Granta Park Fungi Foray - 8 November

Peter Walker, a volunteer at The Wildlife Trust identified the fungi found and prepared this list:

SCIENTIFIC NAME	ENGLISH NAME	COMMENTS
Auricularia auricula-judae	Wood Jelly Ear	on dead branches
Auricularia mesenterica	Tripe fungus	on stumps & logs
Agrocybe molesta = dura	Bearded field cap	In soil among grass in wood
Collybia cirrhata	Piggyback Shanklet	Tiny on old Inonotus hispidus
Coniophora puteana	Wet Rot	Resupinate on dead branch
Coprinus atramentarius	Common Ink Cap	On grassy bank
Coprinus disseminatus	Crumble Cap /Fairy InkCcap	Masses on stumps & buried roots
Coprinus flocculosus??		On rotten log (not Sure)
Coprinus micaceus	Glistening Ink Cap	In litter in woodland
Crepidotus cesatii	? Oysterling	On twig
Daldinia concentrica	King Alfred's Cake	On fallen Ash branch
Entoloma serceum var cinereopacum	Silky Pink Gill	Dark brown in grass
Galerina laevis ??		Small grooved & orange in grass
Galerina marginata = autumnalis	Funeral Bell	On dead wood
Hebeloma crustuliniforme	Poison Pie	In grass
Lepiota castanea	Chestnut Dapperling	Small with brown scales & ring on stem
Lipista nuda	Wood Blewit	Violet blue very small specimen
Meripilus giganteus	Giant Polypore	Base of dead stump tufted brackets
Mycena acicula	Orange Bonnet	Tiny  orange bonnet in mosses on stump
Mycena flavo-alba	Ivory Bonnet	Small white on logs in moss
Mycena galericulata	Common Bonnet	Trooping on logs
Mycena hiemalis		Tiny tan colour in moss on trees & logs
Mycena olida	Rancid bonnet	Tiny white in moss on tree trunks
Mycena vitilis	Snapping Bonnet	Greyish in litter
Nectria cinnabarina	Coral Spot	Pink blobs on twig
Pluteus leoninus	Lion Shield	Yellow cap pink spores on wood
Pluteus umbrosus	Velvet Shield	Dark crinkled velvety cap on wood
Polyporus squamosus	Dryads Saddle	Tan bracket on stump
Psathyrella conopilus	Conical Brittle-stem	In grass in wood
Rhytisma acerinum	Sycamore Tar Spot	On leaves
Trametes vesicolor	Turkey Tail	On dead wood
Clitocybe truncicola		decaying log

Some photos of fungi from Granta Park are included at: http://www.jeremysmithphotography.co.uk/p478175739 (number 16-107) and we hope to put a few of them here.

Male Shoveler at Granta Park

Andy M reports that a single male Shoveler is still around on Granta Park Lake. It seems to spend most of the time hidden in the reeds at one end of the lake but appears in open water occasionally:

Andy has also seen a Goldcrest in Granta Park a couple of times this month.

Chiffchaffs in Great Abington

These pictures were taken by Andy Merryweather in his garden on 13th October.
The dark legs differentiate the Chiffchaff from the Willow Warbler.

World Rivers Day

World Rivers Day (http://worldriversday.com/) is celebrated each year all round the world. This year it was officially on 29th September but we celebrated it on Saturday 28th September, while the Abington Institute was open for Jeremiah's Café.

We had a steady stream of young visitors between 10:00 and 12;00, some of whom went off with nets to add to our collection of specimens to examine. We had fish, shrimp and signal crayfish as well as a few insects.

Examining and sorting the specimens

These crayfish were cooked - very tasty!

Lots of crayfish found!

Pine Hawk-Moth caterpillar

This photo of a Pine Hawk-Moth caterpillar was taken by Ali Nobes. The caterpillar, measuring 5 cm in length, was found dead in their garden pond and was identified by looking at http://butterfly-conservation.org/2401-1682/pine-hawk-moth.html.

Its food plant is the native Scots pine, and they have a large tree growing close to the pond. The adult moth is grey in colour, so the caterpillar is its more glamorous stage!

Small Tortoiseshell on the Roman Road - 11 August

Jennifer reports:

I saw the two Clouded yellows on the Roman Road again this morning.

Also a beautiful Small Tortoiseshell on the path that posed for this photo!

Insect Life in Church Lane

Len Mead reports:
Over the past week we have had 6 Brimstones in the garden at one time, feeding on Zinnias. We have also had several types of dragonfly including 8 Common Sympetrum, several of whom were mating and depositing eggs in our pond, and a Golden-ringed dragonfly which was also depositing eggs in the pond..
.

