31 Aug 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.5°C > 11.0°C: Chilly and misty over the lake to start with very little cloud. More cloud from the W later. Calm / light and variable wind. Good visibility above the mist

Sunrise: 06:14 BST

Two stray dogs running about today. I was told that one of these has been loose for some time – its owners have allegedly split up and neither will take responsibility for the dog which is just let out to roam. The other was a very frightened puppy

Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:55 // 07:45 – 09:05

(94th visit of the year)

Other notes from today:
- very few geese seen outbound; the few seen inbound pitched in to the lake while the Mute Swans were asleep and didn’t see. I suspect that the clear night and almost full moon meant most geese spent the night feeding in the fields – this would also explain the early arrival of > 200 birds at The Flash
- the Mallard are now flying about a lot and beginning to spar about pairing up making accurate numbers difficult to obtain
- 2 Little Grebes put in a typically brief appearance before disappearing back in to the reeds. These may have been present for a while as I heard pattering feet on Tuesday but failed to locate the source. I thought that might as easily have come for a spooked Moorhen
- 8 juvenile Great Crested Grebes again: however I now realise that both recent broods contain four juveniles: it was the fledged oldest juvenile that was not seen this morning
- a party of hirundines appeared at 08:35: it contained at least 2 Sand Martins, a species not often recorded here after their Spring arrival
- no Reed Warblers noted: there had obviously been a very heavy shower here yesterday and the N side reed-bed had been well flattened and any birds may have been forced to move [it did not rain in Newport]
and
- four Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella) moths on the lamps
- just 1 Harvestman sp. seen, likely Leiobunum rotundum again
- 2 pipistrelle-type bats early
- a dead and partly eaten Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

On with the bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 49 (3 groups) Canada Geese all outbound
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 48 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 2 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 11 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese
- 13 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (0♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron once more
- 2 Little Grebes
- 8 + 8 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 6 + 4 Moorhens
- 76 Coots
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls again
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

A few gulls arriving in a misty sunrise.

The sunrise.

Amongst the heads of the Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) is this juvenile Goldfinch. The very conical bill is one way to identify these juveniles until they develop their red faces in late October. They are usually with adults which is also a clue as is the reddish-brown area on the sides of the breast.

A rather mangled Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus). We can still identify it by the long, bare tail. This is much longer than any vole found in the UK and voles have proportionally larger ears.

Between the lake and The Flash alongside the path
- one of the Common Rustic agg. group of moths on the roof of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue.

This moth was on the roof of the tunnel: from below there is very little marking to get a determination.

A flash photo at an angle provides at least some hint of pattern in the wing. This seems to be one of the Common Rustic agg. group of moths. All are very variable and at the same time very similar as imago and can only be determined by examination of the genitalia.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:00 – 07:40

(72nd visit of the year)

Notes from here
- 170 Greylag, the Greylag x Canada Goose and 82 Canada Geese all flew in at 07:10
- the unusually small proportion of drake Mallard seems to be because there are several late and full-grown broods of young that are still very hard to sex
- Willow Warbler heard calling: rather late for this species with most birds having started for their winter quarters S of the Sahara
and
- many fungus fruits on one of the tree-trunks felled along ‘squirrel alley’ – probably Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)

Birds noted flying over
None

Hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler

The counts from the water
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 223 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 109 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose
- 24 (11♂) Mallard
- 21 (5♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 + 1 Moorhens again
- 9 Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Just part of the >200 geese that arrived together.

Along ‘squirrel alley were these fungus. I am pretty sure these are Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare). It is a poisonous species that typically grows in clusters on dead wood.

Only when looking at this photo did I realise that there may just possibly be two different species involved: are the lower, flatter and half-fruits the same species? All fungi can change shape depending upon the growing position and I am not sure that two species would grow in such close proximity.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's News Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Possible Little Ringed Plover
Raven
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
Little Grebe 
Shoveler 
(Ed Wilson) 

The Flash 
58 Tufted Duck 
(Ed Wilson)