2 Feb 26

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

6.0°C > 7.0°C: Another dull and overcast morning. Moderate easterly wind. Moderate visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:51 GMT]

* = a species photographed today

Once again a day when it seemed prudent to wait until it was (sort of) light before venturing out.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 10:35 – 11:45

(28th visit of the year)

Viewing only from the dam-top area.

Bird notes:
- now four Great Crested Grebes, keeping together as if two pairs. No display seen.
- all the large gulls – Herrings and Lesser Black-backs – dropped in for a bathe and drink only. The Black-headed Gulls were present throughout.
- no Great (White) Egret seen.
- a Mistle Thrush was calling from a tree-top alongside Castle Farm Way.

Birds noted flying over:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *2 Cormorants
- *1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Wood Pigeon

Counts from the lake area:
- *2 Canada Geese
- 10 (7♂) Mallard
- 10 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 (5♂) Goosander
- 4 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- *54 Black-headed Gull
- 11 Herring Gulls: of these ten were immatures
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: of these two were obvious immatures
- *6 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- no Great (White) Egret

An adult Canada Goose with smart pale fringes to it back feathers.

Coming in for the attack(?) is an adult-winter Black-headed Gull. Note how the head is held to keep the eyes (almost) level as it banks its body.

Phew: it veered away.

A typical adult-winter Black-headed Gull. Note the bill colour and...

...compare with this individual apparently with an all-black bill. That might indicate a rare visitor from the New World, Bonaparte's Gull (though what Bonaparte was doing in the New World to name the gull species is unclear). However that species is smaller, has a longer and thinner bill and less black on the underwing. So I have no idea why the bill looks all-black.

Three adult-winter Black-headed Gulls squabbling over food.

With a drake Goosander in the background an immature Cormorant flies in...

 ...to do some water-skiing!

Another immature Cormorant flying over and showing a sleek body shape.

A Common Buzzard showing its very different flight profile.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:25

(25th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *a pair of Mute Swans arrived c.09:30. One of these was wearing ring Blue 7JSS. This bird was originally ringed in Worcestershire but was given a blue Shropshire ring in 2016. She was the pen breeding at the Balancing Lake for several years until her partner met an untimely and mysterious end in April 2025. She was seen here for some weeks from September 2025 often with Blue 7JXV, though not today. I last noted her here on 07 November 2025 though of course it is not always possible to see and read any rings.
- duck numbers had recovered somewhat from yesterday. Although the Pochard numbers were back to ten only seven of these seemed to be full-plumaged drakes so the composition of those present seems fluid. From where do they come and go?
- only the two Great Crested Grebes with head plumes were noted.
- a lone Long-tailed Tit was noted with a small group of Blue Tits. Long-tailed Tits are almost always in a gang.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- *2 Mute Swans: arrived together
- 25 (16♂) Mallard
- 10 (7♂) Pochard
- 37 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 (1♂) Goosander
- 10 Moorhens
- 37 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls both immatures seen briefly only

Noted around the area:
- *flowering Snowdrops Galanthus nivalis

Today's two Mute Swans with Blue 7JSS on the left along with the seemingly inevitable litter. As noted in the rubric this is a pen (female). I am not sure her companion is a cob (male) as the swelling on the base of the bill looks no larger than hers.

The usual clump of flowering Snowdrops Galanthus nivalis.

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
1 female Velvet Scoter
3 Scaup

2012
Priorslee Lake
Dunlin
6 Great Crested Grebes
14 Pochard
58 Tufted Duck
1 Dunlin
>5000 gulls, mostly Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Common Gull
20 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson, Mike Cooper)

Trench Pool
11 Pochard
46 Tufted Ducks
94 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
14 Pochard
19 Tufted Ducks
2 Sparrowhawk
16 Linnets
Siskin in song
4 Pale Brindled Beauty moths
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Golden Plover
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
19 Pochard
32 Tufted Ducks
1 Goosander
1 Goldeneye
>700 Black-headed Gulls
>432 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.30 Herring Gulls
34 Robins
17 Blackbirds
3 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
34 Magpies
11 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
10 Great Crested Grebes
2 Little Grebe
2 Gadwall
16 Pochard
101 Tufted Ducks
159 Coots
1 Water Rail
c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
14 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls.
1 Willow Tit
2 Siskins
13 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)