The Naturalists' Notebook

From Tony Carter:  The North West Fungus Group held a foray at Ainsdale Sand Dunes Reserve. Despite the heavy showers and wind sixteen Group members turned out and we were very pleased to be joined by David Bryant.

We spent the whole day, mostly in the woodland, as we were unable to progress very far on to the dunes because of the strength of the wind.

Peter Gahan, the Reserve Manager, was very keen that we should find him a Tulostoma melanocyclum (Scaly Stalkball) as he had never seen one and he hopes to make it a flagship species for the site. These are hard to spot in the sand as they look like rabbit droppings, which are numerous on the dunes. One of the group eventually found one when she accidently dug it up thinking it was a small puffball. There were a couple more, so we marked the spot for Peter to examine later.

Tulostoma melanocyclum (Scaly Stalkball)

Not everything can be identified in the field and quite a lot had to be taken home for more detailed research. We eventually identified 108 species. Thirteen species had not previously been recorded for the Reserve. This might be because we had some very experienced mycologists with us. Also we were unable to follow our usual route because of the weather, so we explored parts of the Reserve we had not been to before. It was so wet, it was impossible to get the camera out most of the time, but in a dry spell I photographed this impressive Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster Mushroom.

Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster Mushroom

One of our most experienced members identified Panaeolus reticulatus, one of the Mottlegills. This may be a first for the UK although it is recognised in Europe.

Another lucky find was of a rare species, Mycenella margaritispora, a very tiny Bonnet fungus. The reason for its rarity is probably because it is only 4mm in size. The finder went to pick another fungus only to find this one attached to a piece of vegetation in his hand.

Mycenella margaritispora, a very tiny Bonnet fungus

Another fact of note is that the Elaphocordyceps ophioglossoides (Snaketongue Truffleclub), that I mentioned in my last report from Ainsdale, has increased in number from my last visit in September. Because it grows from an underground truffle, people want to see them, which means they have to be dug up. Because the existence of this species at Ainsdale is fragile, we resisted the temptation. Hopefully they will continue to increase.

(Report by John Clegg) 12 members attended the walk around this large lake and woodland. The first birds seen were three Jays, the first of many. Several Great Crested Grebes were on the lake. At Otter Swift Farm the hedges were once again full of House Sparows. Walking down to the bridge for lunch 1000+ Pink-footed Geese flew overhead.

After lunch the peace of the area came to an end with Power Boat Racing on the lake.

Birds seen: Jay, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Canada Goose, Coot, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blue Tit, Heron, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Starling, Wren, Collared Dove, Pied Wagtail, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Linnet, Common Gull, Pink-footed Geese, Sparrowhawk, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Long-tailed Tit, Buzzard. Total 33 species.

(Report by John Clegg). Twelve members came out. The morning was bright but it turned very wet in the afternoon and the fields were very soggy and covered with standing water.

Birds seen: Collared Dove, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Kestrel, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Black-headed Gull, Moorhen, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Peregrines (male and female), Mallard, Wood Pigeon, Starling, Heron, Song Thrush, Wren, Lapwing, Blackbird, Black-tailed Godwit, Shoveller, Jay, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Common Gull, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Canada Goose. In addition, Chris Butterworth saw a Yellow-browed Warbler. Total 29 species.

Steve with Rocky the Eagle Owl

Steve and Marg Dewsnap from Rockcliffe Raptors, Flintshire, North Wales brought in a selection of European Raptors and Owls from their private collection. These included a Barn Owl Tyto alba called Ko’ko, Tawny Owl Strix aluco called Tally, Long Eared Owl Asio otus called Otis, European Eagle Owl Bubo bubo called Rocky, European Kestrel Falco tinnunculus called Emma, Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrines called Flint and Common Buzzard Buteo buteo called  Ziggy.

Emma the Kestrel

Otis the Long-eared Owl

Steve proceeded to give a really informative talk about the birds and observations from his ten years of keeping birds of prey.

