The mild wet autumn weather has at last produced some fungi springing up amongst the fallen leaves
These rather fragile-looking fungi are called Shaggy Ink Cap - Coprinus comatus to you and me.
Although common, I haven't seen them on the Riverside before. You can see the 'ink' at the base of the one on the right.
These are Amethyst Deceiver - Laccaria amethystina found under the trees, easy to overlook as are usually quite small - but are common here.
A huge tree trunk provides a seat for walkers and a home for millions of invertebrates, now surrounded by fallen ash leaves from the tree above, brightening the dullest day.
A Roe deer searching for a browsing site looked at me with interest but didn't run away - no dogs around, otherwise it would have bounded off.
Today in just a few minutes:
more than 35 pied wagtails took off together from the field and earth heaps where they had been insect catching together with a few meadow pipits. Plenty of goldfinches were there too, feeding on the thistles and grass seeds.
Yesterday, 9th November a longer walk:
Lots of activity in the Blackthorn thicket that forms a tall hedgerow along the river - many blue tits (about 20) and great tits (about 10) coming and going - all catching insects - not eating sloes, together with 2 nuthatch at least, also collecting insects, a bullfinch, calling softly as it flew off, 4 chaffinch, also calling, 1 greenfinch, 3 tiny goldcrests feasting on insects, never still, a singing robin, 3 wrens, 1 singing, low down in the thicket, near the water. long-tailed tits into the thicket then out again.
Further along, 2 more nuthatch, calling from an ash tree, 3 more long-tailed tits, 4 blackbirds, a great spotted woodpecker flying over the Blackthorn, 3 carrion crows feeding on the grass, more than 8 meadow pipits feeding again on the earth heaps together with at least 7 mad pied wagtails making making fantastic spinning, dropping flights off the earth heaps after flying insects, 3 goldfinch, one singing loudly from the top of a bush, uncountable house sparrows (around 15) in a hawthorn hedge, 3 noisy jays, starlings (35) lined up on lights, about 30 herring gulls with 4 black-headed gulls overhead and low around earth heaps - and lastly the Roe deer.
