Please refer to the Introduction Page to understand the context behind the monthly photographs.
Birds
Part of a small group of Redwings (Turdus iliacus) and Fieldfares (Turdus pilaris). These are migratory birds mostly from Iceland and Scandinavia arriving to feed on the late Autumn/Winter berries in the UK. Both birds live for an average of two years.
Trees & Bushes
Mistletoe is easy to spot when the host trees have lost their leaves. It’s a parasitic plant attached to the host tree by a structure called the haustorium through which it extracts water and nutrients from the tree. The seeds are spread by birds feeding on the white berries. It's commonly found in Wales, the West Midlands and the South of England.
Fungi
Galls
Probably the largest seen this winter. The gall is at the pupation stage in early winter with the fly lavre exiting the many internal cells around April/May time.
Lichen
Lichen are only recorded at each new OS Grid location (hover for Grid Ref). They are then entered on the British Lichen Society spreadsheet and submitted for their Warwickshire VC38 Lichen database and Lichen mapping.
Non-Churchyard lichens
Lichenicolous fungi
VC77 Lanarkshire Lichen
Non-Churchyard lichens
The righthand side photo show a Caloplaca species which has been extensively grazed on by Snails. The yellow discs have been eaten from most of the area in the photograph leaving behind the parallel grooves typical of Snail feeding.
VC77 Lanarkshire Fungi
Ones that escaped the camera lens this month
a) Woodpecker & Jay.
b) Scaup & Dabchick.