Dragonfly 

Brimstone on a Zinnia

Blue tit in Church Lane

On Friday, this juvenile Blue Tit flew in out of the rain to see us... and seemed strangely reluctant to fly away!

Butterflies on the Roman Road - 10 August 2013

Jennifer took these photos on a Naturewatch outing on the Roman Road on Saturday 10th August.

Common blue

Common blue

Gatekeeper

Painted lady

Clouded yellow

Botany & Butterflies - Fleam Dyke - 27 July 2013

Jennifer organised an outing to observe the flora and fauna on the Fleam Dyke just to the east of the A11. Ten of us started from the A11 at 09:30 and walked eastwards to Bedford Gap.

Walking towards Bedford Gap

These are the butterflies and flowers that we recorded.

Butterflies	Flowers (in no particular order)
Brimstone	Thyme
Large white	Rockrose
Small white	Horseshoe vetch (seed pods)
Small tortoiseshell	Squinancywort
Small skipper	Dropwort (gone to seed)
Meadow brown	Lady’s bedstraw
Ringlet	Hedge bedstraw
Peacock	Greater knapweed
Gatekeeper	Black Knapweed
Marbled white (2)	Dwarf thistle (‘Picnic’ thistle)
Chalkhill blue (perhaps 200 or more?)	Tuberous thistle
	Carline thistle
Moth	Harebell
5 spot Burnet moth	Kidney vetch
	Quaking grass
	Common milkwort
	Ragwort
	Teasel
	Small scabious
	Field scabious
	Yarrow
	Wild parsnip
	Pignut
	Bryony
	Agrimony
	Wild mignonette (or weld?)
	Dark mullein
	Goatsbeard (Jack go to bed at noon)
	Oxeye daisy
	Salad burnet
	Juniper
	Sweet briar
	Privet
	Elder

Burnet Moth (photo JH)

Chalkhill Blue (photo JH)

Chalkhill Blues (photo JH)

Skipper

Small White

Ringlet

Skipper

White-tailed Bumble Bee

(photos PB unless noted)

Field mouse in High Street garden

Jennifer regularly sees this field mouse on her bird nut feeder  

Ringlet butterfly on Roman Road

Jennifer took this photo of a Ringlet butterfly, showing the underside of its wings

Mullein Moth Caterpillar

Jennifer took a photo of this Mullein moth caterpillar near the Bourn Bridge Road fields

 

Egyptian Goose at Granta Park

Andy Merryweather reports that whilst walking around Granta Park at lunchtime on 24th June, he spotted an Egyptian Goose among the 20 or so Canada Geese on the lake. He has only seen an Egyptian goose a couple of times before...

Spotted Woodpecker

Jennifer saw a young Greater Spotted Woodpecker eating ants on her patio!

Granta Park (from George)

Jennifer saw these caterpillars on 11 May in the new hedge alongside the footpath from the hairdressers to the Park.

The park is looking good with the trees in bloom along the avenue approaching the cricket pitch:

and there are cowslips still in bloom

and marsh marigolds at the edge of the lake

Grass snakes on Cambridge Road

Derek spotted these 2 Grass Snakes on top of a conifer by their pond, on 19th April.

Kestrel in Granta Park

Riani Wells took this photo on 22 April 2013 at 9:00 am, in Granta Park gardens near Abington Hall.

River Sampling - 27 April

River Granta at Abington, 27 April 2013

10.30—11.30am, cool and overcast with rain showers, river level = medium-high and fast-flowing
Stretch surveyed = 30m stretch beside Cricket Meadow (as approved by Rob Mungovan)

3-minute kick-shuffle sampling technique:
(a) 1 minute in riffle area with dark green mossy weed and large stones;
(b) 1 minute in fast-flowing stony area with light green weed;
(c) 1 minute in shallower gravel area

The following were identified from the sample:

Riverfly Partnership species (abundance code B = 10-99)
Freshwater shrimps – c. 20-30, all similar size of about 1 cm (B)
Mayfly ephemeridae 0
Blue-winged olive mayfly 25 (B)
Olive mayfly 50 (B)
Flat-bodied mayfly 0
Stoneflies 0
Caddisfly (cased and caseless) 0

Other species
Brown trout 1 – c. about 7 cm long, netted at (a) above
Beetle larvae 30
Leech 1
Snails 0
Dragonfly larvae 0
Damselfly larvae 0

Red Kite over Abington

Andy M was sitting outside on April 20 having lunch and what should come over but a Red Kite!
Initially it was quite low, being closely mobbed by a Crow/Rook.
By the time he got his camera, the corvid had chased it way up...

Great Abington birds

Andy Merryweather took these pictures on 31 March
Branbling

Pheasant

Siskins