October ushers Autumn in, the season of decline
Where everything is dying back and nature lies supine
And yet the sky is filled with birds and mushrooms crowd the earth
Autumn bears its share of life and we should see its worth
After my extremely fruitful outing in the woodlands on Monday I thought I’d see what the rest of the park had to offer in terms of fungi. Before I embarked I paid a visit to the bird ringers, also enjoying a prosperous period. Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Goldcrests were all successfully captured with numerous Linnets and a lone Sparrowhawk seen. After noting their accomplishments I headed into the Saxon Field, a half dozen Goldfinches performing a ceremonial flyover as I entered.
The Small Copse didn’t reward me with any interesting fungi, but I did come across an amazingly well built den, complete with a crazy paving path leading up to the entrance. There’s some serious gentrification going on here. The Meadows were looking a bit better with Grassland Puffball and Egghead Mottlegill seen. Bristly Ox Tongue and Yarrow were still thriving through the advancing season, with a little Knapweed and the odd Ox Eye Daisy to be seen as well.
Further afield in the park we’ve had several other fungi sightings, including Wrinkled Fieldcaps on one of our many woodchip piles, a Haresfoot Inkcap at the Dry Stone Walling Centre and a possible cluster of Red Edged Brittlestem at the shed. I also mentioned to Katie that I spotted a Dog Vomit Slime Mould, but closer investigation and external expertise has revealed it to be a Yellow Ear Fungus.
Down in the Woodlands Dryads Saddle and what appeared to be a Yellow Coral Fungus were setting up shop on the log borders. I was treated to the sounds of a Robin pipping next to a Stonechat chatting, a great chance to compare these calls and note the differences.
The Clifftops were quiet, with now calm seas swaying gently below and barely a flap from a seabird. I spotted a single Greater Black Backed Gull and two Herring Gulls in total. This left the cliffs the property of the Jackdaws, these ever present birds taking short flights or simply perching on Tamarisk and surveying their domain.