6 Jan 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

2.0°C > 4.0°C: Watery sun through high cloud above broken medium-height cloud. Then a heavy sleety shower before a brief clearer spell. Moderate north-westerly wind. Mostly very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:20 GMT]

Another late start when the snow had mostly melted from the roads at least. Did not walk around the Balancing Lake.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 12:00 – 13:15

(5rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I did not see any first winter Mute Swan.
- a fine drake Goldeneye was a welcome addition to the year list.
- a Little Grebe flew across the width of the water from one hiding place to another.
- very few gulls noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (3♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 6 (3♂) Pochard
- 38 (28♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1♂) Goldeneye
- 9 Moorhens
- 258 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great White Egret
- 1 Grey Heron

Also noted:

Nothing else

New Bird Species
Here are today's additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:
44 Little Grebe
45 Goldeneye

A not-very-good photo of the drake Goldeneye that was in the very middle of the water, as far away from any path it could get. It was also continually...

...diving! I typically see one, usually (always?) a drake, most years. My latest two sightings were on 20 November last year and 04 March 2023. It is good to get two records the same winter especially as this species has been in low numbers at nearby Belvide – normally >50 but <20 so far this winter.

The Great (White) Egret is still here (and for a while was with jabbing distance of the Grey Heron).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 11:05 – 11:55

(5th visit of the year)

Very, very wet especially at the top end with the exit sluice beside squirrel alley as full as I can recall.

Bird notes:
- nothing of note as I carefully negotiated the slush and ice while trying to keep warm.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 9 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 36 (23♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 51 (26♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Moorhens
- 56Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: all second winters

Noted elsewhere:

Nothing

New Bird Species
There were no additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025.

A snowy scene at The Flash. Those of you "in the know" can see that the drug den is either not cultivating marijuana plants or has a VERY well insulated roof.

(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)

5 Jan 25

No sightings in today

Note:
Here are a few images from Ed Wilsons visit to Venus Pool on Saturday 4 Jan 25

A Redwing at Venus Pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
151 Coot
220 Black-headed Gull
18 Lesser Black-backed Gull
28 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
6 Mute Swan
8 Herring Gull
10 Pochard
(Tony Beckett)

Horsehay Pool
11 Goosander
(Tony Beckett)

2013
Priorslee Lake
Female Goldeneye
2 Gadwall
10 Pochard
27 Tufted Duck
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
75 Herring Gulls
2 Caspian Gulls
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
125 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Martin Grant/Kriss Webb)

Donnington Wood
1 Waxwing
(Dave Tromans)

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
13 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
3 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Caspian gull was present
1 Ring Billed Gull.
2500 Black-headed Gulls
42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson/Jack Wildman/Richard Vernon)

2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
>20 Pochard
>70 Tufted Duck
A drake Goosander
1 Water Rail
6 Great Black-backed Gulls
>150 Herring Gulls
Glaucous Gull
Yellow-legged
Common Gull
6 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
26 Tufted Duck
1 Common Gull
c.2100 Black-headed Gull
c.1600 Lesser Black-backed Gull
126 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Water Rail
1 Goldeneye
1400 Black-headed Gulls
400 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Yellow-legged Gull
74 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull.
8 Great Crested Grebes
18 Pochard
40 Tufted Duck
236 Coot
40 Siskins
14 Robins
13 Greenfinches
(Ed Wilson)

4 Jan 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 1.0°C: Cloudy and dull. Very light south-easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 08:21 GMT

More or less back to normal

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 06:35 – 09:25

(4th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the resident cob Mute Swan spent a long while chasing the first winter bird. As I was walking back up Teece Drive an adult Mute Swan flew off West followed by a first winter. As I could not see the lake I was unable to see how these related to the three seen earlier.
- in the dull conditions it was likely that I overlooked some harder to see duck Pochard and Tufted Duck. It was also the reason why I made no attempt to count the Coots today.
- a single Long-tailed Tit was noted in with a group of Great Tits. Single birds are most unusual.
- the onset of the cold snap resulted in no Song Thrushes singing today.
- a Reed Bunting called twice along the South side c.07:30. Nothing seen and nothing heard later.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 19 Jackdaws
- 33 Rooks
- 2 Siskins

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: of these a pair arrived and later departed
- 4? Mute Swans: see notes
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 7 (5♂) Pochard
- 28 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- no count of Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >500 Black-headed Gulls
- >35 Herring Gulls
- > 3 Yellow-legged Gulls
- >250 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived separately; two later departed together
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived 07:10
- *1 Great (White) Egret: arrived 07:35
- 1 Kingfisher

Also noted.

