Birds and Beer: April 2022

MID NORFOLK: Barnham Broom Fen fungus foray

20th March 2022

Barnham Broom Fen is a relatively small, privately owned site currently undergoing habitat restoration and enhancement. The Norfolk Fungus Study Group were invited to visit and survey the site, and we were grateful to Andy for showing us around and telling us about the site, a mixture of fen and wet woodland.

As expected at this time of year most of the fungi found were small species associated with plants. Two species new to me were Calycellina ochracea, a small pale yellow cup fungus, and an unobtrusive lichen called Lecania cyrtellina (found and identified by Rob Yaxley). Another interesting sighting was a woodlouse-like creature that turned out to be a fly larva, that of a Lonchoptera species (probably L. lutea).

NORWICH: Bowthorpe Glossy Ibis

19th March 2022

A Glossy Ibis had been found in the Earlham/UEA/Bowthorpe area earlier in the week, but the first opportunity I had to go and look at it wasn't until the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised that it had stayed, understandably appearing to favour an area across the river where it couldn't be disturbed. It was feeding constantly whilst I was there, showing well in the sunshine.

Nearby a pair of Oystercatchers were in a field and a Skylark sang overhead.

WHITLINGHAM: No Garganey today

Mid-March 2022

In 2019 after many years of trying I finally saw a Garganey at Whitlingham, but as I was already south of the city at my in-laws I popped down to Whitlingham hoping to see the drake found earlier in the day on the Great Broad. In contrast to later birds at Cley and Strumpshaw it proved to be frustratingly elusive, being out of sight for most of the day and only showing briefly in the evening, about 20 minutes before I got there. Staying until dusk I saw three Little Egrets roost on the island on the Great Broad, with another flying west, and a Water Rail climbed up into a small water-side tree.

On the way back there was enough light to read the rings of two locally ringed Greylag Geese.

NORWICH: Some new plants & plant fungi

Mid-March 2022

With it not yet being prime insect season, my daily walk into the city still has a mostly plant and plant fungi based focus. Down a small alleyway near my house I noticed some naturalised spurge plants that I was able to identify as Turkish Wood Spurge, whilst I finally stopped ignoring a brassica I'd seen the week before along Chapelfield and identified it as White Mustard.

I have been regularly checking Pellitory-of-the-wall for a recent colonist leaf-mining moth (so far unsuccessfully) but did find the leaf spots of Ramularia parietariae on one plant. A more intentional search of Herb Robert plants successfully turned up another leaf fungus, Coleroa robertiana.

WHITLINGHAM: Orange Ladybirds and Scarlet Elf Cups

5th March 2022

Another rainy day. With an hour free I called in firstly at Trowse Woods, then at Whitlingham to read a few Mute Swan rings. At Trowse the highlight was finding a large number of Orange Ladybirds, around 80 in groups of up to 15 on twigs of a couple of large deciduous trees. I also saw some Scarlet Elf Cups, which I took home and incubated until they produced budding from the spore ends, an apparently definitive feature for Sarcoscypha austriaca (which is what almost all of the Norfolk ones turn out to be).

At Whitlingham I saw the local Mandarin, Black-headed Gull Blue 2K91 and 6 ringed Mute Swans before it was time to head back.

NORWICH: Fern rusts, aphids and other interesting things

Late February 2022

Having read an article about a genus of white rust fungi on ferns, I started checking various fern species as I walked around the city. I had no luck on the small amounts of Black Spleenwort and Wall Rue that I came across, and also drew a blank on Polypody. I did however manage to find Milesina scolopendrii on Hartstongue Fern and a few days later Milesina kriegeriana on Male Fern.

Whilst checking ferns and other plants growing on walls I also found various other things of interest. The scarcest find was Black Fern Aphid, Idiopterus nephrelepidis, which was first found in Norfolk a few years ago by Dave Appleton, and at the time was believed to be the first time it had been foud outside in the UK (Dave tells me there is possibly one earlier record that has come to light since, but otherwise it remains restricted to North Elmham). The nymphs that I found were on Polypody in a church doorway.

On the same fern community as the aphids mentioned above I also found lavae of the Fern Smut moth and some Soft Brown Scale Insects, Coccus herperidium. Another interesting aphid, also found previously by Dave Appleton, was Dysaphis gallica on Ivy-leaves Toadflax.