Matts Holistic Devon list 2010 (1 Viewer)

Matt Prince said:

Fungi can be hard, finding the right group is often the hardest part of the the battle. Having said that, I've not posted last weekends update yet because of a bit of contention. How big were the "giant" funnel when you saw them? The other half and I are now arguing about them, she thinks they might be trouping, but I think they are giant! The size when we saw them was about right for either, should be easy - trouping should be upright and giant squat and twisted flat.. Not always so simple in the field..

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Evening Matt,

I looked back at the two in the books and I see the point but the profile of the gills joining the stipe says Giant Funnel for me.

Trooping is also supposed to have a hard rind on the stipe and these were slug ridden so probably soft enough for them to munch at?

I have attached two images if they might help.

Regards,
Andrew.

Evening again,

In the last few days I have looked at the images and the books. I now believe these are Trooping Funnel for a few reasons including size, the lack of forked gills but I think I will have to let this one go without having the specimen in hand to study further which is a shame. I may try to go back tomorrow to look for another if possible.

Cheers,
Andrew.

Solid reasoning Andrew, no need to let it go though, we (the wife and I) spoke to Jeff about them yesterday - he said that they are Clitocybe Geotropa (i.e. trooping funnel). Should have known better than argue the point with the wife! One of the key features is the Umbo, which probably wasn't as prominent by the time you visited.

Saturday 9th October

Totally failed on the snow bunting front.. Had a fungi foray scheduled for Somers, a private residence, in North Devon for the Saturday, which didn't start till 11:00, so seemed like a good opportunity for a go at the Snow Buntings that had been reported on the pager at Northam Burrows. The pager said that the birds were between the seasonal pools and the sand dunes, so I took that to be the Northern end of the burrows between the big pool and the sand dunes at the back. So I trudged around, checking out the shingly bit at the back that looked promising enough, but to no avail, found a few shaggy inckcaps, blackening waxcaps and the like, plenty of skylark, meadow pipit and finches but no Snow Buntings. On the way back I was rather surprised when two black terns flew over the burrows and Eastwards.

Onto Summers which was being led by Jeff Benn from the fungi group, who dropped us right in it by singling Nicola and I out as assistants. I decided the best thing was to cling to my fungi book and act as translator latin to English as and when required.. This site had pasture land and woodland, the latter being surprisingly dry and lacking in numbers of big mushrooms - perhaps we had reached a hiatus in the blooming season here? However there was still plenty of interest, including a couple of distinctive and destructive honey fungi and some excellent pasture fungi - many waxcaps and the cute little ringed Earthy Powdercap. Star of the fungi fauna here though is the scarce Hazel Glove's which whilst not at its best, having been slugged, was still identifiable on hazel near a stream.

After summers we headed back to Knighthayes were Nicola dragged me round to grab a few things she'd seen during the week that were new to the list, orange peel, burnt knight, shaggy pholiota. Whilst we were there we also found pink domecap and shaggy inkcap, and had a big argument about a funnel near the car park (see previous posts) which I lost - Trooping Funnel (not giant as I thought).

At this point the pager went off announcing that the snow buntings were at Northam burrows again - assuming that I'd missed them we tore back up to the site and I made the same mistake AGAIN. Heading out from the northern car park with the light starting to turn, I tried working the shingle edge, but only got so far when I found the bomb squad :eek!: turning people back from the beach! They were obviously getting ready to detonate a suspicious object on the shoreline, sure enough as I returned towards the car there was a loud and deep bang, and all the birds went up.

Later I'd find where the birds were, was well of to the West of the reserver, nowhere near where I'd looked both times...

