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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Matt Prince" data-source="post: 1789346" data-attributes="member: 52862">Sunday 11th April 2010Errata - missed Cow Parsley from yesterday and Furrow Crab from previous weekend.The morning started very pleasantly with morning birdsong at Ramshorn down - though no new species. From there we moved onto Park for an organised Funghi foray, courtesy of the Devon Fungus group. This was excellent, though quite humbling, as well as great depth of knowledge of the minute funghi prevalent at this time of year, several of the group also knew their flora, and as a consequence several grasses were added to the list alongside the brackets and crusts. After a quick packed lunch we thanked them for their patience and headed off towards the South Hams where a Hoopoe had been reported. On arrival it became apparent that the bird was quite difficult to see, and whilst Nicola lazed in the car-park I went off to look for the bird and see if there was any sign of the rare oil beetle I'd heard about in the Bolt Head/Bolt Tail area. After half an hour of searching, and with a couple of mini beasts on tape, and some info on the oil beetle I headed back to the car only to find it empty and no people present. Annoyed that everyone was obviously watching the hoopoe I walked down a track to look for them only to find people walking back to me, asking if I'd seen the bird, because it must have flown over my head.... Drat. At this point my mobile went off with an answerphone message - Dave Hopkins had tried to tell me the bird was showing but I'd only just got reception! At this point all the birders left because they'd seen the bird, except Nicola who sat in the car whilst I trudged off to look for the hoopoe on my own... After another hour of looking, three more birders had turned up. One left and the other two were talking to Nicola, I said I'd do one last quick circuit and had walked fifty yards when I heard my name being shouted.. I ran back.. when I should have stayed put.. bird had flown in my direction and I'd missed it AGAIN. Fortunately it was heading towards where it had been feeding earlier in the day, and to cut a long story slightly shorter, it was feeding quite happily and I finally got to see it. Sites: Ramshorn Down, Park, Southdown Farm.New Species : Hoopoe, Field Wood-rush, Greater Wood-rush, Meadow Fox-tail, Hairy Wood-rush, Greater Bee-fly, Ichneumon Suspiciosa, Adrena cineria (ashen bee), Brimstone. Funghi: Hypoxylon sp., Schizopora paradoxa (Split Porecrust), micropodia pteridina, leptosphaeria acuta, calloria neglecta, ustalina deusta (brittle cinder), polyporus durus/baddius (bay polypore), hymenochaete rubiginosa (oak curtain crust), hymenochaete corrugata (glue crust), trametes gibbosa (lumpy bracket), coprinus micaceus (glistening inkcap)Nicolas grips RL Partridge, Holly Blue (nearly Hoopoe)</blockquote>

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