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

2008 Wildlife Crime Results

682 reports of shooting and destruction of birds other than birds of prey.
210 reports of shooting, trapping and nest destruction of birds of prey.
42 reports of taking, possession or sale of birds of prey
36 reports of egg collecting incidents
27 reports relating to illegal disturbance or photography of schedule 1 birds in the same year.

How many do not get reported?

Thunder, Gordian and Horsehair Worms

Recently I met my dear friend and plantsman Keith Nichols for a mardle, he lives in Kessingland and recently observed a long thin hair like worm wrapping itself around one of his plants. He was at some loss as to what it could be and turned to me for an answer.
Without a voucher specimen to hand I knew that Keith had found a Horsehair Worm.
I soon returned home but did not turn as usual to the internet but spent a useful and very productive afternoon in my library looking through my Victorian literature on these strange creatures in my collection of books. These slender up to 15” long thin worms are also called Gordian worms, related to nematodes. When immature they are parasites of many insect species and other invertebrate animals but never Humans.
Us Naturalists are not sure how immature horsehair worms infect hosts but a telephone call to some more eminent scientist friends of mine believe that they encyst on vegetation near water and are eaten by the host. The cyst breaks down and the larva penetrates through the intestinal wall and into the body cavity. Other Naturalist friends tell me that the larvae randomly penetrate the body of any spider or invertebrate that passes nearby
Horsehair worms are often seen in puddles of water and other pools of fresh water, swimming pools, water tanks and as well as on plants. They are especially common after a rainfall. Horsehair worms may even be found inside homes in toilets. This can cause considerable concern as people often worry that they may have found some type of human parasite!.
My ancient Suffolk dialect books tell me that the name Thunderworm is a frequent name for the worms too due to their appearance in puddles after rain.