13th September 2011 -- Weekly Volunteers

- Windy sunny with showers, both forecast and correct  Not nice and day short



Present:

John, Pat, Neil, Ron, Mike and Martin
Martin late after appointment

Activities:

-  road works on m1
- cut down small birch on m1
- marked out edge for remaining road work
- sapling Birches near batter's clump
- cut down three small birch in pines, being the source of saplings
- checked fire beaters at cricket pitch.  2 definitely need immediate repair.
    took 2 away to be replaced/mended
- pulled up bramble in ditch and bracken behind tool store
- pollarded birch along road
- filled 3 bags of bark,

- things not done because of bad weather and early departure.
    Ring barking,  switch off water, collect dung,  cut gorse


News:

- archaeologist plan
- ring barking ok
- restrict pollarding to edges
- road to go ahead
- no scraping
- finding felling contractor, but difficult
- new neighbours at top lodge
- returned angle grinder via paul's helper



observations:

2 ravens
Hobby calling
Meadow pipits moving
Lots of chaffinches on beech mast


Pat took 5 bags of bark
Ron took 2 bags ballast


Martin

20th September 2011 -- Weekly Volunteers

Present:

John, Alan, Lee, Mike, David, Martin and Jonathan

Activities:

- made safe hanging branch over path near stoney pond.  Took out another branch that was getting too low
- cleared birch saplings at exit from tree tunnel
- cleared some birch from the bad patch
- cleaned nestboxes in vicinity .  3 had bees/ bumble bees, one with lots of horse hair, the other with dung!
- inspected pillow mound and then it started raining

Observations :

- raven
- meadow pipits
- siskins, redpolls, bullfinches
- kestrel
- swallows
- fungi ..  lots
- 3 woodlarks
and
- signing card for Antony, who has moved to Hastings area


Martin

25th October 2011 -- Weekly Volunteers

Present:

 Lee, Alan, Pat, Neil, John, Keith, Martin, Jonathan and David

Activities:

- finished mending m1
- replaced the 2 mended firebeater.  Thanks to Mike for mending them.
- helped collect birch log piles behind cottage and along reynards way for Alan's friend
- cut gorse along road, making gaps for deer to browse. Brash mostly under oak tree, but
   with some along the path
- collected dozen bags of dung for John

Observations:

- saw nail and burnt pine fungus
- saw two nice gorse mite colonies
- meadow pipit, 9 woodlark, fieldfare, flock of redwing
- crossbill, redpoll
- raven
- big buck on m1, small buck near cuckoo pond
- red admiral by wood pile

Martin

18th October 2011 -- Weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Mike, Alan, David, and Martin


Activities:

-- made an irish bridge from the south bank to the island. Cut yellow
   spotted trees, brash  and bracken.  Still needs wiring.  operational
   now for deer etc
- made start of a berm down stread from new bridge.
- noted that causeway needs more road surface sometime

Observations:

- crossbill, siskins , redpolls
- jackdaw
- interesting fungus, like a black orange peel
- woodlark


Martin

11th October 2011 -- Weekly Volunteers

Present :

John, Alan, Ron, Neil, David, Keith, Jonathan, Pat, and Martin

Activities :

- cutting more pine with yellow spots near 13th pond
- finished clearing weed from pond
- ring barking a few pine to break up lines near stream.  Principle of allowing
   more light through for the dragon flies.
- switched off the water to the water troughs.  We did not drain.  Need to
   reconsider when Cattle come

Observations :

- 9 woodlark in flock.  Some singing during day
- siskins, redpoll, crossbill
- 2 types of caterpillar, one a looper, the other not
- 4 swallows plus
- common darter, migrant and southern hawkers
- meadow pipit, skylark
- herring gull
- damsons all taken


Martin

4th October 2011 -- Weekly volunteers

Present :

John, Lee, Alan, Pat, Keith, Mike, David and Martin

Activities:

