Friday 8 November 2013

Friday 8th. November 2013

Mainly due to the weather and lack of interesting finds , a new post has been a long time coming . When I have been able to get out , very little was out there to find , so this post is restricted to a few shots from those outings .
The hoped for Winter visitor at Sevenoaks Reserve never materialised , but a couple of Kingfisher sightings from Willow Hide and 10/12 Egyptian Geese constantly flying between Snipe Bog Lake and the sheep fields beyond , made for the only shots taken on the visit .


The bird survey at Down House did nothing to lift the spirits , with just 16 species recorded . The highlight were 6 Mistle Thrush , feeding avidly on one of the Apple trees . I passed the same tree on my way out , but the Thrushes had been replaced by 7 Rose-ringed Parakeets , 5 of which were
caught in the viewfinder , two being half hidden under the middle/top bird . before I could get into a better position , two gardeners came round the corner , and they were off . The lawns behind the house always hold interest at this time of year , and this year the rare Wax Cap , Hygrocybe
calyptraeformis , seems to be doing very well indeed . Starting compact , it soon starts to split
radially from the middle as it get older . Also found in the same area , White Spindles / Clavaria
vermicularis . Not so good was that every Violet Helleborine that I found had been grazed , no doubt by the Roe Deer . Today , I made a visit to South Norwood Country Park , but things were still the same with very little to be seen . A Robin greeted me on one of the platforms around the lake , and at the same time the nearby litter bin came to life as several Brown Rats decamped from it's interior and
disappeared into the bankside vegetation . On one side of the island , a pair of Shoveler were having a
lie-in , whilst around the other side , a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull , and possibly a
juvenile , and what looks like a Common Gull to me , but unsure caused by the black tip to it's bill  , were resting just above the water line . The rest of the gulls on site were all Black-headed . On the way home I stopped off briefly on the Common , finding a Jay opposite where I parked , which for
once allowed a couple of shots before it disappeared . Close-by were several Fly Agaric / Amanita muscaria , but most had been damaged by someone/something , so I had to be satisfied with a newly
emerged specimen , still with the remnants of it's veil showing on it's cap .
Hedgelaying tomorrow and heavy rain forecast for the morning , happy days !

3 comments:

Phil said...

It's been slim pickings of late Greenie. At least you're getting out and well done with a decent shot of the elusive Jay.

Derek Faulkner said...

Just being able to be,out and about in the countryside is the main thing Greenie, besides, your posting was as informative as usual.

Warren Baker said...

Its difficult to find the inspiration to get out during November Greenie, it takes a long time in the field to get just one interesting post together - you did well here I think. :-)