Herons at Ferring Rife

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A walk along the Ferring Rife this afternoon gave me a distant pair of Grey Herons in the middle of a field plus a Pied Wagtail on the beach. A garden near the end of the walk had some amusing animal sculptures.

Grey Herons, Ardea cinerea

Grey Herons, Ardea cinerea

Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo

Pied wagtail, Motacilla alba

this dog loved retrieving a ball

Jelly Ear and Velvet Foot

Ear Fungus, Auricularia auricula-judae

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Yesterday I walked along the very muddy path by the golf course on the west bank of the Arun. I found two lovely species of fungi.

The Ear Fungus, Auricularia auricula-judae is also known as Jew's Ear & Jelly Ear. It is an edible fungus found worldwide. The fruiting body is ear shaped and it grows on wood, especially elder. There is a belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree and the common name Judas's Ear  eventually became Jew's Ear. The fungus can be found throughout the year in temperate regions worldwide, where it grows upon both dead and living wood. It was used in folk medicine as recently as the 19th century for sore throats, sore eyes and jaundice, and as an astringent. The fungus is a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes and in medicine.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auricularia_auricula-judae

Ear Fungus, Auricularia auricula-judae

Ear Fungus, Auricularia auricula-judae

Ear Fungus, Auricularia auricula-judae

Velvet Foot, Flammulina velutipes is also known as Winter Mushroom as it fruits in cold weather. Its other names Velvet Stem and Velvet Foot refer to the black fuzzy base of the stipe. Enoki and Enokitake are Japanese names for the cultivated variety of this edible fungus which clusters on dead deciduous wood, especially elm.

Velvet Foot, Flammulina velutipes

Velvet Foot, Flammulina velutipes

Velvet Foot, Flammulina velutipes

Velvet Foot, Flammulina velutipes

Waxwings in Sussex

Bohemian Waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus at Lewes

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Yesterday was Waxwing day. I headed to a local site, Elm Grove Road, where waxwings had been reported the day before. I met four other enthusiasts and we saw five Waxwings perched on a aerial from 9:30 to 9:45. Sue then joined me for a trip to Mayhew Way, Lewes where we joined up to 30 birders watching ten Waxwings on this sunny day. The Waxwings perched in tall trees on one side of the road, then flew in groups down to bushes covered in red berries on our side of the road. This continued for the 30 minutes we stayed. We then headed to the Giant’s Rest, Wilmington where I had excellent local ale and sausage, bubble & squeak and chutney.

Waxwings come to Britain from Scandinavia during the winter to feed on the plentiful berries found further south. They tend to congregate in groups. One of the Lewes birds was ringed on 1st December 2012 at Newtown College, Powys, 175 miles away.

Sussex Ornithological Society have an excellent sightings page to keep informed about sightings: http://bit.ly/twkKoT

Littlehampton:

Lewes:

Yummy!

What are all those people looking at?