Notable facts included:-

Owls have an acute sense of hearing that helps them locate and capture prey. The facial disc acts as a reflector, channelling sounds into the ears.

Owl’s eyes are large in order to see in low light conditions. Owls cannot move their eyes as they are not actually eye balls but elongated tubes. They are held in place by in the skull called Sclerotic rings. The Owl makes up for this by being able to turn its head up to 270 degrees left or right from the forward facing position.

The eye is lubricated by the nictitating membrane, a third concealed eyelid that sweeps horizontally across the eye like a windscreen wiper.

Rocky the Eagle Owl

Owls coat their pellets in saliva when regurgitating them – this prevents heartburn and acid damage to the throat. Barn Owls saliva is black. If you feed the European Eagle Owl and the Barn Owl on the same diet of white rats the Eagle Owl’s pellet is white whereas the Barn Owl’s is coated in black.

The leading edges of an owl’s primary feathers have comb-like serrations. These decrease turbulence and thus the noise of air as it flows over the wing allowing them to fly silently.

Barn Owls have a serrated structure that runs along the inner talon edge of the third digit called a “pectinate claw”. This is generally thought to aid in preening.

Ko’ko the Barn Owl

It is a misnomer that during the characteristic courtship duet between Tawny Owls the male calls ‘twit’ and the female ‘twoo.’ Shortly after moving to their Flintshire base Tally the male Tawny Owl began calling during the evenings which attracted wild Tawny Owls to the garden. Steve noted that one evening Tally would call ‘twit’ and the wild Tawny ‘twoo’ but the next evening the calling sequence would be reversed with Tally calling ‘twoo’ and the wild Tawny ‘twit’. Jemima Parry-Jones MBE – the British authority on birds of prey and director of the International Centre Birds Prey Wildlife Conservation has also noted this fact!

Tally the Tawny Owl

From Tony Carter

On Saturday, 6^th October, the sun shone. So I went for a walk around the woods at Hale: Hale Hall Wood and The Icehouse Plantation.

The primary reason was to check on a fungus, Rhodotus palmatus (Wrinkled Peach). I found this a couple of years ago and was asked to send specimens to Kew Herbarium. So far, it is the most northerly British record.

Wrinkled Peach

It grows on a felled tree that straddles the footpath to the river. Due to the wet weather, the path has become impassable. The fungus has been undisturbed and has increased in size and number.

Its favourite substrate is Elm but, here it has grown on Ash, along with a good collection of Daldinia concentrica (Cramp Balls), one of which had been infected with an uncommon parasite, Nectria inventa.

Beside the old Icehouse now covered in vegetation, I came across a felled Oak tree with pruned branches stacked beside it. Someone had tried to burn the branches which were blackened and charred.

However, growing on these branches was another Daldinia: Daldinia fissa.

This is extremely unusual as this fungus normally grows on burnt Gorse. There is only one other British record for it growing on Oak.

Daldinia fissa

I reported my finding to Kew Herbarium and they have asked me to send specimens to them.

These two woods are small but very old. To be asked to send specimens of two fungi from such a small area makes this a very special site.

Mike Barrow kindly drove Chris Derri, DaveH and I to the National Trust Reserve at Lyme Park. We parked at the railway station at Disley and wandered along the Gritstone Trail across farmland and through a small copse containing a few autumnally energetic Grey Squirrels. We heard the distance bellows of the Red Deer that were herded together below the old hunting tower on the hill called ‘The Cage’ within the reserve.

