Fungi that bite ...

Velvet Tooth (Hydnellum spongiosipes)

H. spongiosipes (Thelephorales: Bankeraceae) is an uncommon stipitate hydnoid fungus. These are a group of ‘tooth fungi’ [fungi that release their spores from tooth-like structures], which have a short stalk or 'stipe', hence the name 'stipitate'.

Stipitate hydnoid fungi are ectomycorrhizal; forming close symbiotic relationships with trees and deriving some of their nutrients from the tree's roots. This aids them in obtaining nutrients where soil quality is poor and means they are always found in association with trees. H. spongiosipes is typically associated with oak, sweet chestnut and, less frequently, beech; this provides a useful, but not necessarily accurate way of distinguishing between this species and H. ferrugineum, which occurs mainly under pine.

References:

Ainsworth, A.M., Parfitt, D., Rogers, H.J. and Boddy, L. (2010). Cryptic taxa within European species of Hydnellum and Phellodon revealed by combined molecular and morphological analysis. Fungal Ecology, 3(2), pp. 65-80.

Dickson, G. (2000). A field key to British non-resupinate hydnoid fungi. Field Mycology, 1(3), pp. 99-104.

Kibby, G. (2017). Mushrooms and Toadstools of Great Britain & Europe, Volume 1, pp.40-41.

O’Reilly, P. (2016). Fascinated by Fungi – exploring the majesty and mystery, facts and fantasy of the quirkiest kingdom on earth. Llandysul: First Nature, pp. 203-205.

Phillips, R. (2006). Mushrooms. London: Pan Macmillan, pp. 323-327.

Sterry, P. and Hughes. B. (2009). Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools. London: HarperCollins, pp. 296-301.

http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/_speciespages/374.pdf

https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000021229#overview

http://www.fieldmycology.net/GBCHKLST/gbsyns.asp?intGBNum=3195

Variation in concept …

Sowerbyella radiculata

Until someone calls it something else …

The British Mycological Society records 124 British records of S. radiculata (Pezizales: Pyronemataceae) on its FRDBI database [18 October 2017] with just 5 from Sussex; the most recent being in 1957 from Friston Forest, East Sussex. There are two early records, one dating back to 1876, from Stopham, West Sussex. However, S. radiculata has also been recorded from Lullington Heath, East Sussex, where it was first recorded in 2014. There is also a modern record from Ashdown Forest, East Sussex (M. Allison, 2017, pers. comms., 14 October).

Buczacki et al. (2012) state, ‘usually in small trooping-tufted groups’ and ‘on soil with conifers.’ Sterry et al. (2009) state, ‘solitary or in small groups in coniferous woodland.’ The above specimens were found amongst coastal chalk grassland in East Sussex; so quite distinct in habitat from that described. There is a lot of variation in the current concept of this uncommon species, including a few ‘varieties’, which will no doubt be described as separate species in the future. Apart from the untypical habitat in which the above examples were found, the spores are quite wide and have a nice dense reticulate ornamentation; shown above dyed with Cotton Blue.

My thanks to Nick Aplin for the above photomicrograph and his considered opinion.

References:

Buczacki, S., Shields, C. and Ovenden, D. (2012). Collins Fungi Guide: The most complete field guide to the mushrooms and toadstools of Britain & Ireland. London: HarperCollins, p. 606, fig. p. 607.

Sterry, P. and Hughes. B. (2009). Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools. London: HarperCollins, p. 324, fig. p. 325.

www.fieldmycology.net/FRDBI/FRDBIrecord.asp?intGBNum=57192

www.ascomycete.org/2000Pezizales/TaxonView/tabid/129/ArticleId/30/language/en-US/Sowerbyella-radiculata.aspx?mapid=16#prettyPhoto

Cnoc Salltraim ...

Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

C. canorus is a familiar herald of spring and a species that is thinly distributed over a wide breeding range throughout most of Britain, Europe and the Palearctic. It is a fairly common but rapidly declining summer visitor to Sussex, where the males commence singing soon after their arrival; typically in early April. Recent satellite tracking technology has shown that the males usually leave the UK to their wintering area south of the Sahara only a few weeks after first arriving here in the spring.

