Monday 7th. November 2011

Another damp , dark , miserable day , meant that I only got out for a short while this afternoon , then wondered if it was worth it . I decided on Keston Ponds / Common , and looked first at the lowest pond to see if there were any Mandarin about . The dense overhanging branches , which is normally their favourite spot , still had leaves , but tucked away at the back , I could just make out two females and three males . As I walked around the pond , I disturbed another male , which proceeded to fight his way through the 'pea soup' to get back to the safety of the overhanging branches . As he did so ,

he left a trail behind him . Apart from the Mandarins , it was down to the usual Coots , Moorhens and dodgy looking Mallard types .
 I thought that the recent rain might have improved the fungi situation , but it was soon evident that very little had changed , with much searching necessary to find any . But , a few were found , like

these Brown Roll-rims / Paxillus involutus , a very common species , but described as 'piosonous -
possibly deadly' and 'dangerously poisonous' in my two reference books . The other end of the scale

though applies to these tiny Mycena galopus , pushing their way through the leaf litter . One

particular Silver Birch found , was host to two species , the first a very fresh specimen of Birch Polypore / Piptoporus betulinus , also known commonly as Razor-strop Fungus , suggesting how it was used in years gone by . At the bottom of the trunk was Silver-leaf Fungus / Chondostereum

purpureum , a species that attacks fruit trees , Plum being particularly susceptible . The only other

 species found was Many-zoned Polypore / Coriolus versicolor , one of the small brackets . This species can be very variable , both in patern and colour .
A last look around the ponds before heading home , found the white gander with the topknot , in

close attendance with his mate , without the topknot .