Nothing else

Telford Sailing Club

All the street lamp poles and the walls of the Telford Sailing Club HQ were covered in frost and nothing was seen.

New Bird Species
Today's additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:
40 Reed Bunting
41 Rook
42 Goldcrest
43 Long-tailed Tit

A pre-sunrise photo but not looking toward where the sun would be beginning to lighten the cloud. What is lightening the cloud here is light-pollution from the town area. The Wrekin is visible over the red "RICOH" sign.

The Great (White) Egret seems to like it here flying in almost daily from the East. I wonder where it roosts?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:35

(4th visit of the year)

With calm winds overnight ice had formed at the sheltered top end – c.15% cover

Bird notes:
- my first Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling at the top end and then what was likely the same bird seen flying down the water and over The Priorslee.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Redwings: together

Noted on / around the water:
- *9 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- *4 Mute Swans
- 42 (29♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- *58 (36♂) Tufted Duck
- 16 Moorhens
- 59 Coots
- 41 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: one adult; one second winter
- *3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one adult; one second winter; one first winter

Elsewhere:

Nothing noted

New Bird Species
Today's additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:
33 Great Spotted Woodpecker
34 Redwing

When food was offered from the Derwent Drive area birds soon flew in to the feast. Here one of the two first winter Mute Swans....

...getting ready to splash down.

A Canada Goose on finals.

And a drake Tufted Duck.

A drake leads a duck Tufted Duck to join the fray.

Not to be outdone a Carrion Crow wants some of the food. An unusual view.

A drake Tufted Duck. Note how the tail feathers are held laying on the water. Note too the slight mauve tinge to the head – more obvious in better light.

Shall we dance? Perhaps trying to warm its feet is this first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Note the strong underwing markings and the black bill with a dark tip.

A second winter Lesser Black-backed Gull with noticeably brown and faded medium coverts. The black bill now has a pale base as well as a pale tip.

This looks to be an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull though the extent of black on both mandibles might indicate it is a third winter bird.

Another friendly Robin. Probably looking for hand-outs this cold morning.

And another. This one was, unusually, less than ten feet from the other one with no sign of aggression between them.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st winter female Scaup
(Tom Lowe)

Horsehay Pool
Kittiwake
(Jim Almond)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2013
Priorslee Flash
Drake Scaup
(J Reeves)

Trench Middle Pool
22 Goosander
(Dave Tromans)

2012
Priorslee Lake
96 Greylags Geese
20 Pochard
15 Tufted Ducks
86 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
54 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
27 Great Black-backed Gulls
Peregrine
204 Redwings
4 Fieldfare
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

Trench Pool
2 Little Grebes
215 Canada Geese
3 Pochard
76 Tufted Ducks
131 Coots
219 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)

Holmer Lake
46 Goosander
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
44 Mute Swans
2 Gadwall
47 Pochard
117 Tufted Duck
2 adult Common Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
c.3400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.250 Herring Gulls
c.2500 Black-headed Gulls
Caspian Gull
2 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Water Rail
324 Coots
17 Goldfinches
13 Siskins
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson/Jason)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
12 Great Crested Grebes
10 Mute Swans
1 drake Shoveler
11 Pochard
44 Tufted Ducks
Iceland Gull
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
122 Coots
34 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Paul King)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
26 Pochard
106 Tufted Ducks
4 Water Rails
100 Herring Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
>7 Pochard
31 Tufted Ducks
9 Goosanders
>2000 Black-headed Gulls
>481 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
>33 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
28 Robins
14 Blackbirds
5 Fieldfares
67 Redwings
222 Jackdaws
3 Reed Buntings;
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Wigeon
1 Goldeneye
22 Pochard
43 Tufted Duck
c.3000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.2000 Black-headed Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
131 Herring Gull
5 Yellow-legged Gulls
66 Siskins
14 Robins
15 Blackbirds
1 Willow Tit
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

3 Jan 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

2.0°C > 5.0°C: Cloudless start: some cloud to the North later. Keen north-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:21 GMT: started to move!]

Again I avoided the early slippery paths in the dark and started later. Did not have time to walk around the Balancing Lake.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:40 – 11:40
(3rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the resident cob Mute Swan was still chasing first winter bird with the pen occasionally helping him.
- although I was mainly along or close-to the dam top I managed to hear the Cetti's Warbler giving its sharp contact call note.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 12 (7♂) Mallard
- 8 (5♂) Pochard
- 38 (23♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 235 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Herring Gulls
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Great White Egret

Also noted.