- cleared nestboxes in first half of circuit
- felled some yellow spotted pines shading 13th pond
- ring barked a couple of birches at ditto
- added some logs to dam
- dredged out west end of pond onto dam

Observations:

- raven, masses of redpoll and siskins
- woodlarks, including family party of 8 at west pond
- male young kestrel on stream
- crossbills
- meadow pipit, tree creeper
- a bat in one nest box, plenty of bumble bee nests which were left
- damsons next week
- alan wanting some logs
- david's friend wanting dung from mike's contact

Martin

27 September 2011 -- Weekly Volunteers

Present :

John, Ron, Neil, Alan, Keith, Mike, Jonathan, Pat and martin

Activities :

- cleared nestboxes back to high beeches.  Some bumble bees in residence, which
   we left if we spotted them in time.
- ring barked some trees near stream source
- cut bracken near bench and along the wood
- cleared some pine saplings along reynards way
- hot work and left a bit early

Observations:

- 2+ woodlarks
- Crossbills
- cauliflower fungus
- patches of gorse mite
- skylark
- meadow pipits, siskins, tree creeper, stonechat
- Sparrow hawk, kestrel, tawny owl
- Common darter, southern hawker
- house martins

martin

28th October 2011 Bird Count

please find below link to the bird count spreadsheet

please click to get the spreadsheet

Lots of birds, including new winter arrivals.  Crossbills seemed to be everywhere.  Stonechats appeared to have upped and gone.  But Woodlark are still in many places.

36 species, with plenty of gaps.  The numbers were bolstered by Peregrine, Herring gull and Heron.  All seem within a few yards.

Not so many siskins, but masses of Lesser Redpoll, which got very difficult to count reliably as they were flying around a lot.  Similarly the longtail tits, though I must say that I have never seen so many at Old Lodge before.

Martin

22nd July 2011 Bird Count

Please find below link to the bird count spread sheet.

please click to get spreadsheet

Very few birds around, but nice to see a few less common ones.  Tawny, Spotted Flycatcher, Turtle Dove.

I guess we get blasé about the Redstarts, Crossbills, stonechats.

martin

27th August 2011 Bird count

Find below link to the full spreadsheet of the bird count.

click here for bird count spreadsheet

Only 36 species, and low numbers.  Presumably moulting leads to many birds hiding away at this time of year.

Plenty of interest in Ravens, Hobby, buzzard.

Mistle Thrushes are now gathering, and we get up to 50 on the reserve.

Martin

22nd September 2011 Bird Count

Below is a link to the bird count records

click for the spreadsheet

40 species was not too bad, with plenty of moving migrants.

Swallows, martins, chiffchaffs and meadow pipits.

Stonechats were recorded in good numbers, presumably with a second or third brood.

Crossbill, Ravens, Sparrow hawk are nice on top.

Martin

Fungus Foray on 21st October 2011

Ray's Fungus Foray at Old Lodge 21st October 2011

Below is a link to the preliminary results of the day.  We had some good things, but rather few in number.

martin

click to get the document

Or a rougher cut and paste copy is here.  Sorry, I am not good at getting the format translated properly.

Fungus Survey at Old Lodge LNR 21st. October 2011

Site Name Old Lodge LNR
Grid ref. TQ469306 57 species found
Date 21 October 2011
Recorder Ray Tantram

Species Description Status Edibility
Amanita citrina False death cap lemon tints to whitish cap with lemon velar C *
patches, white gills, stem and volva; smell of
raw potato in bruised stem base

Amanita fulva Tawny grisette "pie-crust" margin to tawny cap Baggy volva. C *
No ring.

