Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary

A Long Weekend in the Suffolk Sandlings, 14 - 16 October 2022

A 3 day/2 night break in our trusty motorhome before the clocks change and we are plunged into dark nights! We camped 'off-grid' at Slaughden (Aldeburgh) the first night and in Tunstall Forest the second night.

A long walk on the Friday took us from Slaughden to Thorpeness and back via the old railway line across North Warren. It's hard to call it a 'highlight' but [5 Wood Duck] (1 drake) in one of the Thorpeness Mere outflow streams was rather plastic fantastic! Other sightings included a huge clump of Pampas-grass at least 12 feet high in the middle of North Warren plus Russian Vine, Tansy, Sea Beet, Perennial Wall Rocket, White Melilot, Sea Saltwort, Spear-leaved Orache and Bullace (Prunus domestica intistitia). The latter only identifiable from Cherry-plum at this time of year when the fruits have a distinctive white bloom and flesh. Insects included the hoverfly Bacca elongata and the harvestman Phalangium opilio. Plenty of Deathcaps were lurking along the path on North Warren plus the fungi Macrolepiota konradii and Bay Polypore.

Wood Duck

White Melilot

Perennial Wall Rocket

Bay Polypore

Macrolepiota konradii

Bullace

Deathcap

Pampas-grass

Phalangium opilio

Baccha elongata

Russian Vine

Saturday saw us relocate and embark on another long walk taking in Blaxhall Common and Tunstall Forest. Point blank views of a sub-singing 1w male Dartford Warbler was the furthest I've seen one from the coastal strip in Suffolk. A Minotaur Beetle was spotted by Belinda on the path and in Blaxhall village I found some 'naturalised' Beiberstein's Crocus - a strange but lovely sight. Bladder Campion, Wild Radish, Vervain and Common Toadflax were the best of the rest. The pine woods were full of False Chanterelles and Parasols with Brown Mottlegill also recorded.

Minotaur Beetle

Common Toadflax

Vervain

False Chanterelle

Brown Mottlegill

Fungi were to the fore again on Sunday with another stroll in Tunstall Forest with Bluefoot Bolete, Aniseed Funnel, Clouded Funnel and Rosy Bonnet added. It was great to find a clump of flowering Orpine whilst at Orford earlier I had a particularly black Small Copper and Duke of Argyll's Teaplant still in flower. A Raven west over the SE section of the forest was also most welcome.

Small Copper

Duke of Argyll's Teaplant

Orpine

Aniseed Funnel

Rosy Bonnet

Bluefoot Bolete

Garland Roundhead at Tattlepot, 13 October 2022

A cluster of 4 fungal fruiting bodies have just popped up on our front lawn.

Upon investigation they have turned out to be the 'widespread but occasional' Garland Roundhead - and a new one for me. The colour of the cap and the serrated upper edge of the stem ring are distinguising features.

Cathedral Birding, 9 October 2022

A Sunday to myself. So, as there have been some Black Redstarts hanging around Norwich Cathedral I decided to give them ago. Nothing else was pressing in this deadly dull autumn for birding locally.

Arriving at 08.30 I spent ages by the Edith Cavell monument/South Transept area where they have been favouring with no luck. A couple of wanders farther afield also yeilded nothing. Eventually, in the Upper Close at about 10.20 I found one on a rooftop along the Tombland edge and then another on the roof of the Norwich School Chapel before a 3rd bird (a nice male) around the left corner of the catherdral itself. They were all mobile and elusive, never staying in view for long. While there a single Peregrine was still hanging about on and around the top of the spire and a confiding Jay entertained. A little later a Grey Wagtail flew over Bank Plain. In the Cathedral Close the Wild Service Trees seem to have had a good year with loads of fruit.

Around the back of the Ribs of Beef pub I found a solitary Dense-flowered Mullein plant having only seen my first ones a week ago near Thretford!

On my walk back to the car a male Black Redstart was singing in Hooks Walk - presumably one of the cathedral birds.

Black Redstarts

Jay

Peregrine

Wild Service Tree

Dense-flowered Mullein

Bullwort, Ammi majus in Norwich, 7 October 2022

With the discovery of Bullwort, Ammi majus in a partially dried out ditch in Wensum Park, Norwich by James Emerson recently I popped along yesterday.