Sites: Northam Burrows, Somers, Knighthayes
Species : Fuligo Candida (Slimemould)
Fungi: Aleria Aurantica (Orange Peel Fungus), Armillaria Gallica (Bulbous Honey Fungus), Armillaria Tabescens (Ringless Honey Fungus), Calocybe Carnea (Pink Domecap), Clavaria Fumosa (Smoky Spindles), Clitocybe Goetropa (Trooping Funnel), Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Inkcap), Cystoderma Amianthium (Earthy Powdercap), Dermoloma Cuneifolium (Crazed Cap), Enteloma Chalybeaum (Indigo Pinkgill), Enteloma Conferendum (Star Pinkgill), Hebeloma Leucosarx (a Poisonpie), Hygrocybe Persistens (Persistant Waxcap), Hygrocybe Russocriacea (Cedarwood Waxcap), Hygrocybe Virginia (Snowy Waxcap), Inocybe Geophylla (White Fibrecap), Lactarius Vietus (Grey Milkcap), Lycoperdon perlatum (Common puffball), Mycena Vitillinus (Snapping Bonnet), Pholiota Squarrosa (Shaggy Pholiota), Sclerodoma Verrucosum (Scaly Earthball), Trichloma Ustale (Burnt Knight), Hazel Glove's
Fungi 199; MLLA 95;
GT 1593
(note removed as yet unconfirmed hyxpoxylon and rosalinea species from 11th April at Park)

Sunday 10th October

Started the morning with a scuba refresher course in a swimming pool in a Plymouth Garden, that went fairly well so was able to cut for a bat box survey at Burrator after lunch.
Nothing new amongst the bats, however these were all new boxes that we were checking, so the fact that many contained soprano pips or long eared bats, was good news. There was a bit of fungi about and Nicola was lucky enough to find an identifiable cortinarias - greenfoot fibrecap.
A quick visit to Bishopsteignton for a reported short toed lark, came to nothing much, the views were pleasant but it was a huge field and with no other birders present we only found a few sklyarks and common finches, it wasn't totally fruitless however as Nicola found Wood Blewit.

Sites: Burrator Reservoir, Bishopsteignton.
Species : Inocybe Calamistra (Greenfoot fibrecap), Lepista Nuda (Wood Blewit)
Fungi 201
GT 1595

Monday 11th October

The previous days late report of Solitary Sandpiper at Black Hole Marsh, Seaton was followed with positive news this morning and I was fortunately working from home.. It was a long lunch break... and the traffic was frustratingly slow - but we got there to find a small crowd watching the bird at fairly close range. Very nice. The white eye ring really shone out in the strong sunlight. After a brief ten minutes watching this 'mega' we shot for home and I had to work late into the day to catch up on the hours, but it was worth it.
A lot less rare but still new for the list was common tarspot fungi on leaves outside our house.

Sites: Black Hole Marsh, Home.
Species : Solitary Sandpiper, Rhytisma Acerinum (Common Tarspot)
Birds 193; Fungi 202
GT 1597

Matt Prince said:

Solid reasoning Andrew, no need to let it go though, we (the wife and I) spoke to Jeff about them yesterday - he said that they are Clitocybe Geotropa (i.e. trooping funnel). Should have known better than argue the point with the wife! One of the key features is the Umbo, which probably wasn't as prominent by the time you visited.

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Ah, glad I can keep them and name the pictures now.

9th/10th October Addendum

Clustered Domecap Lyophyllum Decastes from Northam Burrows.
Common Harvestman Phalangium opilio (from Bishopsteington)
Fungi 203; Misc Insects (ok so its not quite an insect..) 41
GT 1599

Saturday 16th October

I had two sea dives booked in for today - sadly it turns out they were both off the Hoe - this was a consequence of having had to rearrange things and I'd inadvertantly swapped out two interesting boat based drives for a couple of not so good shore based ones. Ther first dive was OK, a shallow drop to 8m, vis of about 3m and a gentle pootle about with a few ballan and Goldsinny Wrasse, plus a strange little fan worm. The second dive was a bit of a mare, I was with a group of Open Water students who had to go through their skills as part of their course, nice enough bunch, but I had to sit on the surface in the cold water for half an hour before descending, then I had trouble equalising, and finally when we were on the silty bottom mud got kicked up and vis went down to 30cm or so! Not brilliant...

After that there was just about enough time to go look for Ring Ouzel - I fancied one of the migration points, but Nicola suggested HayTor instead, which was a bit closer. We went but too much disturbance and no sign of anything other than wheatears and stonechat.

Sites: Plymouth Hoe, Haytor Quarries
Species : Goldsinny Wrasse, Myxicola Infundibulum (Sea Worm), Hygrocybe Ceracea (Butter Waxcap)
Fishes 20; Fungi 204 ; MarInv 45;
GT 1602

Saturday 17th October

A predictably slow start when I should really have been getting up early to look for migrants.. As it was we just about had time to check for golden bootleg fungus at a site where Nicola had found it before (no joy) before heading to a fungi foray at Bystock Ponds (or rather at the other end above the ponds).

