A large Fairy Ring in the Cemy this afternoon.

Monday 27th December 2021.

Highland Road Cemetery in the sunshine.

Yet another damp day, but in between the heavy showers, there was a bit of respite and the sun actually came out now and then, revealing a bit of blue sky too! Along with this wet weather came very mild conditions with temperatures up to 11 degrees and a breezy southerly wind. I took Scruff for a nice walk around Highland Road Cemetery early afternoon hoping for a nice surprise for me there. 

A male Greenfinch high up in the Chestnut trees. This species has nationally decreased by 92% over the past 25 years, so how long are we to have this species breeding in the UK? There was a small flock here this afternoon. 

Just the one Jay seen this afternoon. 

I notched up a total of 16 species of birds on my walk round, which is about average here for this time of year, which included a single Jay and at least 4 flyover Pied Wagtails. There were no Green or Great Spotted Woodpeckers today and I have noticed a lack of Goldcrests within the Cemy of late too. This week is a continuation of mild and wet weather, but I think we really need to have a good long cold snap to bring the more unusual winter birds down south. With ‘Global Warming’ and our winters getting milder and wetter, these ‘cold winters’ will probably be a thing of the past?

Good numbers of Carrion Crows in the Cemetery as usual.

A female/first winter type Blackbird over on the north side of the Cemy.

Species present on my local patch this afternoon included the following:

• Carrion Crow
• Jay
• Magpie
• House Sparrow
• Starling
• Feral Pigeon
• Wood Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Herring Gull
• Robin
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Pied Wagtail
• Greenfinch
• Goldfinch
• Blackbird

Probably the most commonest plant in the Cemy, the Smooth Sow-thistle, which occupies many a grave! 

There were quite a few flowering plants on show including the obligatory Smooth Sow-thistle along with Yarrow, Daisies, Nipplewort, Groundsel and even a few sprigs of Common Germander, with its tiny blue flowers. I was keeping an eye out for hoverflies around the flowering Ivy, but all I could find was House Flies enjoying nectaring on the plants. It was on my second lap through the Cemy, under the Holm Oak clump, that I came across a ‘Fairy Ring’ of Toadstools! I am pretty well convinced that they are Honey Fungus, for this species is a common variety of Fungi in this location.

The Fairy Ring beneath the Holm Oak Clump. Below, a close up of the Honey Fungus.

On Saturday, New Years Day, Andy and I will be trying to beat our day record of 92 species  and this year, we shall be only concentrating on Hampshire only. Currently, there are some nice birds to be had in Hampshire and so weather permitting, it should be a challenging but interesting day. 

Goldfinches flying south over the houses.

Andy is going to be picking me up (yay!) at dawn and will probably kick off with Southsea Castle to get the Purple Sandpipers of which there were 14 there this morning. The 6 Velvet Scoters were still off Hill Head this morning along with a Slavonian Grebe and a few Hawfinches were seen in some lucky persons' gardens in the New Forest. Yesterday, one of the ‘Lazee Birders’ had a good day around Blashford Lakes with Siskin, Brambling, Goldeneye, Goosander, Green and Common Sandpiper and Water Pipit seen.