26 Sep 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 14.0°C: A very mixed morning. Initially scattered below a medium overcast. Cloud lowered and filled in with un-forecast rain c.07:45 for a while. Stayed very dull until after 09:30 when clearance arrived. Moderate south-easterly breeze fell away during rain, increasing again thereafter. Very good visibility but moderate in rain.

Sunrise: 07:01 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Highlights today:
- A 'duck' day at The Flash with a drake and two duck Gadwall; a duck Common Teal; and a brownhead Goosander having joined the omnipresent Mallard and Tufted Duck.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 09:10

(196th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- House Martins were heard over the lake c.07:00 and then again over and around the estate c.07:25 – same? Nothing seen. [Many of the House Martins seem to have gone from my part of Newport at least].
- Pied Wagtails are apparently no longer feeding on the football field.
- I addition to the Meadow Pipit logged flying over I apparently flushed another from the south-west grassy area though I only heard its call as it departed.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Canada Geese: one South 06:45; one inbound 07:20
- 71 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 8 unidentified large gulls
- 147 Jackdaws
- 158 Rooks
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 7 Pied Wagtails

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 9 (2) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- House Martins: heard only: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 16 Canada Geese: arrived and soon departed together
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (1♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck: of these a pair flew off
- 6 Moorhens
- 117 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- c.110 Black-headed Gulls: 74 of these were on the football field c.07:20 with 36 additional birds on the lake. Later at least 72 together on the lake.
- 10 Herring Gulls: one third winter; one second winter; nine first winters
- 71 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: at least 15 adults; mostly first winters
- 66 unidentified large gulls pre-dawn
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 1 cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- *1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- *3 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 ground beetle Nebria brevicolis or N. salina.
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider, perhaps Pachygnatha degeeri
- 1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli

Noted later in poor weather.

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Fungus:
- *probable Common Bonnet (Mycena galericulata)

An unknown species of fly on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

Two for the price of one. The Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea) is obvious. A springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis is lurking at bottom left.

Watch out Mr. (or Mrs.) springtail. A harvestmen either Dicranopalpus ramosus or D. caudatus is after you! Top right it looks as if there is a globular springtail: not clear-enough for me to confirm, much less identify.

Another unknown insect on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn. Is it a midge? or a fly? or?

A White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger). As previously remarked any that I see on the street lamp poles seem larger and more active that those I see on the wall of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

Obsidentify suggested this is a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider. Reference to NatureSpot suggests it is perhaps Pachygnatha degeeri. Not a species I have knowingly seen before.

I believe this fungi are most likely Common Bonnet (Mycena galericulata). I hesitate as I cannot find any species in his family that has paler centres.

Another view.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:20

(182nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- where are the geese? A few weeks ago several hundred could be seen. Today until three small groups flew in just the 'angel wing' deformed Canada Goose was present.
- apart from the ducks, as highlighted, a calling Blackcap was the best today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- *1 Sparrowhawk

Warblers noted:
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 44 Canada Geese: all but one of these arrived in three groups
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- *3 (1♂) Gadwall
- 42 (28♂) + 4 Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *1 (0♂) Common Teal
- 38 (>15♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 brownhead Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Hoverflies:
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Bugs:
- *instar of Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- ++*plant bug Pinalitus cervinus

If you look hard there is a trio of Gadwall here. The drake is sitting on the tree-trunks on the left. The other two, one preening and showing the white speculum, are ducks.

The Gadwall were scattered when the Cormorant emerged from the deep. A duck Gadwall showing the orange side to her bill is on the right.

And if you look really, really hard behind the Black-headed Gull in the centre of the picture you may be able to discern a duck Common Teal (a Moorhen is in front). The teal had just wandered behind the gull and neither wanted to move to give a better view.

Enlarged from a very distant shot here is a male Sparrowhawk. It is the rufous barring on the breast and underwing that identifies it as a male in this photo. In real life I saw it being chased by a Carrion Crow where the smaller size of the male was evident.

A male Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) drying out after the rain.

A familiar insect at the moment: an instar of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina).

A new insect for me. This is a plant bug and I think Pinalitus cervinus, which NatureSpot tells me occurs all year but is particularly prevalent in Autumn. Not often seen: it is very small 0.15" (4mm in new money).

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- *1 unknown plumed midge.
- *1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- 12 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- several, all unidentified, spiders
I do wonder whether some of the millipedes have desiccated where they are on the wall of the tunnel. Must look closely!

I cannot suggest an identity for this plumed midge. It shares a banded abdomen with the frequently seen Chironomus plumosus, though that abdomen is longer and narrower and / or the wings are shorter. There is no suggestion of any green on the abdomen that would suggest Microtendipes pedellus. Also the antennae plumes are rather 'tighter' than usual.

An owl midge Psychodidae sp. As previously noted there are reputedly 99 species of these, none identifiable from pictures (how do 'they' know?!).

(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

2011
Priorslee Lake
115 Greylag Geese
420+ Canada Geese
Shoveler
Common Sandpiper
Kingfisher
3 Blackcaps
12 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)