24 Dec 21

Season's Greeting to all my readers
Thanks for your feedback this year.


Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 5.0°C: Very misty / foggy again. Calm. Poor / very poor visibility.

Sunrise: 08:20 GMT still

* = a photo today

It had been a clear moonlight night when I left Newport and it was still clear with a mix of blue skies and high cloud when I got back. As I drove up Limekiln Bank toward Priorslee I ran in to fog and it stayed that way.

Winter Moths and Umber Moths
I adopted a different tactic in case it might clear. After checking the lamp poles at the W end of the lake I walked through the tunnel and checked all the lamps enroute to and around The Flash. Winter Moths in particular often fly away as soon as it gets light. My moth numbers from this expedition were perhaps the largest I have recorded on any one day (apart from when the grass moths are around). They comprised:
18 male Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata)
- 8 on lamp poles at the lake
- 1 beside a security light at a house in Teece Drive
- 2 on the walls of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
- 1 on a lamp pole between the tunnel and The Flash
- 6 on lamp poles around The Flash
6 male Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria)
- 4 on lamp poles at the lake: none of these was the specimen seen in the same place on previous days and now gone
- 1 on a lamp pole on Teece Drive
- 1 on a lamp pole around The Flash: this for its seventh day

Other things noted on various lamp poles while searching for moths:
- *a presumed species of thrip (family Thripidae) at the lake
- *a male Clubiona spider at the lake.
- *one, just perhaps two, species of barkfly at The Flash.

Priorslee Lake: 06:45 – 07:20 // 08:20 – 09:30

(297th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 1 Mistle Thrush singing from the Ricoh copse
- 1 Song Thrush singing from the far side of the football field.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling

Very limited counts from the lake area: only what I could see around the edges
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 8 (6♂) Mallard only
- 28 (11♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- no count of Coots possible
- Little Grebe(s) heard
- c.74 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Otherwise noted
- *Black Bryony (Dioscorea communis or Tamus communis) berries
- *Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea) capsules
- *Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in flower
- *Bracket fungus, perhaps Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)

The camera was struggling to focus with mist upsetting it. Perhaps there were only three and a half Mottled Umber moths (Erranis defoliaria). This one looks partially devoured by what I assume is a spider. Luckily the remnant splayed wing is sufficient to identify the moth. Had it been one of the less well-marked specimens I might have been struggling.

My best guess on this tiny insect is that it is a species of thrip (family Thripidae). There are 150 species known in the UK – to somebody other than me!

A dash of colour in the winter landscape are these berries of Black Bryony (Dioscorea communis or Tamus communis) [aka Lady's-seal or Black Bindweed]. All parts of this plant are poisonous though apparently boiled fresh young shoots are eaten in the Mediterranean. It is not remotely related to White Bryony (Bryonia dioica) whose berries also turn through yellow to red and are merely distasteful rather than poisonous (and which I have not found here). I am sure I read somewhere that one of these species coils clockwise and the other anti-clockwise though I cannot find that reference.

Another dash of colour at this time of year are the pink capsules of the Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea) splitting to reveal the black seeds. The nasty-looking thorns in the foreground are from a Dog Rose (Rosa canina agg.)

Looking rather battered is this Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) still in flower beside the 'boxing ring' on the dam. I first noted this species in flower on 10 July. My Flora suggests flowering until October is more usual.

Growing out of the stump of a tree that was cut down over 20 years ago was this fungus. I think perhaps the bracket fungus known as Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) and seen last week at The Flash.

A male Clubiona spider, not specifically identifiable from photos. These spiders are also known as Foliage Spiders: not always accurate when they climb lamp poles.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:30 – 08:10

(272nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 1 Song Thrush singing at the top end

Birds noted flying over here:
- 8 Jackdaws

No systematic count possible, but noted:
- 32 Canada Geese: some of these heard flying off
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 Grey Heron

On one of the lamp poles I found several of these – or several very similar – insects. The markings are somewhat obscured by dew – not that they were too clear in the first place. I think yet another Barkfly sp.

This one was running(!) away which may be why it appears to be a slightly different shape. It is somewhat dwarfed by the mist spots on the lamp pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 3 Moorhens on the lower pool: so birds from here have probably not added to the high number seen around The Flash recently.
- 1 Song Thrush singing by the lower pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Gadwall 
7 Pochard 
34 Tufted Ducks 
204 Coots counted 
123 Black-headed Gulls
16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
22 Herring Gulls
3 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Grey Herons
126 Canada Geese
110 Tufted Ducks 
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
3 Great Crested Grebes 
2 Shoveler 
71 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
125 Coots
>40 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
1 Tufted Duck 
19 Goosander 
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
13 Pochard
35 Tufted Ducks
178 Coots
Peregrine
14 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Pochard
38 Tufted Duck
5 Goosanders
(Ed Wilson)

Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
4 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Dawn Balmer & Pete Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Black-necked Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes 
10 Swans
28 Pochard 
77 Tufted Ducks
3 Yellow-legged Gulls
1000 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
60 Herring Gulls
1 Water Rail heard 
299 Coots counted 
4 Redwings 
2 Willow Tits again 
c.5 Goldfinches
c.10 Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Dawn Balmer/ Peter Wilson)

2006
Priorslee lake
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Little Grebe
41 Pochard
38 Tufted Ducks
8 Redwing
2 Fieldfare
1 Redpoll
4 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)