In the right place at the right time - for once! 27 December 2025

The day began as a rare visit up to North Norfolk to see the Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham but turned out to be an even more special day!

I arrived on site by the Esplanade arch in Sheringham at about 08.30 and the Eastern Black Redstart found on Christmas Eve was seen within seconds of leaving the car! It was pretty mobile though so a little bit of ‘following it about’ ensued. It favoured both the clifftop and cliff bottom and was watched in the gardens, on the prom/steps and also on the beach itself. The views were stunning and allowed me to get some photographs that I am rather pleased with. 

While having a mardle and a catch up with Jacquie and Dave Bridges a message came though that a Great Shearwater had been seen flying east past Cley. For the next 30 minutes or so it was eyes to the sea as we searched more in hope than expectation that it would pass. We’d just about given up when it ‘sheared’ into view from the west - I could scarcely believe my luck! It was also not too far out and took some while to pass through allowing some nice views before it melted away to the east. It was subsequently seen off numerous places all the way as far as Winterton after which it wasn’t seen again. Considering sea watching isn’t really my thing I feel extremely fortunate to have been in the right place, especially for a rare county tick. While we scanning we also picked up 18 Red-throated Divers moving east in small groups and 2 Eider close in. A Grey Wagtail was also kicking about.     

Wondering what to do next I opted to drive to Bayfield Lake for lunch and what turned out to be a longer than expected visit. The north end of the lake held 2 Goosander (drakes), Kingfisher and several fleeting views of Otter. On one occasion one surfaced momentarily right in front of us! 

Late season fungi twitch at UEA, 17 December 2025

Courtesy of some information from Jeremy I popped along to the UEA campus for a small fungi fix! 

Jeremy had found a couple of patches of Maroon Brittlestem, Psathyrella bipellis close to the medical centre there which was a new one for me. They were easily found with a few Redlead Roundheads close by and some lovely Elfin Saddles just a short hop and a skip away.

At Jeremy and Vanna’s while having a catch-up over a cuppa shortly afterwards I was able to feast my eyes on Shooting Star Fungus and also the parasitic fungus Hesperomyces harmoniae on it’s unfortunate Harlequin Ladybird host. 

                                                                                                                             Maroon Brittlestem

                                                                                                                            Redlead Roundhead

                                                                                                                                  Elfin Saddle

                                                                                                                             Shooting Star Fungi

                                                                                                                            Hesperomyces harmoniae

SE Peru, The High Andes and Manu Road, November 2025

Firstly, my apologies for a couple of months with no posts! Since returning from Peru at the end of November domestic life seems to have taken over a bit! We have some more life changes coming up soon which are also keeping us busy.

So, to Peru. Not having time to compose a full trip report I’ll provide the following link to my trip report on eBird. This will give all the details of species seen and where plus some photos.

https://ebird.org/tripreport/443687

To add a little more meat on the bones these are my views and thoughts on the trip as a whole, the country, travel etc 

The tour was one I booked with Birdquest. It was the first time I have used them and I got the last available place on the tour. There were just 7 tour participants which made things reasonably easy in the field where there was often restricted viewing. It was a mixed bag of people but luckily I got on with everyone. Human nature meant I bonded more closely with some however and there were participants who didn’t really ‘participate’ at all, wanting the guides and other people to find all the birds for them. A broad church some might say!

I was warned beforehand that Birdquest tours are extremely full-on with sleep and rest not really on the agenda! And so it proved to be. The guides were extremely focussed on getting the birds (often showing great patience with clueless participants!) but sometimes to the detriment of people’s welfare. I got a severe stomach bug for the last few days of the trip and my health was hardly even considered by those in charge. My fellow birders showed more empathy!

We had 2 guides both of whom were great birders and a driver of our small minibus who was safe and very skilled. Rather necessary on some of those mountain roads! In the van we rotated seats every day so as to share the best and worst seats.

Accommodation was generally pretty good or adequate without ever being amazing. One place was particularly bad (and compared to a prison!) with my room smelling of piss and with black mould on the walls but it was a case of needs must as we were so far off the tourist trail there was literally nowhere else to stay. 

Even though I only saw part of a large country the scenery in the High Andes and up and down the Manu Road to the edge of Amazonia was stunning. The high Andean passes above the treeline were particularly memorable - as was birding/walking at 14500 feet. The air is pretty damned thin up there! 

Travel to and from Peru was relatively easy. I used KLM from Norwich - Amsterdam - Lima and then an internal flight with Peruvian Latam Airlines to Cusco. On both outward and return journeys I overnighted in Lima. There were however a couple hair-raising landings - at Amsterdam on the way out the tyres burst on landing and we had to make an emergency stop at the edge of Schippol airport! Then landing in Norwich at the death strong winds had me filling my trousers during a very iffy touch down. Not too difficult with my ongoing stomach problems! 