C. canorus has a well-known breeding strategy as a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other birds; typically those of the Dunnock (Prunella modularis), Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) and Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) in the UK. The female, who will specialise in one particular host species, will only ever lay one type of egg and will always target her egg-laying appropriately. The genes for egg pattern and colour are thought to be carried on the female chromosome, so they are passed down from mother to daughter regardless of who the female mates with. This means that a Cuckoo targeting a Reed Warbler always produces eggs with a Reed Warbler pattern and she knows which nests to target thanks to the process of imprinting. As a young chick, she will have learned to recognise the song and appearance of her foster mother; and as a returning adult she will seek out the nests of females that match this mental image and lay her eggs accordingly.

The above images of a female were recently taken on North Uist in the Outer Hebrides.

References:

Yates, B. (2014). Common Cuckoo. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 360-361.

Whitcomb, P. (1996). Cuckoo. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 358-359.

www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id/cuckoo

www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/cuckoos

Early bird ...

North Uist, Outer Hebrides

The rewards of an early morning approach ...

The first two images taken before 6am ….

More at:

www.outerhebridesbirds.org.uk/index.php

Balranald …

North Uist, Outer Hebrides, 13 to 27 May 2017

Balranald Nature Reserve incorporates the most westerly point of the island of North Uist, the Aird an Rùnair peninsula, looking out to the Monach Islands and the magnificent St Kilda archipelago. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is designated as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar).

This beautiful Hebridean reserve comprises 658 hectares [1626 acres] of rocky headland, islands, sandy bays, dunes, grasslands, freshwater lochs, fen and the flower-rich species diverse machair. Machair is a rare, bio-diverse coastal grassland, unique to the north-western fringe of Europe. It is listed on Annex 1 of the EU Habitats Directive, and occurs over a total global area of just 19,000 ha, with 70% of this in western Scotland, mostly on the offshore islands, and the remainder in western Ireland. These habitats support internationally important populations of many wading and farmland bird species, notably the Corncrake Crex crex. They also protect a number of important plant species and a variety of other wildlife, including the rarest UK bumblebee, the Great Yellow Bumblebee Bombus distinguendus.

The unmanned RSPB visitor information centre explains the importance of traditional crofting agriculture for rare birds and other important wildlife. A few images from my recent visit above.

More at:

www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/habitats/machair

www.machairlife.org.uk/index-2.html

www.snh.gov.uk

www.western-isles-wildlife.com/index.html

www.outerhebridesbirds.org.uk/index.php

www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/b/balranald/about.aspx

Stinky Bay …

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)

Despite its vernacular name, the Iceland Gull does not breed in Iceland but in Arctic Canada and Greenland. In Britain, it occurs mainly in the north and west during winter. Numbers appearing in Britain fluctuate considerably and large influxes occasionally occur, possibly associated with severe northwesterly gales. L. glaucoides is a very scarce winter visitor and passage migrant in Sussex; around 89 individuals in total being recorded during the winter periods of 1961/62 to 2010/11. Prior to this only 26 had been recorded in the county. Most records relate to individual birds observed in late winter or spring. The above pictures of a second summer bird were all recently taken during very overcast conditions on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides.

References:

Newnham, J. (2014). Iceland Gull. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 324-325.

Newnham, J. (1996). Iceland Gull. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 324-325.

www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id/eye-iceland-and-glaucous-gulls

Bucket list ...

Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra)

It’s taken me a very long time but I’ve finally managed to see and get a reasonable photograph of an Otter in the wild in the UK. The above male was recently spotted hunting for flatfish and crabs in a sea loch located on North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. As luck would have it, as the prevailing weather conditions really weren't very good, he decided to come out of the water and on to a small grassy bank to pause for a few moments before returning back to his watery domain.

All I can say is, "well happy" …