Belinda and I were visiting my parents anyway so it was only a very slight detour and the plant was easily found. A member of the carrot family it does bear a similarity to the common Wild Carrot and goes by the alternative names of False Bishop's Weed and Laceflower among others. It's delicate lace-like flowers make it one of the most attractive of the carrot family.

The same ditch held loads of Celery-leaved Buttercup but with time getting on we didn't have time to explore further.

Sweetbriar Marshes and Earlham, 5 October 2022

A free day and I was at a bit of a loose end so decided on a wander around Sweetbriar Marshes and to see if I could see the impressive fungus Perenniporia fraxinea which Jeremy Bartlett had found recently.

A Red Kite low over the Pulham roundabout on the A140 got the day off to a nice start.

Finding the fungus on the base of a large willow by the footbridge over the river was easy so I then had a walk and explore of the area. It seems like a very poor year for fungi but I did find a nice Rooting Shank by the path. Late flowering plants included Marsh Woundwort, Water Chickweed and Canadian Goldenrod. A Kingfisher was along the river and Nuthatch, Jay and Green Woodpecker were also recorded before I left.

Just a short walk away is Earlham Cemetery so I ambled there next. Hoping for some more fungi I was disappointed so headed to Ian Senior's house around the corner to look at some painting work he wants done. Before I got there I stooped to photograph some Annual Wall Rocket on the pavement and Vanna Bartlett appeared from nowhere and very kindly offered to show me a rather special spider Green Meshweb Spider, Nigma walckenaeri in the cemetery. We found it without too much problem as Vanna had them pinned down to the ivy on a specific tree! About 5 were seen of both sexes. Saying goodbye to Vanna I then made it to Ian's where he showed me some nice Common Birdsnest Fungus in his garden.

A brief stop at Tyrrels Wood when nearly home was generally disappointing for fungi (presumably because of the hot and dry summer) but I did find Firerug Inkcap on a burnt log which was new to me plus False Deathcap and an interesting lichen which turns out to be Tufted Bush Lichen.

Green Meshweb Spider

Common Birdsnest Fungus

Perenniporia fraxinea

Rooting Shank

Marsh Woundwort

Canadian Goldenrod

Annual Wall Rocket

Firerug Inkcap

Tufted Bush Lichen

Walberswick/Southwold walk, 2 October 2022

As we'd not been to the coast for a while we made our Sunday afternoon walk one taking in Walberswick and Southwold for some much needed mileage in the legs.

The walk wasn't without it's highlights even if it wasn't spectacular. A group of 4 Woodlark were in the stubble field opposite Eastwoodlodge Farm inland of Walberswick and beside the path near the pontoon bridge were a couple of Dark Bush Crickets. At the harbour mouth on the Southwold side I was pleased to find a nice pale-headed 1w Caspian Gull amongst the gulls loafing on the concrete wall. Several brutish Greater Black-backed Gulls were also there and c15 Turnstone. Walking back on the Walberswick side 3 Redpoll sp flew over, 2-3 Bullfinches were in trackside bushes and a single Chiffchaff was on the edge of Westwood Marshes were the usual Bearded Tits were pinging about.

Dark Bush Cricket

Caspian Gull

Some late botanical goodies in the Brecks, 30 September 2022

A tip-off about a rare plant discovered in the corner of a field near Thetford actually lead me to find another rarity there too!

The plant in question was Forked Catchfly which I'd been told was growing on a mound in the corner of a set-aside field (earmarked for building) turned out to be far more numerous that I was told. I found 200+ plants scattered all over a small area. Many were in flower with also a lot of brown seed heads indicating a long flowering period. There even looked like a couple of plants that had the hallmarks of a hybrid between Forked Catchfly and White Campion. At the same spot it was difficult to miss rather a lot of large mullein plants which, on closer inspection and with a little homework turned out to be the rare Dense-flowered Mullein. Also in the same area I found Ribbed Melilot, Chicory (including a strange pink-flowered specimen), Alsike Clover and loads of Lucerne. An Ivy Bee was one one of the mullein flowers and a Common Blue sat very still in the cool conditions. Also of interest were a couple of Hare's Foot Inkcap fungi.