8.0°C: Cloudy after morning rain. Fresh southerly wind, gusting strong. Very good visibility.
[Sunrise: 08:17 GMT]
A few photos will be added later.
Another rain-delayed start
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 13:50 – 14:15
(305th visit of the year)
From the dam-top area only again. Still unusually quiet.
Bird notes:
- a pair of Pochard were new in.
- yesterday the duck Tufted Duck outnumbered the drakes: today it was the other way around.
- a very low count of Coots. I used my telescope today so should have found more. Perhaps they were sheltering inside the reeds.
- more gulls today with a small movement through. The figures represent the number present at any one time rather than the total of the individuals seen.
- neither a Grey Heron nor a Great (White) Egret were seen.
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 32 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 33 Coots only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Herring Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants again
- no Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 12:45 – 13:40
(299th visit of the year)
When I was part-way around the Air Ambulance came low overhead only to descend and land close-by – in the grounds of the St. George's Primary School (it returned directly to its Cosford base rather than go to any local hospital). Dozens of Wood Pigeons scattered from the nearby trees and the large gulls departed from the water. Otherwise none of the other birds seemed perturbed though it may have caused some of the Mallard to leave their hiding places.
Bird notes:
- the Mute Swan present again.
- a few Goosander today.
- today's conditions did not inspire me to make my promised concerted effort to get an accurate count of the Coots.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 1 Mute Swan again
- 39 (25♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard again
- 29 (13♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens only
- 39 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes again
- 17 Black-headed Gulls only
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Great (White) Egret
Noted around the area:
Fungus:
- Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum
A dozing drake Pochard. With a bit of photo-editing showing the colouration while retaining detail in the delicate markings of the back and folded wing feathers.
A brownhead Goosander. At this date I feel safe in recording it as a duck (female): an immature drake would be showing signs of its adult plumage by now.
Annoying: In the viewfinder I did not notice the thin out-of-focus twig in the foreground right across the male Bullfinch's face.
It is not clear what they are eating and therefore whether it was brought down by the rain or, perhaps more likely, the wind.
Obsidentify is 84% certain this is a Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum. I am 100% sure I do not have any other suggestion.
Plane of the day: one of two MBB-Bk 117 D-3 (marketed as Airbus Helicopters EC 145T2) operated for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore Ltd. This is nominally the East Midlands helicopter but as both the East and West Midlands helicopters operate from alongside RAF Cosford they cover for each other. It is the latest model of the helicopter uprated with a 5-blade rotor making it quieter (I didn't say quiet) and giving it extra lift capability.
- Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum
New in is this Mute Swan.
A Grey Heron with its coat-tails and crest blowing the wind.
Same problem as he munches another berry.
Two of a small group (charm) of Goldfinches feeding on the footpath.
There is a lot of this fungus on the felled trunks at the top end.
Here descending on to the playing field of St. George's Primary School (that is how the school is shown on maps. But should it really be "St. Georges' Primary School" because the area is marked on maps as "St Georges" i.e. with no apostrophe?).
(Ed Wilson)
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2013
Priorslee Lake
40 Golden Plover
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
4 Siskins
2 Redpolls
8 Pochard
83 Tufted Ducks
249 Coots
83 Fieldfare
54 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)
The Flash
Greater Scaup
1 Little Grebe
179 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)
Holmer Lake
30 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
(John Isherwood)
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Gadwall
11 Pochard
48 Tufted Ducks
Snipe
1 Water Rail
163 Coots
6 Redwings
227 Jackdaws
3 Redpolls
2 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Pochard
33 Tufted Duck
30 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
29 Swans
36 Pochard
97 Tufted Ducks
3 Water Rails
291 Coots
6 Redwings
c.230 Jackdaws
c.30 Goldfinches
7 Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
18 Pochard
41 Tufted Ducks
35 Fieldfare
19 Redwings
216 Jackdaws
132 Rooks
11 Greenfinches
2 Redpoll
7 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)
2005
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backs
18 Pochard
77 Tufted Duck
7 Shoveler
5 Great Crested Grebe
2 Dabchick
3 Water Rail
1 Snipe
40 Siskin
2 Redpoll
19 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)