Amanita rubescens Blusher reddish-brown cap with velar warts, white gills C P
and stem. Bruises red esp. on stem base

Bjerkandera adusta thin bracket with grey pores C *

Bolbitius titubans (vitellinus) chrome-yellow cap, viscid ,dark gills grows in C *
grass clippings, straw and other debris

Boletus (Suillus) bovinus viscid cinnamon (Jersey cow) cap, pores, C E
stem; angular compound pores darken with
age, esp. with Scots Pine (sometimes with Gomphideus roseus)

Boletus badius Bay bolete chestnut cap, similar stem, lemon-yellow C E
large pores bruise blue. Conifer and BL

Boletus edulis Penny bun chestnut brown cap with pale margin, pale U E
network on stem

Calocera cornea small gold (mainly) 'fingers' with unbranched C *
tips on deciduous stumps

Claviceps purpurea Ergot of rye purple-black 'rice grains' on grains and C P
grasses, causes 'St. Anthony's Fire' and
gangrene when harvested on cereal crops

Clavulinopsis helvola solitary or in small tufts, orange-yellow simple O *
'fingers' woods or grassland

Coprinus sp. an ink-cap                  Here tiny, ephemeral, one of several such on Pony dung

Cortinarius sp. impossible to identify beyond genus * *

Cystoderma amianthinum tawny cap with mealy surface, similar O *
'stocking' on stem below ring

Entoloma conferendum *1 Dark brown shiny cap, striate margin, silvery O P
fibrils lining stem, greyish-pink gills, mealy
smell, grasslands, short turf, woods. Distinctive spores identify

Ganoderma australe (adspersum) an artists fungus brown thick bracket, no white streaks in context C *
(flesh)

Gymnopilus penetrans gold to tawny cap, gills and stem, gills C *
spotting rusty, on woody stumps and debris

Handkea (Calvatica) excipuliformis Pestle puffball long-stalked puffball C *

Hebeloma crustuliniforme Poison pie; Fairy cakes brownish cap, clay-coloured gills, smell of C P
radish

Hygrocybe coccinea Scarlet hood scarlet/blood bell-shaped red cap, yellow gills O *
going blood red with yellow edge, in grassland

Hygrocybe conica Conical waxcap yellow-orange very conical cap, yellow gills, C *
blackening on bruising and with age (syn. with
 H. nigricans), in grass

Hygrocybe virginea Snowy waxcap      white, going beigy, broad decurrent gills, in grass * E

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca False chanterelle bright orange, with (true) very decurrent gills, C P
under conifers and BL trees

Hypholoma fasciculare Sulphur tuft grows on stumps in profusion, sulphur- C P
coloured gills darken as purplish spores
mature

Ischnoderma benzoinum *2 dark-capped quite hard, bracket-like polypore U *

resp. on conifer/ BL, mainly beech. Here the soft. immature leptoid form found

Kuehneromyces mutabilis golden-brown caps, margins drying paler; C *
grows in tufts on stumps(can be confused with
poisonous Galerina marginata)

Laccaria laccata Deceiver pinky-rose-brown, 3 different gill lengths; very C E
variable

Lactarius camphoratus *3 Curry milkcap red-brown cap, watery white milk, smell of * *
curry when dry. These were the old tawny ones which gave no milk

Lactarius hepaticus small dark (liver) coloured, white milk dries C *
bright yellow on handkerchief, (only)under pine

Lactarius pyrogalus Firemilk funnel-shaped dingy grey/fawn cap, orange C *
gills, white milk, goes yellow with KOH, under
hazel

Leccinum (Boletus) scabrum group Brown birch bolete brownish cap, pale pores, creamy striate stem C E
stippled with brown dots(several sub-species)

Mycena epipterigia delicate species, fawn/yellow cap, pale sub- C *
decurrent gills, glutinous, pale yellow viscid
spindly stem, in grass or moss on heaths,

Mycena galericulata Bonnet mycena quite large for a bonnet cap, tan colour, gills C *
often interlinked at lower cap surface, grows   
on wood

Mycena vitilis 'snapping bonnet' small bonnet cap, pale greyish-brown. C *
"whippy" stem (unusual for this genus, most
are fragile)

