Nature Notes # 30 (Fungi Thingies)

(Fungi Thingies)

Sparky and me spent sometime on a walk through the least populated place in Cheshire today and possibly our second favourite place in the county (well at least my second favourite). No obvious bird sightings apart from flocks of Siskins flying about.

Dave Stewart texted me yesterday to say he was watching a flock of Crossbills from Aston Lane, Delamere before sampling a pint or two of the dark brew at a local hostelry there. Unfortunately there was no sight or sign of any for us today.

All things fungi were on the menu plus some ‘food for free’ foraging with a heavy Sweet chestnut crop hard to ignore collecting, so the stuffing is sorted for the winter festivities.

A series of fungi images with some identification requiring further study but as we say it’s a learning process and some of these thingies look very similar (I will correct if necessary).

Images from top to bottom: Blusher; Pine Bolette, Milkcap spp, Leccinum melaneum (taken in Runcorn), Collared Earth Star, and Wood Blewit (taken in Runcorn)? Helvella, Candle Snuff fungi.

All images: WSM (except last by Dave Stewart)

04.11.13. Birdlog (03.011.13 belated)

04.11.13. Birdlog

Due to work commitments and the lack of evening light, I haven’t had the opportunity to birdwatch the marsh for the last seven days. It was with some eagerness that I dropped into the marsh for the last hour or so of the daylight. Bright sunshine greeted me on arrival and a compact flock of 400 Common Teal were along the flooded margins of No 6 tank. The flock was throughly scrutinised for something other than that species but alas, nothing worthy of note. Also with no sign of the reported Scaup from yesterday (per Birdguides?) I had to make do with 6 Tufted Duck, 2 male Pochard and a couple of Shoveler settling into roost with the female Ruddy Duck.

46 Common Snipe and a single Black-tailed Godwit flew in and then duly opted out and left almost immediately heading out to Frodsham Score. 200 Lapwings on No 5 tank included 56 Curlew and the odd Golden Plover.

A couple of Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk were noted hunting the tanks in the twilight but the highlight was an immature female Marsh Harrier hunting No 4 and 6 tanks at dusk. This raptor was very mobile ranging widely over No 4 and giving some reasonably close views mobbing a Buzzard and in turn being mobbed by a Raven.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker along the track above No 6 tank was presumably the same bird which has been present here for the last month.

Observer and image (of No 6 tank and works beyond): WSM.

03.11.13. 

A female Scaup was visible distantly from Weaver Bend way out at the confluence of the ship canal and the Weaver. It seemed to swim off up the ship canal out of sight.
First winter female Stonechat on No.5 viewable from the track between there and No.6.
330 Lapwings, 6 Great Black-backed Gull, 92 Curlews, 8 Little Grebe, 45 Coot. 570 Teal (500 on No.6), 42 Black-tailed Godwit (22 on No.6 over the high tide), 61 Tufted Duck were mainly on the Weaver with the Scaup. Aythya ducks seem to have largely deserted No.6- I wonder why. 4 Pochard, 250 Shelduck on No.6. c 80 Redshanks were mainly at Weaver Bend. Everything else was at No.6. c30 Linnet, 11 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, Little Egret.

Observers: Andy Spottiswood, Phil Oddy

http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/blogs/blogShow.asp?blog=198