra there today.
- gulls were all over the place. By 06:55 there were >250 gulls circling around and around. These seemed to be c.100 Black-headed Gulls and c.150 large gulls. These continued to circle until c.07:15 when perhaps as many as 500 Black-headed Gulls began to settle on and around the south-west grass. Some of the large gulls had begin to leave to the north-east without having settled before more(?) arrived from the North with at least 250 eventually settling.
- as yesterday a group of Rooks was seen flying North. One more than yesterday and 55 minutes earlier at 07:05. I noted very few Jackdaws on their south-east bound roost dispersal routes.
- a Mistle Thrush was in trees alongside Teece Drive. No song was heard.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 unidentified ducks: see notes
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 14 Jackdaws
- 82 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 22 Canada Geese
- 4 Mute Swans: two additional sub-adults, briefly
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 19 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 127 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- c.500 Black-headed Gulls
- >26 Herring Gulls
- >1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *c.250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: departed separately; did not see any of these arrive!
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret:
Street Lamp Poles
Nothing noted on the street lamp poles pre dawn:
Another blank morning with all poles well 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
New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025
A calm and clear start. Cold though.
On the other hand the upper view shows no hint of dark feathers in the tail which might indicate it is not yet a full adult.
A Long-tailed Tit of course.
A Song Thrush pausing for breath between bouts of song. I noted only eight in song this morning – there were 12 in the milder conditions yesterday.
A male Siskin with a gleam in his eye.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30
(28th visit of the year)
About 5% ice, mainly at the bottom end.
Bird notes:
- Just after I set off to walk around I noted a Canada Goose lying on its side in the water. I initially assumed it was dead. But then I remembered that one of the signs of avian flu is the inability of a bird to hold its head up. So I went back to check. Could I see the bird again? What was that all about?
- strangely it was last year's Mute Swan cygnets that were giving chase to the departing sub-adult visitor. Presumably it was just a co-incidence that two had briefly visited the Balancing Lake an hour or so earlier?
- now a third duck Pochard. But only two drakes noted.
- *a Common Buzzard was sitting in trees on the island. I cannot recall seeing one do this. I am surprised the Magpies did not chase it away.
- my first Blackbird song of the year for this site was noted.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw
Noted on / around the water:
- 34 Canada Geese
- 5 Mute Swans: an extra sub-adult seen departing
- 31 (20♂) Mallard
- 5 (2♂) Pochard
- *67 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- *4 Herring Gulls: three adults; one first year
- 1 Cormorant
Of note elsewhere:
Nothing
New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
A complaining adult Herring Gull. The outer primary on this species has a small white tip and a large white mirror.
I took this distant shot of this adult Herring Gull chasing a first winter bird as to my eyes the immature bird looked smaller. The camera proves that my eyes were deceiving me.
New Bird Species
No additions to the bird species on my site for here in 2025:
The extra and sub-adult Mute Swan departing.
Magnificent!
A reflective duck Tufted Duck.
Another duck stirring the water and preventing a decent reflection.
A different view.
Looking rather aggressive as it prepares to...
...touch down. No doubting that this species has pink legs (and feet).
Trying to hide (probably from the Magpies) in trees on the island was a Common Buzzard.
(Ed Wilson)
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2014
Priorslee Lake
2 Scaup
5 Great Black-backed Gulls - 4 adult and a 1st winter
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1st winter Caspian Gull
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 adult Caspian Gulls
10+ Yellow-legged gulls (most adults and 3rd-winters, at least 1 1st-winter)
10 Great Black-backed Gulls
(J W Reeves)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Pair of Brambling
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Evening Report
An adult winter Ring-billed Gull at about 3:15pm
3 adult Common Gulls
(Ed Wilson)
Daytime Report
4 Common Gull
2 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
Black-necked Grebe
1 Snipe
(Jason, Pete Jordan and Ian & Jim)