Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary: October 2022

Earlham Cemetery never fails to impress! 30 October 2022

Earlham Cemetery in Norwich is one of my favourite places and a rather good fungi find by Vanna had me arranging a visit there. Jeremy very kindly offered to show me them as they aren't easy to find after the council mowed the biggest and best ones!

Sunday morning was rather wet but I was greeted at 'Chez Bartlett' with 2 nice fungi specimens even before we ventured out - a macabre fungi (probably Pterostichus madidus) that had consumed a ground beetle sp and False Charcoal Burner which Jeremy had performed various id experiments on!

We set off in the rain calling in at Jeremy's allotment first where he pointed out Stubble Rosegill, Grooved Bonnet, Giant Polypore and Shaggy Bracket before we carried on to the cemetery.

In the western section we found our main target - the rare Aromatic Pinkgill (which smelled faintly sweet and pear-drop like) and nearby Wood Pinkgill and the stunning Redlead Roundhead growing in profusion on woodchip under pines. On the walk back we also noted a single Blue Roundhead and Cushion Bracket growing on plum on the very edge of the cemetery by Colman Road.

We dried off over a cuppa and a natter back at their house.

probable Pterostichus madidus on ground beetle

False Charcoal Burner

Grooved Bonnet

Stubble Rosegill

Shaggy Bracket

Aromatic Pinkgill

Wood Pinkgill

Redlead Roundhead

Blue Roundhead

Cushion Bracket

Local fungi at Weybread and Tyrrel's Wood

A couple of ambles around nearby Tyrrel's Wood in the last few days and an evening visit to Weybread Sailing Club to bbq with the grandchildren has revealed some nice fungi. With a bit of wetter weather things seem to have finally got going.

At Weybread I was very pleased to find a patch of c20 Blushing Milkcaps on grass under willows by the waters edge plus Brown Rollrim and Fairy Ring Champignon while the tiny Orange Mosscap were also rather lovely despite being a common species.

Blushing Milkcap

Orange Mosscap

In the ancient woodland of Tyrrel's I found both Bay Bolete and Bluefoot Bolete plus both Common Stagshorn and Small Stagshorn. Photographing fungi in often dark conditions can be a challenge but I was very pleased to get a good shot of Bulbous Bonnet and the superficially similar Leaf Parachute. Belinda had found some Black Bulgar there earlier in the week and with a search I found her patch plus one other. Nearby was a very strange white feathery fungal growth all over a dead log but it has failed the identification panel! Nonetheless it was a fantastic looking thing. Other sightings included Crystal Brain, Ugly Milkcap, Beefsteak Fungus, Birch Polypore, Lemon Disco, Clustered Bonnet, Common Jellyspot, Silverleaf Fungus and Jellyear.

Bay Bolete

Black Bulgar

Bulbous Bonnet

Common Stagshorn

Crystal Brain

Leaf Parachute

Lemon Disco

Small Stagshorn

Ugly Milkcap

Unidentified but lovely!

On the lawn at home I also found a curious orangey galerina which upon closer inspection reveale itself as Galerina laevis aka Turf Bell.

Turf Bell

Alpine Accentor at Slaughden, 28 October 2022

It's been a long long time since my last Alpine Accentor in the UK so after a morning wallpaper stripping I grabbed the car and headed for the Suffolk coast.

Interestingly the bird was in a spot we walked right past when we stayed at Slaughden in our motorhome only a fortnight ago, just 200 meters south of the martello tower. And to say it showed well would be understatement of the year! It ventured to within 10 feet of observers showing absolutely no fear as it fed amongst the sea defence boulders on the beach, pausing occasionally to preen. Needless to say I was pretty happy with my photos. 22 Brent Geese were on the saltings there too.

A quick stop at Hazlewood Marshes afterwards failed to reveal the recent Osprey but a few Pintail plus huge numbers of Shelduck were worth the visit.

Noble False Widow spider on my chair! 23 October 2022

Yesterday I almost sat on a Noble False Widow, Steatoda nobilis spider that was on the frame of my office chair at home! So glad I saw it in time so didn't harm it - and it was a new species for me into the bargain. Initially I thought it was a False Black Widow but @British Spiders on Twitter put me right!

Gressenhall with the Norfolk Fungus Study Group, 22 October 2022

It's been some while since I attended a foray with the Norfolk Fungus Study Group and with the added attraction of free entry to Gressenhall Rural Life Museum and not too far to drive I hooked up with them again this Saturday.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and nice to see a few familiar faces. We explored the woodland behind the old workhouse building and during the course of about 4 hours clocked up a nice list of fungi with quite a few that were scrce and/or new to me. The full list will be released by the organisers in due course but my list included Nut Disco, Funeral Bell, Toad's Ear, White Saddle, Orange Bonnet, Fairy Inkcap, Scaly Earthball, Stubble Rosegill, Pipe Club, Netted Crust, Milking Bonnet, Fragrant Funnel, Cucumber Cap, Oak Blackhead, Flowery Blewit, Shaggy Scalycap, Deer Shield, Moss Oysterling, Hare's Ear, Russet Toughshank, Bluing Bracket, Leaf Parachute, Witche's Butter, Bark Bonnet, Common Cavalier, Peziza micropus, Bleeding Oak Crust, Tan Ear, Lilac Fibrecap, Deathcap, Blue Roundhead, Brown Cup, Deciever (including some specimens with a hyperparasitic fungus causing them to contort), Frothy Porecrust, Birch Mazegill, Yellow Fieldcap, Candlesnuff and Leopard Earthball.

A couple of other items of interest were the tiny Two-toothed Door Snail and an attractive Oulema beetle sp (probably duftschmidi)