Holkham/Thornham/Titchwell, 25 November 2018

A winters day up north with the boys.

In an attempt to beat the bloody dog walkers and hooray henrys we hit Holkham first. Refusing to pay the ridiculous 8 pounds parking fee on Lady Anne's Drive we parked in the village carpark and walked. Unfortunately the Shorelarks were not to be found in the newly fenced-off area but we did have a flighty group of 13 Snow Buntings and a Chiffchaff in buckthorn behind the beach before we turned our attention to the sea. Here we eventually winkled out 2 Slavonian Grebes amongst good numbers of Eider and Red-breasted Mergansers with a few Goldeneye, Red-throated Divers and a Razorbill also loafing about. We set about leaving the site when we spotted 3 birders intently scoping an area of saltmarsh on the west side of the gap. Sploshing across to them (wet feet all round!) we were glad we did as c15 Shorelarks were on view. Despite being flighty due to constant dog and people distrubance they gave some great views. A brief sortie into the dunes behind the roped-off area revealed some old cracked specimens of Dusky Puffball   

Next up was Thornham, scooping 2 Red Kites and a Common Buzzard at Burnham Overy on the way. At Thornham we quickly found 14 Twite including at least 3 colour-ringed birds plus a few Linnets, Goldfinches and Rock Pipit.

Titchwell was our final destination of the afternoon where we decided a look at the sea was a good idea. The tide was well out and the sea choppy but with perseverance we winkled out 4 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Great Northern Diver, a couple of Red-throated Divers and then a mega Black-throated Diver showing rather well. When was the last time I saw all 3 diver sp in Norfolk in a day?! Also there were Red-breasted Mergansers, Goldeneye, Common Scoters and Guillemot. The usual waders were on the beach including big numbers of Knot plus Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling and a summer-plumaged Dunlin. On the way back a Water Rail was showing at point blank range in a ditch by the main path opposite the visitor centre.


  Twite

Dusky Puffball


Apologies - more fungi I'm afraid!

Well, it is the main season for fungi so I've got to fill my boots while I can!

These photographs are mainly from another visit to Tyrrel's Woods as it's nice and close to home and seems a good spot for the budding mycologist. Hopefully it goes to prove that there are some very weird and wonderful fungi out there if you look hard enough. I'd been wanting to see Yellow Stagshorn and literally found some as I was walking back to the car!

Yellow Stagshorn

Candlesnuff Fungus

Silverleaf Fungus

Oyster Mushroom

Dead Mans Fingers

False Puffball

    King Alfreds Cakes

A long walk around Thorpeness/Aldringham, 17 November 2018

Belinda and I did a 12km walk starting and finishing in Thorpeness and taking in part of North Warren and Aldringham. The weather was glorious without a cloud in the sky. Birdwise the undoubted highlight were 9 Woodlarks flushed from a stubble field south of Aldringham. By far my largest gathering. Apart from that c30 Fieldfares on Aldringham Common, a scattering of Redwings, Mistle Thrush, Yellowhammer, Coal Tit and Common Buzzard were about it. 3 Common Darters making use of the warm sunlit wood of a gate on North Warren were very late indeed.

Common Darter

Blythburgh and Walberswick, 14 November 2018

The reason for visiting Blythburgh (to my eternal shame!) was the presumed escaped Hooded Merganser which was disappointingly absent. I did however have a Water Pipit there which was an unexpected bonus!

So, with time to spare I had a wander around Walberswick National Nature Reserve concentrating on some fungi associated with coniferous woodland. Maybe my last 2 Common Darters of the year and a Red Admiral were nice before I took the following pictures showing what I saw:

Silverleaf Fungus

Velvet Shank


Turkeytail

Conifercone Cap


Common Rustgill

Conifercone Cap

Liver Milkcap





Silverleaf Fungus

Yellowing Curtain Crust

  Yellowing Curtain Crust

Smockmill Common, 12 November 2018

In the gloriously mild autumn sun I had an extended mooch around Smockmill Common near Newton Flotman today. It was mainly for fungi but I also had 3 Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpecker and later near Morningthorpe 4 Common Buzzards in the air together.
These are the fungi pictures I took, some identified (I think!) and some still pending. I've never been anywhere that had so many of these weird and wonderful parts of our fauna to look at.

Purple Jellydisc 

Tawny Funnel

Dead Molls Fingers

Fly Agaric

Mycena sp (poss Bark Bonnet)

Common Earthball

Shaggy Parasol

Wrinkled Crust


Wrinkled Peach



Wrinkled Crust

Silverleaf Fungus?

Silverleaf Fungus

Rosy Bonnet

Shaggy Parasol

Clouded Agaric

Rosy Bonnet

prob Blushing Wood Mushroom

Yellowing Curtain Crust

Mycena sp

Hairy Curtain Crust

Postia sp

Blushing Bracket


Velvet Shank

Dichomitus campestris

   Blushing Bracket