Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary

Brecks Bits, 25 November 2021

I had a day off yesterday so with some directions I headed off to the Grimes Graves area for some fungi hunting. Sadly my target of Stinking Earthfan was nowhere to be seen even when I'd found the exact spot. Nonetheless I did have some nice fruiting bodies including Earthy Powdercap, Scurfy Deceiver, Butter Cap, Pestle Puffball, a Brittlegill sp, Snowy Waxcap and 2 new ones for me which made the trip worthwhile - Cedarwood Waxcap and Fragrant Funnel, both out of the wood on grassland. Also there I flushed a Woodcock and had Bullfinch, Siskins and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Cutting my losses I ventured the short distance to Lynford and was welcomed by 3 Bramblings, 2 Yellowhammers and several Marsh Tits in the 'tunnel' before I wandered down to the paddocks. There was initially no action there but within 20 minutes or so Hawfinches started to appear and in the end I had no less than 16 birds in the Hornbeams which was excellent. Redwings, Siskins and Mistle Thrush were also recorded there. The new cafe back near the carpark was most welcome on the way back on such a cold day!

Back near home I called in to Diss to do some errands and noted a ringed Black-headed Gull 'J0191' by the mere. It originates from Oslo, Norway and was last seen there in mid-July. Luckily it allowed very close approach and I was able to get some phone pics.

One more quick stop on the way home was a chance one at Burston church where I found some nice Parrot Waxcaps amongst the graves.

Cedarwood Waxcap

Fragrant Funnel

Earthy Powdercap

Pestle Puffball

Snowy Waxcap

Scurfy Deceiver

Parrot Waxcap

Black-headed Gull 'J0191'

Houghen Plantation with the Norfolk Fungus Study Group, 6 November 2021

It's been ages since I met up with the Norfolk Fungus Study Group for one of their regular forays. Many were obviously casualties of covid in any case. Houghen Plantation in Horsford Woods (now rather strangely named Broadland Country Park) was the destination for a foray last weekend and records numbers of people turned up. About 35 attendees made life difficult for the organisers but everyone enjoyed the day.

Excellent numbers and variety of fungi were recorded too. Concentrating on the wet woodland near where I saw Bog Beacon earlier this year it was a good job we were advised to wear wellies!

New species for me included the rare crampball Daldinia loculata that grows on burnt Birch, Plums and Custard, Yellow Swamp Brittlegill, The Sickener, Splitgill, Birch Knight, Ergot, Ochre Aldercap, Redleg Club, Felt Saddle, Liver Milkcap, Tuberous Polypore, Velvet Shield, Yellow Webcap, Bitter Bolete, Yellow-leg Bonnet and the strange tiny tubular fungus Henningsomyces candidus.

Other goodies were Jellybaby, Blackening Brittlegill, Wood Wooly-foot, Primrose Brittlegill, Small Staghorn, Yellow Stagshorn, Pipeclub, Slender Club, Bracken Club, Sulphur Knight, Black Bulgar, Chanterelle, Earpick Fungus, Conifercone Cap, Porcelain Fungus, Spectacular Rustgill, Wrinkled Crust, Dark Honey Fungus, Mottled Bolete and Brown Birch Bolete.

A polypore which looked very like the very rare Red-belted Bracket turned out to be a very deceiving Hoof Fungus after microscopy!

Daldinia loculata

Yellow Swamp Brittlegill

Primrose Brittlegill

Blackening Brittlegill

Plums and Custard

Ergot

Wood Wooly-foot

Mottled Bolete

Felt Saddle

Redleg Club

Hoof Fungus doing impersonation of Red-belted Bracket!

Jellybaby

Henningsomyces candidus

Liver Milkcap

Tuberous Polypore

Chanterelle

Velvet Shield

Yellow Webcap

Dark Honey Fungus

Earpick Fungus

The Sickener

Bitter Bolete

Yellow-leg Bonnet

Black Bulgar

Tyrrel's Wood, 5 November 2021

Our lovely local ancient wood was full of fungal fruiting bodies on Friday. Belinda and I had partaken of a very nice lunch at Goodies and needed to walk it off afterwards!

Find of the walk was without doubt a nice Elfin Saddle found while inspecting an Amethyst Deceiver near the northern edge of the wood. Other nice finds included Purple Brittlegill, Sepia Bolete (probably!), False Deathcap, Pale Oyster, Common Bonnet, Sulphur Tuft, Spectacular Rustgill, Clustered Brittlestem, Pestle Puffball and an atypical amanita sp with a rather scaly cap.

Birdwise - as ever we recorded Nuthatch and Redwings but little else

Elfin Saddle

Purple Brittlegill

Sulphur Tuft (young)

Amanita sp

False Deathcap

Pestle Puffball

Sepia Bolete (probably)

Pale Oyster

Clustered Brittlestem

Spectacular Rustgill (young)

A long weekend away featuring White-tailed Lapwing, 22 - 24 October 2021

Last weekend we took the motorhome up to East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for a 3 day break. It was the perfect excuse to get my sorry arse in gear and see the long-staying White-tailed Lapwing at Blacktoft Sands! The fact that I don't tend to twitch much these days and having already seen the species in Kuwait are the main reasons for my lethargy but the time had come.

After a frustratingly slow drive up we arrived at Blacktoft and I headed straight to Marshlands Hide to find the bird immediately albeit a little distant. A little wait and some patience later it flew closer when everything on the scrape was spooked and I managed to get a few shots of it in good light. Around the scrape were c15 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Dunlin, 1 Ruff and 2 Redshank plus a strange plant growing in the middle of the scrape that caught my eye. It turned out to be Buttonweed, a rare naturalised plant favouring brackish mud - and a new one for me. On the walk back to the carpark for lunch several Common Darters were enjoying the sun and amongst them was a single male Black Darter - a pleasing find.

We spent the rest of a rather grey afternoon at Crowle Moors which adjoins Thorne Moors. Sightings at this unique place were c300 Pink-footed Geese and 1 Lesser Redpoll plus a new and much wanted fungi for me - the stunning Blue Roundhead. Also there were numerous Hoof Fungus and Fly Agaric plus Bovine Bolete, Brown Birch Bolete and Aniseed Funnel. On the return walk an unfortunately dead Water Shrew was in the middle of the path.

That night we 'wild' camped by the canal at nearby Ealand where Kingfisher and 4 Redwings were recorded as the sun set.

White-tailed Lapwing

Buttonweed

Blue Roundhead

Hoof Fungus

Brown Birch Bolete

Bovine Bolete

Water Shrew

Saturday was best forgotten from a natural history viewpoint as we spent it in Lincoln city centre. Just 2 Grey Wagtails and some late Dwarf Mallow are worthy of mention.

Dwarf Mallow

We spent Saturday night on the carpark at Willingham Woods near Market Rasen on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. In the morning 65 Pink-footed Geese passed over and 2 Bullfinches, several Siskins and Green Woodpecker were also seen. A long walk in the woods gave us some nice fungi - in particular a few White Saddle, Freckled Dapperling, Primrose Brittlegill and Aniseed Funnel plus a few more still to id. We then did another walk on a hilly part of the wolds near Tealby where 2 Ravens and some Yellow Fieldcaps were most welcome.