27 Feb 17

Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:10

c.5°C: Rain, sometimes heavy, until c.09:00; thereafter a few breaks. Light / moderate S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:00 GMT

A rather quiet morning with unexpected rain – nothing in the forecast until late morning and nothing showing on the rainfall radar before I left home

(16th visit of the year)

A Skylark heard singing over the fields to the E was my 63rd species for my 2017 Priorslee Lake list

Notes from today:
- the Mute Swan cygnet has gone
- possibly 26 of the Black-headed Gulls had roosted overnight
- 3 singing Song Thrushes this morning
- also singing this morning were Great Tit, Blackbird; Mistle Thrush; Dunnock, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Reed Bunting (Chaffinch and Reed Bunting my first of the year)
and
- a few of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) bushes coming in to flower
- the Daffodil heads are beginning to swell

Birds noted flying over the lake
- 13 Canada Geese (2 groups)
- 1 Cormorant
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Too late for any roost / departure counts

The counts from the lake area
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 18 (10♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Moorhens
- 38 Coots
- 26 Black-headed Gulls

The few adult Black-headed Gulls have now all acquired full breeding plumage with the dark hood.

Meanwhile this first-year bird shows mainly 1st winter plumage – it will almost certainly get some black on the head later.

A gaggle of such birds – the orange tone to their bills confirms them as 1st winter even though it is not possible to see the brown feathering in the wings of some of them. This photo taken in heavy rain when it was very dull!

Many of the Coots were, as usual except when they are nesting, feeding on the SW grassy area by the shelter.

Meanwhile some of the Moorhens were feeding at the other end of the SW grassy area by the shelter.

Here are the Daffodils near the gate from the lake to Castle Farm Way. Some heads are swelling already.

 The first of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) flowers.

Not strictly in my recording area these Snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) were lurking at the edge of the field in the Priorslee Academy grounds.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 09:35

(13th visit of the year)

No new species for my 2017 Flash list

Notes from today:
- Chaffinch song also heard here

Birds noted flying over here
None

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 8 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 20 (14♂) Mallard
- 35 (22♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 5 Moorhens
- 11 Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls only

Also not strictly in my recording area, these Ribes sanguineum (Flowering currant) flowers were by the surgery near The Flash. Likely a garden escape or even planted here. The plant originates in the western states of the USA but there are many cultivars available in the UK.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
2 Iceland Gulls
1 Caspian Gull
(Observer Unknown)
2013
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Greater Scaup
26 Wigeon
4 Gadwall 
33 Tufted Ducks 
84 Coots 
c.800 Black-headed Gulls
c.450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.60 Herring Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull 
(Ed Wilson)
Horsehay Pool
1 Glaucous Gull
(J W Reeves )
2012
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Shelduck
4 Pochard
30 Tufted Duck
35 Robins
24 Wrens
15 Dunnocks 
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
9 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron 
4 Gadwall
35 Pochard
51 Tufted Ducks
1 Water Rail
103 Coots 
c.700 Black-headed Gulls
c.225 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
27 Herring Gulls
Common Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
2 Willow Tit
124 Jackdaws
86 Rooks
1 Linnet
14 Siskins
2 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Glaucous Gull
1 Iceland Gull
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Pochard 
19 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
600 Black-headed Gulls
100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
36 Wren
28 Robin
7 Redwing
20 Magpie
134 Jackdaw 
8 Greenfinch
4 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorant
2 Gadwall
7 Pochard
42 Tufted Ducks
110 Coots
150 Starlings
23 Pied Wagtails
21 Wrens
15 Robins
17 Blackbirds
2 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
16 Greenfinches
38 Siskins
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)