30 December 2014
LNHG Ganavan field trip
The previous two days had been bitterly cold so we wrapped up well for this walk but it was
surprisingly mild and some layers had to come off! Not often that
happens in December. We started in the Ganavan car park where we
looked for sea and shore birds but could only see a Diver too far off to
identify, and a Pied Wagtail strutting about on the tarmac.
Then we made our way through the woods to see what they
had in the way of lichens and winter fungi.
I was hoping this would be our first record of Vuilleminia coryli, which
is very similar to the more well-known V comedens but grows on Hazel. As
V comedens can also grow on Hazel, it was necessary to hunt for cystidia
under the microscope in order to prove that it was V coryli. I
found a couple of possible cystidia but wasn't experienced enough to be
sure that's what they were, but have kept a piece to look at again some time
in the future. Vuilleminia are
pinkish-grey waxy fungi that grow under the bark and then make the bark
peel away to expose the fungus so it can release its spores.
Crustose lichens don't often form a neat circle like this, instead
their edges meet to give a map-like effect, but this Pyrenula
macrospora has got a head start on the competition on this young
hazel pole. |
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When the tree is older and the lichens have all met up they have
more ragged boundaries. The orange-brown ones on this
ash tree are Pyrenula occidentalis. Most of the pale greyish
ones are Pertusaria leioplaca and there's a small piece of
Pertusaria pertusa. |
The older Hazel stems were dominated by Lobaria virens, giving
the wood a green jungly appearance. Other Atlantic Hazel lichens
were present but in much smaller amounts. |
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White Brain Fungus (Exidia thuretiana) on
Hazel. |
Cynthia found this striking purple fungus on an old
Birch. It had encrusting fruitbodies, as on the left, and others
that formed brackets, as on the right. Its name is Chondrostereum purpureum
and it causes Silver Leaf disease when it's on fruit trees.
Apart from the colour it is very similar to Stereum species such as S
hirsutum, and was formerly placed in that genus, but it is now known to
belong to the same order as mushrooms such as Fly Agaric whereas Stereum
belongs with the Russulas. An example of convergent evolution.
The Birch tree was oozing a sticky red liquid. This seemed
to come from the tree itself rather than anything growing on it.
I can't find any info on this. Birch sap is normally
colourless.
On the right is huge patch of grey lichen at the
base of another Birch nearby. I can't get anywhere with it,
but I'll know it if I see it again and will nail it one day. |
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It's the time of year for Yellow Brain Fungus and our
first sight of it was on Birch (left), which is rather unusual.
The fine cluster on the right was on Gorse, its normal host.
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Also on dead Gorse were Byssomerulius corium, left, and Flammulina
velutipes (Velvet Shank), above. We are now out of the wood
and heading for the cemetery loch which can be seen in the
distance. |
We had lunch at the loch where the only waterbird we saw was a Moorhen,
but looking down on the loch from higher ground later on a dozen or so
Tufted Ducks had appeared. I would have expected one or two more
species to be present. At least the sun was coming out...
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This huge birds nest was very low in an Ash tree overlooking the
loch. I don't who it had belonged to, but it looks disused with the
ferns growing out of it. The Ash trees by the loch had good
lichen covering including Degelia cyanoloma, above. |
The sun shone as we took a different route back to the car park across
open country. This old building had 7 Rock Doves (or Domestic
Pigeons if you will) living in its roof space, and these tufts of
Polypody hanging from its gutter.
Back at the car park we had another look for seabirds and saw 4
Red-breasted Mergansers offshore and a couple of Rock Pipits on the
beach.
Not a great day for birds but we did hear a Great tit in full song, a
cheery
sign of spring.
Other fungi seen included Mycena
filopes, Hemimycena tortuosa, Exidia recisa (Willow Jelly Button) and
Auricularia auricula-judae (Jew's Ear).
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