The Cage

Conditions were extremely blustery with clouds racing across the sky and occasional sun peaking through but apart from a small drizzle shower the rain stayed off. A couple of Jays flew by squawking and a Buzzard was being mobbed by some Carrion Crows. We started clocking up the fungi with a Coprinus sp. on a rotting log along with the elephant trunk-like podentia of the Lichen Cladonia coniocrea and the pixie-cup Lichen Cladonia fimbriata. Lumpy Bracket Trametes gibbosa was found on the end of a fallen Beech in the parkland before we entered a deciduous wood with Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare, Southern Bracket Ganoderma australe, Candlesnuff Fungus Xylaria hypoxylon, Crystal Brain Exidia nucleata, The Deceiver Laccaria laccata, dried out Black Witches Butter Exidia glandulosa, Many-zoned Polypore Trametes versicolor, Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae, Hairy Stereum Stereum hirsutum, Bleeding Broadleaf Crust Stereum rugosum, Dead Moll’s Fingers Xylaria longipes, Eyelash Fungi Scutellinia scutellata, Fairy Bonnets Coprinus disseminatus and Sycamore Tar Spot Rhytisma acerinum. A few Galls were found on the Oak Trees with Marble Galls caused by the Gall Wasp Andricus kollari and Common Spangle Galls caused by the Gall Wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum  A Kingfisher was seen by the stream in the wood and on the small pond beside the café were a motley gang of Mallards, Coot and Black-headed Gulls.

After a quick drink form our flasks we walked up towards ‘The Cage’ to try and locate the Red Deer. Meadow Pipits were battling with the wind and a few Swallows were zooming low across the grassland re-fuelling before their migration. We soon found the Red Deer and slowly stalked up close to them.

Only one of the sizeable stags performed some real bellowing with a couple of younger stags engaged in some half-hearted sparring, antlers locked together. Most seasonal events this year have been topsy-turvy and it seems like the rut is also running late. When the main stag shepherded his harem of hinds into the woodland and the three remaining young stags decided to give up on their strutting and posturing we started hunting for fungi again.

Lyme Park is an excellent spot for Waxcaps. They are a tricky group of fungi and we could only identify Blackening Waxcap Hygrocybe conica, Snowy Waxcap Hygrocybe virginea and Meadow Waxcap Hygrocybe pratensis with any certainty but plenty of other varieties were seen. Fungi finds underneath a couple of Beech Trees in the main parkland area included Beechwood Sickener Russula nobilis, Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum, Bay Polypore Polyporus badius and masses of small Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria amethystea.

Bay Polypore

After tea’n’coffee in the café and some stealthy eating of our butties it was round to the Fallow Deer Sanctuary situated behind the main house. A melting pot of Fallow Deer colours were present ranging from almost pure white to a really dark looking stag with large impressive antlers. The hinds were feeding on the coarse grass and a few stags were resting with only their heads and antlers visible over the top of the tussocky grass. No sign of the rut yet. We broke the ’stay to the path’ rules and climbed across a small ditch to gain better views of the stags – one getting to its feet and watching us intently making sure we weren’t a threat before sitting back down again.

Fallow Deer stag

Amethyst Deciever

We entered the deciduous woodland behind the Fallow Deer Sanctuary finding yet more fungi with some large Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria amethystea, Common Jellyspot Dacrymyces stillatus, Small Stagshorn Calocera cornea, Pale Stagshorn Calocera pallidospathulata, Yellow Stagshorn Calocera viscosa, Birch Polypore Piptoporus betulinus, Glistening Inkcap Coprinus micaceus, Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes, more Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare, Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphurous and Beech Jellydisc Neobulgaria pura.

Beech Jellydisc

I had seen Beech Jellydisc var. foliacea at Mere Sands Wood in late July 2012 and include a photo of these rather cool jelly brains for comparison.

Beech Jellydisc var. foliacea

Walking along another path through predominantly pine woodland we added Ochre Brittlegill Russula ochroleuca and Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria to our list with some immature Common Puffballs Lycoperdon perlatum growing on a mossy log.

Common Puffballs

We spied a couple of Ravens through gaps in the pine trees as they croaked overhead. Insects hadn’t featured so far during the day but we found an unidentified umbellifer that had attracted a few Hoverflies Heliophilus pendulus and Eristalis sp. Rather knackered but after a fantastic day we re-traced our steps and followed the main road out through Lyme Park to return to the car.