A reasonable number of people for this one, we had the Devon Fungi group plus members of the Devonshire Association in attendance. Started by working the unimproved grassland, where a few agarics, waxcaps and knights were present. Then we moved into the woodland, where an awesome array of parasol mushrooms was on display. Not new but very impressive. Working the woods we then went back for lunch by which point I was getting itchy feet as a red-breasted flicker had been reported from Soar. I put out an RFI and told Nicola we were going to spend another hour before cutting for the south hams. As it was the group went down onto the heathland and it was just over an hour when my nerve broke, news or no news, we were going to Soar. Nicola reluctantly toed the line and we were soon on the trail to the Hams. Arriving as a group of birders were leaving I was releived to hear that they had seen the bird and we hot-footed it down to the small copse next to East Soar farm. We could just about see another birder on the other side of the trees, and settled down into stake out mode. Nicola off to one side, me on a slight rise in the field. The sun was in an awkard place, but at least it hadn't set, yet.. After half an hour I had a half decent flight view as the bird shot from one tree into another set of bushes. Nicola hadn't got on it, nor by the looks of it had the other observer, but I'd clearly seen the white tail patches, so I was happy I'd got on it. Still we waited to see if we could both get decent views. After a while as the sun, set behind the trees, the other birder gave up and we hung on for a bit longer. Watched a sparrowhawk make two passes on the garden, then just after that, Nicola who was looking into the trees was silently beckoning me in. Rushing over as quietly as possible, I anxiously followed her pointing. THe bird was hunting within the tree cover. After a bit of mucking about squinting through branches I got decent views, Nicola having already seen it well now, and we decided it was a good time to call it quits.
Just as we were walking up alongside the farm, a frantically calling yaffle came bounding in our direction with a male peregrine in casual pursuit. The yaffle shot into the tree cover and the 'grin rose slightly and continued to glide gracefully and nonchalantly out to sea.
On the way back to the car, Nicola spotted some late flowering corn marigold in the fields.

Sites: Bystock Pools, East Soar
Species : Red-breasted Flycatcher, Corn Marigold (Naturalised), Cortinarius Trimphans (Birch Webcap), Calvulina Rugosa (Wrinkled Club), Stereum Rugosum (Bleeding Broadleaf Crust), Trichloma Ustaloides (a knight), Polyporus Leptocephalus (Blackfoot Polypore), Macrolepiota Mastoidea (Slender Parasol), peziza badia (bay cup)
Birds 194; Flower 504;Fungi 211;
GT 1611

Hi Matt

After discussing ferns with you on Andrew's thread decided to have a skim through this one...very interesting! I also realised we met at the Marsh Fritillary day in north Devon - I was with my parents. Yes, would love to see those bee hawkmoths sometime... I don't spend a lot of time in Devon (grew up in Ashburton, and parents are still there), but still love Dartmoor and the South Hams coast as places to walk and watch wildlife.

cheers
James

Hello James,

Its a small world!

Yes NBBH is still my number one bogey beast. The frit season seems like a world ago - even though the year has screamed past.

Its an excellent county isn't it - lots of wild coastline, very varied habitat including wild moorland. You are obviously pretty clued in to what is here already - however if you spotted anything in your quick skim through that piqued your interest let me know. There isn't much of it that I can't divulge.

Cheers,
Matt

Some very late updates !

Saturday 17th October Addendum

Confirmed from Wheathill area - Otidea Alutacea - Tan Ear.
Fungi 212, GT 1611

Saturday 23rd October

For once we were up early and out to Warren House Inn on the moor to look for ring ouzel but to no avail. At least here the weather wasn't too bad - as we carried on to the NW to Abbeyford Woods it deteriorated rapidly - but still there was quite a crowd for the fungi foray.
Jeff Benn and Nigel Pinhorn were leading the walk and Nigel had laid out a good selection of fungi before the walk had even begun, including some tantalising pictures of earthstars and panthercaps..
As it was we were fairly lucky with the weather with a deluge just before and just at the end - and showers in between. Nice finds included some pretty slender club fungi and a good array of edibles.

