Thursday 5th.November 2009

Just a quick post , catching up on the last two days . Wednesday was spent up on the Greensand Ridge , but with either a brushcutter or chainsaw going most of the day , needless to say , no wildlife was recorded .
Before leaving this morning to work up on the Common , just for Warren , whilst having breakfast , our Nuthatch made several visits to the feeder , and allowed a couple of shots . Carol tells me that whilst she was ironing yesterday afternoon , he spent 4/5 minutes bobbing about on the patio , amongst the container plants , at times , no further than a metre away from her through the patio doors . The work today was returning a small bit more of the Common to the heathland habitat that it used to be , by way of removing Aspen trees from the fringes of the Orchid Glade . During a break , I went and had a look at an Oak tree , where I had photographed Purple Hairstreaks during the Summer . Within a couple of minutes , I had found several PH eggs , which looks good for next year , but also found the top one of these two that had been predated , most probably by a member of one of the Tit species . The bottom egg is still intact , laid directly onto the buds that will provide fresh food for the caterpillar when , and if , they survive the Winter , and hatch out next Summer .
The last hour of the day was spent working on the heathland area , where a couple of fungi were found . The first , does what is says , Brown Roll-rim / Paxillus involutus , and the second , nestled in amongst the heather , Fly Agaric-Amanita muscaria , this specimen having almost no white pyramidal warts on the cap , probably washed of by the recent heavy rains . The only other interest found today , was when I visited the Hornets nest . The ground in front of the entrance hole was littered with grubs , in various stages of growth . The entrance hole itself had been opened up , and another hole opened above it . I can only guess at what had predated the nest , but from the fact that the nest had not been dug up , I discount a mammal , and would point the finger at either a Corvid , Magpie or Carrion Crow , or a Green Woodpecker , but as I said , I am only guessing .
After three weeks off , three days work came hard , and I'm looking forward to a few days off now .