Berries for the Birds

We have a Rowan tree outside our home that has been watched from flower to fruit this last year. the flower to fruit took 12 weeks and by August plump red berries had formed. The tree was visited by Chaffinches and the Tits but they found more interest in the invertabrates.

By late September the first wave of continental Blackbirds and Song Thrushes attacked the berries. The peak count was of c15 Blackbirds and three Song Thrushes but the Thrushes only arrived to feed one at a time the other two would wait in a nearby Willow until the present Incumbant came back fully fed.

I soon observed that once I had placed a net of peanuts in the branches a parade of Tits would visit on a daily basis. Now I have only ever witnessed this once and that was back in the winter of 1989. Each member of the Tit family was queuing up to feed on the bag.

Great Tits would begin followed by the Blue Tits. Occasionally, at least once or twice a day a roving mixed tit flock would arrive from the north east after flying the circuit of trees and shrubs of the large car park which housed the Rowan. The impetuous young of each species would attempt to gatecrash the larger vistor so a fight would ensue. The Great Tit being the larger of the species would take control and after a day or so even the new young birds knew the pecking order. Within this flock there would be 10 or so Long-tailed Tits and these would attend the nut bag last, of course being the smallest of the tits present.

At the time of writing the tree has been stripped of berries by the Thrushes and the Tits have moved to pastures new.

One is preparing for a hard winter and the nut bag has so far remained untouched. I will miss my daily observations at this Rowan but perhaps the forthcoming winter may attract the Tits back if nothing else.

Alien Confirmed

Eileen and I walked to Kessingland Sewage Works again and found several aliens from the Toamto, Sweet Alison and an unknown, Shown here John Peacock identified it as Niger/Nyjer (Guizotia abyssinica).

I must buy a field guide to aliens.

Kessingland Way

Visted my childhood home for a walk with Eileen around Coopers Lane. 23 Lapwings were seen the fungus Volvariella sepciosa in winter wheat, and Lepista inversa under Elms.
Four Chiffchaffs were in bushes by the sewage works. Here is a pic of L. inversa

Birding at Barsham

Eileen and I spend a day a month recording the natural history subjects of the parish of Barsham for the owners of Barsham Hall. Today there was a strong but mild southerly wind. We saw 57 Skylarks and c40 Jackdaws. Fungi were Clitocybe nebularis and Lepiota procera. We found a single flower of Linseed in the arable crops

Suffolk Flora Atlas

Pre publication offer now open for publication in March 2010.
some of my photographs will be in the book too.
Vist this site to pre order.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sbrc/Flora.htm

Puccinias

Not much Bird life just the usual so looked for some micro fungi. Found three Puccinias Puccina smyrnii on Smynium olusatrum (Alexanders) P. malvacea on Malva sylvestris (Common Mallow) P. urticata on Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle)

The 12 Pied Wagtails remain on the rugby pitch

Routine Visit

The normal routine around the patch produced nothing notable. The mixed Larus flock remain stable on the football pitch and the mixed Corvids remain on the marshes at Worlingham and Boney Island. New fungus for my Beccles List called Lactarius brittanicus this is my 115th species but only my 50th Agaricle.

Now the rains have come I expect to find more Ascomycetes and Discomycetes.

Found some Neuroterus quercusbaccarum (Common Spangle Galls) on fallen Quercus rober (Pedunculate Oak)shown here.

Woodpigeon immigration

The inclement weather did not attract me out today but at my parents from their conservatory I witnessed hundreds of Wood Pigeons flying south west off the sea over Kessingland

Common Gull Increase

An uneventful walk around the patch this morning The overwintering Common Gulls are increasing and today I counted 28 ad winters and 46 ad winter Black-headed Gulls.
a small flock of Goldfinches and a smattering of Robins with a few in song. The mixed Corvid flock was there with mainly Rooks but there were a few Jackdaws Carrion Crows and elsewhere a few Jays and Magpies, the area is ideal for Corvids. No great migratory movements today and the recent common passerine influx has dispersed.

An abundance of Fungi

A single Lesser Redpoll was found whilst I was studying a Goldfinch flock feeding on Picris echiodes seeds and the single Redpoll was with them, that lifted the spirits during a dull and dismal day.

The Common and associated woodland had produced loads of fungi including great troops of Laccaria laccata and Flammulina velutipes.

here is the Winter fungus or Velvet Shank on an Ulex stump.

Winter Birding

Took the opportunity to visit Benacre Broad today. I walked from kessingland and met another Birder Steve on Kessingland Beach just as the Snow Bunting flock passed over my head, luckily they landed on the beach behind me and I soon had the scope up and found the two Shorelarks reported on 7th November. they then alighted and flew straight towards Steve who although saw the flock of birds saw them land some 800 yards inland a bit near the Little Tern colony fence.

We then walked the beach and stopped at Benacre Pits to see a Little Egret. We then walked up t Beach Farm where we scoped at least five Tree Sparrows in the hedgerow near some Millett game cover. So far it had been a great day with three year ticks in one day. On Benacre Broad we saw a Chinese Water Deer a Black tailed Godwit and three Dunlin. On the return journey six Brent Geese flew south. Steve and I agreed we had had a good day

Hooray for Fungi

No longer is September the start of the Agaric season it seems late October and early November. Lots of Amanita muscaria, and Marasmius species I am still trying to identify.

The Waveney Valley is now alive with Fungi I am never sure where to go next.
Lots of Chanterelles as seen in photo this year