Nothing else

Bird Species List
There were no additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:35 – 10:35
(3rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- perhaps some of the Moorhens were hiding from the keen breeze. Or perhaps the lower number was because I was hiding as well.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 40 (25♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- *73 (43♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 60 Coots
- *1 Little Grebe
- 40 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second winter
- 1 Cormorant

Noted elsewhere:

Nothing

Bird Species List
Here are today's additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:
32 Little Grebe

What is presumably the same Little Grebe was unusually out in the open – at least for a while.

And here alongside a Tufted Duck. But which sex is the Tuftie? The 'tuft' seems to be too well-developed for a duck especially as the white at the base of the bill and under the tail suggests it is probably a first winter bird. Not sure!

When all else fails there is always a friendly Robin to photograph.

Plane of the day: this 1985-build Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II has only recently been placed on the UK (G-) register having been operated in the UK on its American registration since 2022. Before being imported it had owners in Florida, North Carolina and Minnesota. The current owners have a Slough address though it seems to be leased out for operation from Wolverhampton's Halfpenny Green Airport.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
Two 1st winter female Scaup present.

2012
Priorslee Lake
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Adult Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
A 2nd winter Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
(Richard Vernon)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Evening - 6:15pm a Barn Owl
(Martin Adlam)

Morning
Big gull roost with:
2000 Black-headed Gulls
500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
160 Herring Gulls
Yellow-legged Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
Also
At least 10000 Starlings left the roost somewhere to the S and flew N just before 8:00am.
(Ed Wilson)

2 Jan 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

0.0°C > 2.0°C: Cloudless. Light north-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:22 GMT yes once again]

I decided to avoid the early slippery paths in the dark and started later again.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:35 – 12:20

(2nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the resident cob Mute Swan quickly dispatched a pair(?) of newly arrived (near?) adult swans. He had less success in persuading the first winter bird to leave, chasing it around and around.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed?
- 5 Mute Swans: an additional two (near?) adults being chased away as I arrived
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Pochard
- 31 (15♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 257 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- *11 Herring Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great White Egret
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted later.

Barkflies:
- *1 unidentified barkfly species

Bird Species List
Here are today's additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:
31 Chaffinch
32 Jackdaw
*33 Song Thrush
34 Dunnock
35 Siskin
36 Canada Goose
37 Bullfinch
38 Kingfisher
39 Grey Wagtail

Also noted was my first Grey Squirrel of the year, an introduced invasive species that is out-competing our native Red Squirrel. This species has damaged and destroyed trees around the lake and also kills many nestlings every year. I won't mention it again.

 The first winter Mute Swan was being pursued relentlessly by the resident cob...

 ...and put to flight from time to time. It did not leave though.

A first winter Herring Gull. As it matures there is extensive pale at the base of the bill as well as a small pale tip.

A "grab shot" as I flushed this adult Cormorant now showing the features of breeding condition – a large white thigh patch and white plumes on head and neck.

The Cormorant was clearly surprised. Many birds will defecate when startled. As a fish-eater the results are very unpleasant in texture and smell.

I think it is the top bird here as two depart together. The lower bird is also an adult with the white thigh patch not yet so prominent.

One of the local Common Buzzards flies over.

 Who is that looking at me? A Song Thrush.

The slightly elongated pale eye-ring gives it a surprised look.

Peering closely at me!

At the time I thought this was a well-marked example of a globular springtail. The photo shows that it has long antennae and it is therefore a wingless form of a barkfly. There is a gallery of this group of insects on the internet from the National Barkfly Recording Scheme. I cannot find a match. That part of the web site that is a "News Archive" seems to have ceased a few years ago...

Plane of the day: this a Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R flying from Biggin Hill to Hawarden (Chester). As with all Piper Aircraft products it has a name associated with Native American Nations. Probably not a PC thing to do today. They ran out of names associated with the area of Florida around Lock Haven where the factory is located. The Navajo Nation resides in what is now Nevada, Utah and New Mexico. The 'C/R' refers to a feature of this model whereby the propeller on the left engine rotates in the opposite direction that of the right engine. This minimises the torque effect that tries to rotate an aircraft around its propeller.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:30 – 10:25

(2nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Cormorant snuck on to the year list by arriving just as I engaged reverse gear to leave.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 15 Canada Geese
- 12 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 39 (28♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Pochard
- 60 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens
- 69 Coots
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second winter
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

Noted elsewhere:

Nothing

Bird Species List
Here are today's additions to the birds on my site for here in 2025:
27 Pochard
28 Collared Dove
29 Grey Heron
30 Song Thrush
31 Cormorant

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup still present.