A few more fungi - sorry!

I’m off on my travels to Peru tomorrow so this will probably be my last fungus-related post (or any post come to think of it) for a while. The main fungi season will be over by the time I return. Phew I hear you cry! 

A walk from home on Saturday (mainly to avoid the football!) was quite productive considering the lack of good habitat and the late date. Stubble Rosegill, an oozing Oak Bracket, Sulphur Disco, Wrinkled Crust and Wet Rot were the highlights. 3 Fieldfares and a Red Kite having a go at a Skylark in mid air were also entertaining.

Fast forward to Sunday and I cut short a visit to Norwich to venture out to Burlingham Woods with directions Lorraine Auton had kindly given me. My quarry was a lovely bunch of Aniseed Cockleshells growing at the base of a tree. This rare fungus has only 2 other county records this century so was well worth going to see. It’s curious shape, saw-edged gills and faint aniseed smell are diagnostic. Also there I found Funeral Bell amongst a few common bit and bobs. Earlier in Norwich there was a very large and impressive Shaggy Bracket right where we parked the car. 

                                                                                                                             Stubble Rosegill

                                                                                                                                   Oak Bracket

                                                                                                                               Wrinkled Crust

                                                                                                                    Wet Rot

                                                                                                                        Sulphur Disco

                                                                                                                               Aniseed Cockleshell

                                                                                                                           Funeral Bell

                                                                                                                             Shaggy Bracket

Pepper Pot Earthstar - the fungal holy grail! 7 November 2025

Pepper Pot Earthstar was thought to be extinct in the UK (there have been no Norfolk records since 1880!) but the species was found in Suffolk again in 2006. The site has remained a closely-guarded secret ever since but I was told about it in the strictest confidence this week and popped along yesterday. 

And I located 7 specimens albeit most had gone past their best. Looking at the site you do have to wonder if any others lurk undiscovered on a hedge bank somewhere.

As I was told about them in confidence I’m afraid I won’t be giving the location away. 

Cavenham Heath, over the border with the NFSG! 1 November 2025

A rare foray into Suffolk for the Norfolk Fungus Study Group. And a great attendance too with c25 people turning up and trying to squeeze onto the tiny carpark! 

We explored the woodland from the carpark followed by the open grassland of the heath. The final list of 150 species was pretty impressive although, of course, this number is boosted by many micro-fungi. 

I can’t do much better than copy and paste from Steve Pinnington’s ‘official’ trip report:

‘Starting from the car park we explored the mixed woodland and then moved onto the heathland where we had lunch and explored for grassland fungi until we retraced our steps down the lane to the carpark at the end of the day.

In the woodland there were plenty of fruiting bodies, mostly in the leaf litter of the birch and oak trees. Highlights were - Amanitas - Tawny Grisette and Amanita excelsa as well as Earpick Fungus and Ramaria stricta/Upright Coral. Lots of funnels, including Fragrant and Clouded and a single False Chanterelle growing out of a pine cone. There were a range of Lactarius/milkcaps - Oakbug, Mild and Ugly, plenty of Russulas/Brittlegills - Powdery, Bloody - and Mycenas/Bonnets - Coldfoot, Yellowleg, Angel’s, Rosy and Lilac. The dead wood had Hoof Fungus and Birch Polypore as well as Rosy Crust, Jelly Rot and Conifer Blueing Bracket. There were plenty of microfungi among which were Cacumisporium capitulatum and Natantiella ligneola on dead oak wood.

We had a very pleasant lunch, sitting on the only log on the heath, during which someone handed round a Macrotyphula fistulosa var. contorta/ Contorted Pipe Club. In the afternoon we were treated to grazed grassland scattered with dung - ideal! The highlight were Cordyceps militaris/Scarlet Caterpillar Club and its accompanying larva, found near the lunch log, along with two types of Deconica - Flecked Brownie growing on grass stems, and Dung-loving Brownie on cow dung as well as another amanita - Fly Agaric.There were two types of waxcaps - snowy and blackening as well as two Mottlegills - Petticoat and Dewdrop and two Inkcaps - Coprinopsis pseudonivea and Parasola misera/Least Inkcap.

An extremely pleasant day - enthusiastic recorders, pleasant company, great location and fine weather - what more could you ask for?’

I can’t add too much to that except 14-spot Ladybird, Western Conifer Shieldbug, and Minotaur Beetle. Plus loads of Bay Boletes, Bluefoot Bolete, Liberty Cap, Ochre Coral and Grassland Puffball.