A very Happy New Year to everyone!
We spent the first couple of days of the year away with our motorhome staying overnight on the seafront at Hunstanton close to the lighthouse.
On New Years Day we did a 18km walk from Hunstanton to Old Hunstanton, Holme, Ringstead, Ringstead Downs and back via Hunstatnton beach/cliffs. We were hoping for a nice sunset shining on the cliffs but it had clouded up by early afternoon. The red and white cliffs were lovely nonetheless. On the walk we encountered 4 Red Kites, a Chiffchaff in Holme village, 2 Knot from Hunstanton prom and plenty of Fulmars along the cliffs. Fungi provided the highlight of the day as I managed to find 2 specimens of Phellinus hippopaeicola (a small bracket that grows exclusively on Sea Buckthorn) at Old Hunstanton, Beechmast Candlesnuff where we stopped for lunch on Ringstead Downs plus Alexanders Rust. All 3 were new for me. Sea Spurge on Holme Beach was also good to see.
After a peaceful and cosy night in Hunstanton we drove the short distance to Dersingham after breakfast and parked in the village. We walked once more taking in Dersingham Fen, Dersingham Bog, Wolferton Scissors Road and Sandringham Woods. At Dersingham Fen I had an appointment with a rare fungi that was found there very recently. Armed with a 10-figure grid ref I was able to find it easily - the distinctive Xyleria cinerea growing on cut gorse, the first record for the county and only about the 5th for the UK. Nearby there was some very curious looking presumed Candlesnuff, Deceiver, Turkeytail, Silverleaf Fungus and Purple Jellydisc. Further around the walk I also found Dung Roundhead, Hoof Fungus, Bracken Map, Wrinkled Crust and Common Grey Disco. On Dersingham Bog the lovely lichen Cladonia uncialis was spotted by Belinda. Having nearly finished the walk we bumped into Steve and Gill Judd and luckily for them I was able to show them the Xyleria cinerea with Steve introducing me to possibly the most boring fungus ever - Dennisiela babingtonii which grown as a film on the upper surface of holly leaves! In Sandringham Woods a pair of Firecrests were seen.
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