Some photos from autumn and early winter wanderings
Yellow Stagshorn fungus in Chawton Park wood. On a tree stump among beech trees - yet the species is supposed to be a specialist on the dead wood of conifers. That is probably precisely what it is growing on. The beech trees here were often planted with "protective" conifers planted at the same time. As the trees grew taller - the conifers were cleared leaving just the beech trees.
This female Mandarin duck was on the pond at Chawton Park Farm
On a grey day at the end of November at Longmoor, there were still small insects flying about this Stonechat...
... while a few Crossbills were seemingly already paired up. They are known to be very early breeders. This pair were unusually low down in birch - which makes a change from their usual home at the top of tall conifers. The male is the red bird. Note the cross-over beaks - an adaptation for extracting seeds from cones. Crossbill numbers vary from year to year with some breeding locally - they can potentially be found in any wood with conifers. Best thing to do is try to learn the distinctive calls - they can be noisy birds especially when they take off as a flock.
A Grey Heron along the Wey on a rare sunny day
Egyptian Geese are increasingly common locally. Like Canada Goose it is an introduced species. There is now a particular concentration at Heath Pond, Petersfield - more than 100 at times. But they can be found elsewhere too. They have bred at East Worldham, for example. This one was a long way from water close to the Selborne Road in Alton.
