8 Feb 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

2.0°C > 3.0°C: Unremitting low overcast. Occasional spots of rain. Lighter north-east wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 07:40 GMT

Very quiet in the dull conditions.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:25

(32nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
Another change in the gull behaviour:
- the first of c.70 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and five Herring Gulls started arriving at the much later time of 07:19 (06:45 yesterday). These had all gone by 07:35. Later another c.75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived with c.30 Herring Gulls (mainly immatures) and a single Yellow-legged adult.
- a group of c.30 Black-headed Gulls quickly followed the first Lesser Black-backed Gull at 07:20 and were the first to settle on the water. Eventually c.85 of this species were present.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks
- 1 Greenfinch

Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 2 (0♂) Pochard
- *24 (16♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 115 Coots
- *3 Great Crested Grebes
- *c.50 Black-headed Gulls
- >85 Herring Gulls
- *1 Yellow-legged Gull
- *c.150 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great (White) Egret:

Street Lamp Poles
Nothing noted on the street lamp poles pre dawn:

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

Two sleeping drake Tufted Ducks seem unmoved by the displaying pair of Great Crested Grebes. No weed-dance seen today. What I assume are this same pair were noted in many locations around the water. There is another single bird also with head plumes present: it was keeping well away from the pair.

I think I may have labelled the wrong gull as a Yellow-legged Gull yesterday. It did look rather pale after I had (mis-)edited it. Here is a better example, clearly paler on the back than the Lesser Black-backed Gull on the right but darker than the Black-headed Gulls behind. Incidentally thanks to Tom Lowe for trying to keep me on the straight and narrow about Caspian Gulls. My suspected first winter last Friday was not pale-enough to pass the Caspian test. Just a Herring Gull sadly. Thanks

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:30 – 10:30

(30th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Yesterday's dead Canada Goose was still present in the same location alongside the west-side path. Keep all dogs away well from it.
- I only noted three of yesterday's ten Shoveler. Were any others hiding inside the island?

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese: one of theses yesterday's dead bird, still present
- 4 Mute Swans
- *3 (2♂?) Shoveler
- *41 (27♂) Mallard
- *3 (2♂) Pochard
- *64 (38♂) Tufted Duck
- 15 Moorhens
- 32 Coots
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls: two adults; three immatures
- *1 Cormorant

Elsewhere:
Nothing of note

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

Just three Shoveler were noted today – and here they are in typical pose with bills just under the water as they use them to filter out the morsels. The two on the left are clearly adult drakes: the white edges to the feathers folded across its back make me thing the right hand bird is an immature drake.

I couldn't resist this "quacky duck" even if the quality 'is not of the best' due to this morning's poor light. It is a duck Mallard and did you know it is only the ducks that make the loud quacking noise: the drakes make only much softer calls.

Yes well: all the diving ducks at bottom end decided to fly off. Here a drake Pochard flies by. With the shutter speed set to freeze the action I was never going to get any detail.

And so were Tufted Ducks – a drake in flight here.

And here is why they all flew off. A Cormorant was fishing and the ducks objected to its submarine antics.

A Goldfinch adding a touch of colour as it attacks Alder cones.

Another looks for inspiration.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2014
Priorslee Lake
Velvet Scoter
(Observer Unknown)

2013
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
1 Iceland Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Water Rail
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
131 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
2 Gadwall
14 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
162 Coots
1 Water Rail
293 Jackdaw
105 Rook
c.120 Starling
27 Robins
18 Blackbirds
2 Willow Tits
8 Greenfinches
28 Siskins
2 Redpolls
19 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)