Coral Spot Fungus in the Cemy.

Wednesday 6th December 2023.

There are always plenty of Blue Tits within the Cemetery to look at.

A cold day today with the temperature hovering around the 3 degree mark! However, there was hardly any wind and the cold, it was quite sunny at times. The big news in Hampshire is that a flock of Waxwings had been discovered in Fordingbridge yesterday and subsequently reported by a lady who found them in a car park behind the High Street. A fellow ‘Lazee’ was quick off the mark and some nice, but brief, footage of the birds feeding on the berries was seen on the Whatsapp site. Hopefully, birding pal Emma will connect with the birds today.

Above, good numbers of Starlings were present again this morning. But will that be the case in 20 years time, with such species being in decline nationally? Below, at least four Blackbirds, including this female bird, were seen in the southern half of the Cemetery.

Above, the number of Collared Doves are increasing (centre) within the Cemetery along with Wood Pigeons. Below, I liked this photo of this female Blackbird showing off its blotchy breast feathers.

Meanwhile, I had a few jobs to do and my first shift this morning at Pembroke Road produced a total of 12 species this morning that included a small flock of 4 Brent Geese heading east close to the seawall. The Jay showed well again and flew low over my head several times. When I got back home, I was in the mood to take the dogs for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery and seeing the weather was still pleasant (horrible yesterday!), we all made our way there.

Arguably the bird of the trip was probably a Siskin flying south high over and I even managed to see the bird, despite nearly twisting my neck off to get a view of the bird! They do flit around when they are flying. A pair of Goldcrests were seen by the Holm Oak in the north-east corner, but eluded a photo as they quickly dived into cover. The Jay showed well near the Mausoleum, flying out of the trees and burying an Acorn in the sodden grass. Song Thrushes are never guaranteed here and so one, possibly two birds, were seen near the Mausoleum, with one bird showing nicely in a bush. While walking along the footpath over in the south-east corner, I heard a very strange call from a passerine and it was a bit reminiscent of a Yellow-browed Warbler, but not quite! However, I waited and waited for the bird to appear, but it stopped calling and was never heard again. Bugger! 

Above, this Great Tit was the only one seen this morning over in the south-east end of the Cemetery. Below, the Starlings do like to gather up and perch high up in the Chestnut trees.

Above, it is always nice to see a Robin clearly and this bird dutifully showed well this morning. Below, this Goldfinch simply would not turn its head round, but look at the claws on this bird and the under tail pattern. 

Most of the Fungi have now gone with just the Tinder Bracket Fungus and the remains of some Honey Fungus growing on the same old tree stump. However, I did find some Coral Spot fungus growing on a broken branch that was on the ground; the first I have seen here this year. No insects were seen either, not even any House Flies. The weather is supposed to get a lot milder this week though rain is on the horizon again to ruin any chances of some birding. Grumble! To finish this post, my Dad was chatting to me last night and he told me that he was in his garden at 2am yesterday morning (couldn’t sleep!) and he heard a flock of Geese calling overhead, which I assume were Brent Geese. He lives over in Lovedean, so could be an interesting record. 

I found this Coral Spot Fungus growing on a fallen branch by the Holm Oak clump.

The birds seen in the Cemetery this morning included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay (1)
• Goldcrest (2)
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit 
• Siskin
• Goldfinch
• Blackbird
• Song Thrush
• Wren
• Robin
• Starling
• House Sparrow
• Feral Pigeon
• Wood Pigeon
• Collared Dove

The Brent Geese grazing on the grass in front of the old D-Day Museum along the Southsea seafront. This is a popular area for them to graze on and also on the cricket pitch further east.