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow-legged Gull
4 or 5 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Ed Wilson and et al)

2010
Priorslee Lake
c.1500 gulls
Adult winter Ring Billed Gull.
Adult Common Gull
3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls
Black-necked Grebe
(Ed Wilson and Rob Stokes)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Caspian Gull
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Iceland Gull
(Dawn Balmer, Peter Wilson and et al)

1 Jan 25

Happy New Year to you all.

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

6.0°C: Mostly cloudy. Moderate westerly wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 08:22 GMT still]

The early very heavy rain kept me away until later when, as usual, I started at The Flash.

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:50 – 12:10

(1st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I was pleased to see the Great (White) Egret had stayed in to the New Year.
- a Cetti's Warbler gave but one brief call
- two Lesser Redpolls were seen flying over. I am calling them that: recent DNA analysis has indicated that several forms of this species are not, as previously thought, valid species. I am not clear what the merged species is to be called.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 2 Lesser Redpolls

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: throughout
- 3 Mute Swans: with the turn of the year I cease to separate last year's birds
- 5 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Pochard
- 36 (19♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 258 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 36 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Great White Egret

Noted later.
Beetles:
- 1 Orange Ladybirds Halyzia sedecimguttata: still (moribund?) at the top of the same street lamp pole.

Bird Species List
As always I maintain an ordered list of the bird species I see or hear from the area in and around the lake. Here is today's start to 2025:
1 Coot
2 Black-headed Gull
3 Cormorant
4 Greylag Goose
5 Tufted Duck
6 Mute Swan
7 Great Crested Grebe
8 Gadwall
9 Grey Heron
10 Mallard
11 Moorhen
12 Pochard
13 Carrion Crow
14 Common Buzzard
15 Great (White) Egret
16 Lesser Black-backed Gull
17 Herring Gull
18 Robin
19 Blue Tit
20 Blackbird
21 Great Tit
22 Cetti's Warbler
23 Magpie
24 Wren
25 Yellow-legged Gull
26 Wood Pigeon
27 Jay
28 Coal Tit
29 Goldfinch
30 Lesser Redpoll
Because I was not at the lake early there are some 'missing' species from today's list – Song Thrush, Jackdaw and Rook. Less easy to explain is the absence of Dunnock.

Ignore the three Coots at the back and concentrate on the gulls. On the right an adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. In the middle an adult winter Herring Gull. On the left with the darker mantle (the folded wings over its back) than the Herring Gull is what I believe to be a Yellow-legged Gull. On this view I cannot completely eliminate Caspian Gull though I would judge the mantle is slightly too dark. It is often very difficult to gauge the true tone of the mantle on gulls as it is dependent on the angle of the light. Here they seem to be sitting at more or less the same angle and comparison is likely to be reliable.

A few photos of a reasonably cooperative Jay.

"Give us a song" – not that loud and harsh calls of Jays sound much like a song! It is not often noted that, especially during the breeding season, Jays also make noises that can be mistaken for both Tawny Owls and Common Buzzards.

And one of it looking surprised.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:50 – 10:45

(1st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the recent Great Crested Grebe declined to stay to get into the start of my 2025 bird list.
- a Kingfisher was sitting alongside Derwent Drive and then flew at speed straight through the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 2 Siskins

Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- >64 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans: with the turn of the year I cease to separate last year's birds
- 33 (21♂) Mallard
- 45 (21♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 69 Coots
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: second winter, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted elsewhere:

Nothing

Bird Species List
I also maintain an ordered list of the bird species I see while in and around The Flash. Here is today's start to 2025:
1 Greylag Goose
2 Black-headed Gull
3 Mute Swan
4 Coot
5 Tufted Duck
6 Wood Pigeon
7 Canada Goose
8 Mallard
9 Magpie
10 Feral Pigeon
11 Robin
12 Kingfisher
13 Moorhen
14 Blue Tit
15 Herring Gull
16 Blackbird
17 House Sparrow
18 Dunnock
19 Carrion Crow
20 Great Tit
21 Lesser Black-backed Gull
22 Wren
23 Goldfinch
24 Jackdaw
25 Siskin
26 Coal Tit

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Priorslee Lake
Drake Scaup still showing well off dam
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
21 Great Black-backed Gulls
(John Isherwood and Rob Stokes)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl heard - 2nd ever record
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
About 30% ice.
Best bird remains the Black-necked Grebe.
Big gull roost:
c.3000 Black-headed Gulls
c.1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull
1 3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson and John Isherwood)