Snowy scenes

River Wansbeck at Olivers mill

Morpeth Chantry

Carlisle park

Hedgerow at the Abbey

Front garden

Back garden

Top of Curley kews bank

Goosander at Oldgate...one of three.

Back in business...I hope. The computer has been broken for three weeks but now with a new hard drive lets hope it lasts a bit longer than the last one. Only birds of note have been sightings linked to the bad weather. Common Snipe have been plentiful at work feeding under bushes where it was free of snow. Up to 60 Siskins visiting feeders around the gardens here and 3 Goosanders on the Wansbeck. On new years day 300 Pink footed geese flew south over the garden and Buzzards have been visible from the garden. Stewart rang me and told me about his communal Wren roost and late afternoon on Friday I saw 6 enter the old hollow Ash tree on the abbey hill. I'm sure ADMc knows that tree very well!

The above pics were taken on new years day after the heavy snowfall around Morpeth. Friday morning was the coldest I've known with the temperature at Blagdon -13.5c and -9c by the time I got back to Morpeth. A bit of a reprieve at the moment but I don't think we are out of the woods yet.

Silverleaf fungus

Walking along the river beside Matheson's gardens I came across a tree trunk covered in Silverleaf fungus (Chondostereum purpureum). This is a common parasite on fruit trees, particularly Cherry and Plum causing silverleaf disease via a white rot inside the wood. Despite this it is an attractive small violet and white fungi.

On Sunday afternoon on my way home from work there were 18 Crossbills at the top of Cottingwood bank near to the school. Today I have been at Widdrington tip. Very wet but I flushed 11 Common Snipe and 3 Jack snipe. Lots of Goldfinches and Reed buntings and a Red legged Partridge.

Recent outings

Flowering Hogweed...Mathesons gardens

Saffron Milkcap...hundreds of them at St. Georges hospital

Clustered Bonnet and Shaggy Inkcap...Carlisle park

Aniseed mushroom (odora)...Borough woods

Snowy Waxcap...Abbey meadows

Its been a while since the last post but I have still been out and about. Fungi is still good at the moment with the list getting bigger by the outing but a few birds around as well. A trip to Harwood last week was a washout despite brilliant sunshine in Morpeth, only a couple of Buzzards seen. Two saturday's in a row I have been at Druridge. Lots of Pink feet going south and Twite and Goldfinch at Bells farm. The dark nights have produced a few Owl sightings with Barn at East Stobswood and West Chevington at the weekend and at least four Tawny owls calling early morning at Abbey meadows.

Decided to change the blog a bit...getting sick of the green and the black background shows up the pictures a bit better. I don't know if this is a good thing as it may highlight how crap they really are! Making the most of the Fungi at the moment before the hard frosts kill them altogether so here's a few more pics of Fungi in Morpeth.

Mid November

Lawyers wig...Common but very photogenic

Two views of the Borough woods...fungi country!

Clouded Funnel

Tar spot fungus on Sycamore

These Beech Milkcaps have seen better days

Laccaria laccata

The way the winds are at the moment it is quiet for birds. I have been around the local ponds but seen little of note. However, the rain has been excellent for fungi and has given me another challenge to try and identify the hundreds that are around the woods here at the moment.

East Chevington and Mitford

The Wansbeck at Mitford

On Wednesday I called in at Widdrington tip on my way to East Chevington. Only 4 Common Snipe today and 1 Woodcock in the Alders. 2 Stoats were chasing and jumping on each other along the track and 3 Roe Deer were in the plantation opposite. Still plenty of Chaffinches and Skylarks around, a single Buzzard, 22 Linnets and my first species on the new pond...Moorhen.

At East Chevington there were hundreds of Great black backed gulls but little else of note except a Water rail and Kingfisher at the mouth. Bennyboy flushed a Woodcock out of the dunes.

I was at Mitford castle on Thursday, I flushed 2 Woodcock out of the woods here when looking for fungi and there was a Dipper on the river here. Quiet otherwise on the bird front but I will post some of my fungi pics when I get some time.

Jacks are back

Stonechat at Widdrington tip

Yellow Fieldcap

Yellow brain on Gorse

Two phases of Blackening Waxcap

Caterpillar sp Hadston links...not a sharp shot

Good start to the day with a lovely Green woodpecker feeding on the grass at the top of Abbey meadows on a tri-angle of grass at the T junction. It flew and landed at the base of a tree. I enjoyed the views for a few minutes rather than run around trying to get a pic of it. It was looking bright and smart in the morning sunshine.

I then went to Widdrington tip where the rains have flooded almost the whole of the wooded and clearing areas and walking through I flushed 33 Common snipe and 4 jack snipe. I tried hard to photo a Jack but they kept flying only a few yards and I was almost standing on them before they flushed a short distance again but I couldn't pin point exactly where they were landing. Other birds of note here were 40+ Skylark, 14 Reed buntings, Stonechat, 2 Buzzards and a small Linnet flock.

I finished the day at Hadston and Hauxley links. Not a lot of birds today but some fine fungi in the dunes and I have posted a few.

Greys 4 Reds 1

One of the 6 Jays...almost impossible to photograph

Surprised to find these Shaggy inkcaps growing in deep woodland

Pine loving Tricholoma terreum

Common Puffball, Lycoperdon perlatum

A young Crespidotus variabilis

I forget the name of this but I have it written down somewhere.

A walk through the Borough woods today produced no fewer than 4 Grey Squirrels. The fate of the Reds is doomed as the only one I have seen recently was a road casualty at the top of Abbey meadows. Plenty of woodland birds with 6 Jays, 3 Marsh tits and 4 Bullfinches. Plenty of Coal tits and still a few Goldcrests in the pines near the A1. Recent rains has not only swollen the river Wansbeck but produced loads of fungi, some of which are a bit of a headache to identify.