Slime Moulds and Mini Fungi

I was studying one of the several piles of logs and cut wood in the garden that I keep for invertebrates and fungi and found these slime moulds and mini fungi. The first two are a slime mould, Comatricha (nigra) and the next two an intriguing fungus,  Henningsomyces candidus. Next a yellow slime mould plasmodium and ?Jelly fungus followed by two stages of fungus, Hypoxylon ?howeanum. Finally what I started photographing a Woodlouse!! 

Paxton Miscellany

A mix of images from an enjoyable day at Paxton looking for fungi (Mycena species and Winter Stalkball) in the morning and walk with friends looking at birds etc in the afternoon 

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Oystercatchers at Hunstanton

 I returned to Hunstanton beach on Monday morning before heading home and spent a couple of hours in beautiful light with thousands and thousands of birds as subjects. The tide was going out revealing the extensive mussel beds and the tidal sands full of invertebrate food. Oystercatchers were the most numerous so here some cameos of this striking bird. The distant shot was part of a failed attempt to focus stack the huge flocks!

Hunstanton Sunset and Xmas Fair

I stayed 3 nights in Hunstanton over the weekend and took my camera for a walk each evening - two of them had good sunsets (usual quiz question - in what East coast seaside town can you view the sun setting over the sea?) The first one is particularly curious with a bird apparently sitting on the sun! The long exposures were all done with the Olympus live composite facility which builds up the image in 1 second exposures on top of an initial exposure. During some of these I moved the camera.

 

Fascinating Fulmars

 Fulmars are one of the British birds that have steadily increased in recent years and Hunstanton cliffs certainly support this with many more birds there this visit than previous. Adults spend a large portion of their lives at sea, returning in November  to set up territories.  Eggs are laid in May. In July, the parents depart to resume their oceanic wandering, leaving the chick to fend for itself.  By early September, the youngster will be ready to follow in the wake of its parents.  Young birds spend the first four or five years of their lives at sea, and do not reach maturity until they are eight or nine years old but they may live for up to forty years.  Here a few shots from Saturday's visit.