Otidea/Peziza sp. *4 woodland fire-site cup fungus. To be identified by expert

Panaeolus sp. a mottle gill very dark conical cap, very dark mottled gills, * *
long stem, Here on dung

Parasola (Coprinus) plicatilis Japanese umbrella small, greyish white cap with red-brown O *
centre, radial striations to cap, dark gills and
spores, in grassland

Paxillus involutus Brown roll rim inrolled margin when young, soft decurrent C P
gills easily bruised. gills can be folded up in a
roll up from stem, grows with Birch

Poronia punctata  *5 Nail fungus Tiny tan to beige shallow stalked cups 10- R *
15mm [ONLY on dung of New Forest Ponies].
Very rare. Here on Exmoor Pony dung. Young fresh material

Psilocybe semilanceata Liberty cap, ‘magic mushroom small,tan conical cap with umbo, tall thin dingy C P
stem, clay gills darken, grows in grass
halluciogenic- bad trip!

Rhizina undulata *6 Pine fire fungus chestnut brown to black cushions joining into O *
one another, causes serious rot, often found
after fires (Brentmoor Heath)

Rhodocollybia (Collybia) maculata Foxy spot quite robust, creamy, with red-brown spotting C *
of cap and gills, fibrous stem, in leaf litter can
grow in rings

Rickenella fibula tiny, yellow-orange, darker in cap centre, C *
decurrent gills in damp grass and moss

Russula betularum small pale reddish wishy-washy cap colours, C *
under birch(hot taste)

Russula claroflava Yellow swamp  russula clear yellow, no greyish tints on stem, damp O *
places, mainly under birch

Russula emetica Sickener bright red cap, white gills and stem, under C P

conifers

Russula vesca Bare-toothed russula pastel to darker tints in cap,  gills protrude C *
beyond cap margin, salmon reaction with Fe,
under BL trees

Schizopora paradoxa creamy white raised resupinate patches on C *
dead twigs, pores often maze-like

Scleroderma citrinum Common earthball growing at path edges, thick "skin" pulled C P
together at base, virtually no "stem" foetid
smell when cut

Sparassis crispa Cauliflower fungus creamy, convoluted, at base of Scots pine, O E
which it kills

Steccherinum ochraceum an aphyllo. mainly resupinate, forming orangey spiny * *
patches, within white growth zones, on dead    
wood, mainly BL (esp. beech)

Stereum hirsutum Hairy stereum thin overlapping bracket, smooth golden C *
(lower) fertile surface

Stropharia semiglobata Dung roundhead hemispherical viscid yellow cap, purple-black C *
spores, yellowish stem, ring zone

Thelephora terrestris Carpet fungus, earthfan soft 'furry' bracket-like, on soil or stumps, C *
spiny spores

Trametes (Coriolus) versicolor Many-coloured bracket thin bracket, creamy pores, grows in tiers on C *
dead wood

Trochila ilicina Discomycete growing on Holly leaves * *

Tylopilus (Boletus) felleus *7 Bitter Bolete Chamois leather cap, dry matt (cracking ) O P
pinkish pores , dingy brown network on stem
under Beech & oak -acid soils very bitter!

Notes:
Status: Common, Occasional, Uncommon, Rare
Edibility: Edible, Poisonous, * no comment

*1  ‘LBJ’ Sara Shepley suggested looking at Entolomas, a pink-spored genus. My spore examination confirmed this species, a first record for the site.
*2 Leptoid stage, first found in 2009 survey when both this and mature fomitoid stage recorded
*3 Identified by Sara Shepley from its characteristic curry smell, at its most powerful on dried material
*4 This will be given to Brian Spooner (recently retired Head of Mycology, Kew) on Sunday, [He goes into Kew 2days/wk!]
*5 Finding such young fresh material demonstrates an ongoing active presence at the site. Will push for FRDBI inclusion!
*6 First collection of this (destructive!) species, which appears shortly after heath fires
*7 First collection of this ‘Occasional-Uncommon species  

Ray Tantram 28th. October 2011