Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary

Crostwright Heath Fungus Foray, 16 November 2019

After a bit of a heavy Friday night at at function at Carrow Road it was off to Crostwright Heath near Honing the following morning from Mum and Dad's. It was the last full meet up of the year for the Norfolk Fungus Study Group. This time Meg Miller, James Emerson and Jeremy Bartlett joined the fray and with rather pleasant autumnal weather it was a great few hours exploring this site which was a new one for me. It consisted of a mixture of broadleafed woodland and heath dominated by gorse and heather.

The official list is not yet out but the following photographs were some of the nicer or new things which I managed to get pictures of. Highlights for me were the outrageous looking Dog Stinkhorn, the rare Fenugreek Stalkball (which really does smell of fenugreek!) and a huge patch of Leafy Brain.

Yellowing Knight

Dog Stinkhorn

Jewelled Amanita

Slender Club

Blackedge Bonnet

Amethyst Deceiver

Birch Brittlegill

Birch Milkcap

Bonfire Scalycap

Buttercap

Common Rustgill

Fenugreek Stalkball

Hare's Ear

Leaf Parachute

Leafy Brain

Nitrous Bonnet

Oak Barkspot

Oakbug Milkcap

Oyster Mushroom

Peniophora quercina

Peziza granulosa

Powdered Brittlegill

Purple Jellydisc

Scurfy Deceiver

Small Stagshorn

Smokey Bracket

Turkeytail

White Brain

Witches Butter

Yellow Brain

Milking Bonnet

Barnhamcross Common fungi mop-up

There were quite a few fungi that I photographed at Barnhamcross Common about 10 days ago that remained unidentified. Thanks to Neil Mahler, Chris Sharpe, Tony Leech et al these have now been sorted for me. This mycological malarky is a steep learning curve for sure!

Scurfy Twiglet

Toasted Waxcap

Chemical Knight

Clitocybe amarescens

Earthy Powdercap

Hairy Oysterling

Silky Pinkgill

Tawny Funnel

Isabelline Wheatear, Cley, 13 November 2019

In years gone by an Isabelline Wheatear would have had me dashing up to Cley like a madman but having seen one at Burnham Overy in 2016 the pressure was off to a certain extent! Having been tied up with work since it was found on Sunday, yesterday was my first opportunity to go when I finished a job off.

The walk along the East Bank and subsequent trudge along the shingle behind Arnolds Marsh was met with a complete absence of the bird when I arrived. It had flown miles away onto the grazing marsh! Amazingly, within just 10 minutes it popped up distantly on a fence post and then worked it's way back to us across the shingle. In no time it was hopping around feeding just 10 feet away! In time it moved west along the back of the shingle ridge at which point I began the walk back. En-route c30 Snow Buntings were showing nicely on the shingle ridge and a imm drake Long-tailed Duck was on the pool to the west of the north end of East Bank. 7 Bearded Tits and then a lovely Otter in the main drain finished off a particularly productive and highly enjoyable couple of hours.

Isabelline Wheatear

Snow Buntings

Classic late autumn rare Phylloscs, 10 November 2019

As I've seen written somewhere else - November is the new October!

A leftover from yesterday that we didn't have time to do yesterday had to be done today so I headed solo up to Lowestoft. The location being 'Flycatcher Alley' on the inland side of Denes Oval. Here I was greeted by the finder Rob Wilton with the news that 2 Hume's Warblers were in the same area. Despite them disappearing for periods and not being hugely vocal I managed some nice views over the next hour and a half together with Chiffchaff, Goldcrests and a Sparrowhawk before I quit the scene.

Next up was a quick visit to Ness Point where, despite a lack of Purple Sandpipers (2 bellend fishermen were on the end of the usual jetty!) I was more than happy with some nice views of Black Redstart around the base of the wind turbine.

I hadn't managed to see Pallas's Warbler yet this autumn so with one at Kessingland SW I headed there next. It took ages but eventually I got some lovely views of this tiny sprite and also heard the call for the first time - like a very muted version of Yellow-browed Warbler. At least 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests and Sparrowhawk were also noted while searching.

My other main target for the day was fungi related (much to the amusement of some birder mates from earlier!) so I headed down the A12 for my quarry. With some very good directions I located them easily - Sandy Stiltballs, a very rare Red Data List species. In all I saw c20 of these weird things that carry their spores on the outside/top of a rudimentary cap that looks like it's been dipped in cocoa!

Hume's Warbler

Black Redstart

Sandy Stiltballs

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Walberswick, 9 November 2019

With news that the 'putative' Eastern Yellow Wagtail of the last few days was still present at Walberswick Belinda and I headed there after a lazy start to the morning. Parking and walking in through the woods from the NW is much quicker and nicer than the slog along the shingle from Dunwich and is also a route we know well from walking. En-route we notched up sightings of late Peacock and Red Admiral before reaching the beach at the south end of Corporation Marshes and a group of c40 birders including many familiar faces but - the bird wasn't on view! I got onto 'the other' paler grey wagtail now considered to be an odd Western Yellow Wagtail and 6 Snow Buntings entertained us but then the birds on the grazing meadow all got up and amongst the Meadow Pipits and Rock Pipits were 2 flava wagtails. A third bird was then spotted on the shingle close to us and it proved to be the swarthy Eastern Yellow Wagtail we were all hoping for (although at that stage it hadn't been conclusively identified). It flew before I could get my camera on it but gave a promising rasping call as it did so. Within seconds it popped up on the shingle in front of the grazing marsh where it stood still for a couple of minutes. It's here where I got a few record shots. Now, with sonograms having been studied it has been confirmed as an eastern and hence becomes a world tick for me! A Great White Egret also obliged on Corporation Marsh looking north towards Walberswick.

On the way back across the marsh plenty of Bearded Tits were in evidence and both Marsh Harrier and Common Buzzard were also seen.

After a visit to Southwold we finished the day at Hen Reedbeds where the 30,000 strong Starling murmation was truly spectacular. A Little Egret and a squealing Water Rail were also noted.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Bearded Tits

The Thelmelthorpe Loop, Marriotts Way, 3 November 2019

After some 'holiday' shopping in Go Outdoors Belinda and I drove out to Reepham for a long walk along the Marriotts Way. Parking in the Market Place we ventured out to Reepham Station and then walked the whole of the Thelmelthorpe Loop back to Whitwell Station and through the lanes back to the start. 12km in all so a good bit of exercise.

Along the way my eye was drawn to fungi as usual but only generally the bigger ones as we were predominantly walking. Hundreds of Clouded Agaric and Wood Blewits were obvious and I was very pleased to find a couple of huge Giant Puffballs and a troop of Giant Funnels close to Whitwell. A few Death Cap were also noted as was a distictive Cholorphyllum burunneum (a close relative of Shaggy Parasol but squatter with larger and redder scales).

A couple of single Fieldfares were seen and also at least 2 Badger setts which looked to have fresh digging. We have vowed to return one evening to see if if we can catch a glimpse!