Bidding fairwell at lunchtime we headed off to Bellever to look for salmon to no avail, though we did find some more fungi, caterpillar club and false saffron milkcap, we also got news that the AG plover had been seen down by the Turf Locks, so with not further ado we headed back towards Exeter..

Didn't expect to find the bird still there, so when I found tons of broken glass at the parking spot Nicola readily volunteered to stay in the car whilst I trotted down to check for the bird. Walking virtually the entire way back up to the turf locks I put up the scope to check out a group of birds across the near channel, and, hey presto, three grey plovers and one dainter darker beast.. No sooner had I looked at it when a black headed gull gave it a kick and it fluttered a few metres showing off its dusky grey axillaries, very nice. I turned to head back and let Nicola know, whereupon I spotted a dark shadow in the channel. Scope up and I was looking at a seal humping about in the shallow water. Its head came up with a huge flatfish in its jaws, which it promptly gulped down, at this point I wasn't sure which seal it was, not having a good view of its profile. I tried to get a better view but it submerged and disappeared, probably a female grey seal. I waited a few moments to see if it would come back up in view, but before it did the entire wader flock went up as one, several hundred blackwit, barwit, dunlin, grey plover and curlew. The only thing I could find that might be responsible was a kestrel! Alas when the flocks settled the AGP wasn't visible. So I marched back to the car, stopping only to update a birder going t'other way.

Sites: Abbeyford Fungi Foray, Bellever, Exe Estuary
Species : American Golden Plover, Macrotyphula juncea (Slender Club), Clavulina Cinerea (Grey Coral), Lepista Flaccida (Tawny Funnel), Cordyceps Militaris (Caterpillar Club), Lactarius Deterrimus (False Saffron Milkap)
Birds 195; Fungi 217
GT 1617

Any chance on IDing the flat fish?

A big Flounder, at least that's what a disgruntled fisherman thought, when I told him what I'd seen :-O

Sunday 24th October

We headed out to East Devon for another fungi foray - led by Nigel Pinhorn, at Hawkswood a reserve we hadn't ever been to before. We rolled up to find we'd got the time slightly wrong and Nigel was already well into his introductory spiel. With mixed abilities amongst the group, it took quite a while to get to the reserve proper as there was much fungi on the access lane - sadly the parasitic boletes that had been seen here before weren't present. Arriving on site, it was fairly damp from the previous day - but sadly it hadn't been long enough for fresh fungi to have sprung up. However there was still plenty of interest including some new species - surprisingly one of which - bog myrtle - was a new plant for the year.

We finished the day off with yet another visit to Knighthayes to pick up a few more specials including a stunning array of black bulger on a fallen tree and purple jellydisc that Jeff Benn had identified as the rarer cylichnium (as opposed to the commoner sarcoides).

Finally yet another failed look for woodlark did get us some pink gilled mushrooms in the stubble fields - Stubble Rosegill appropriately enough.

Sites: Hawkswood, Knighthayes
Species : Bog Myrtle, Baespora Myosura (Conifercone Cap), Mycena Galericulata (Common Bonnet), Inocybe Rimosa (Split Fibrecap), Clavulinopsis Corniculata (Meadow Coral), Bulgaria inquinans (Black Bulger), Ascorcoryne Cylichnium (purple jellydisc), Romaria Stricta (Upright Coral),
Volvariella Glorocephala (Stubble Rosegill)
Flowers 505; Fungi 225;
GT 1626

Matt Prince said:

A big Flounder, at least that's what a disgruntled fisherman thought, when I told him what I'd seen :-O

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I believe Flounder is by far the most common flatfish in estuaries - though others are possible.

Have you considered a day's fishing Matt?

American Robin duly added too I hope.

James Blake said:

I believe Flounder is by far the most common flatfish in estuaries - though others are possible.

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Probably - impressive size as well.

Andrew said:

Have you considered a day's fishing Matt?

American Robin duly added too I hope.

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Actually I have been casting a jaundiced eye over the many chubb/dace type things I can't identify along the canals.

As for the Robin - :C - I was out of the county - hemisphere even. Bit of a big one to miss county wise - but hey-ho - Orange Ground Thrush more than makes up for it :king: