Bold autumn colours, prolific fungi and visiting geese.

The clocks have changed and the sun is now down before I get home from work, there can be no more weekday evening photographs until spring.  October was warm this year, I did most of my walking in short sleeves.  I saw Common Darters in Miry Arena as late as Saturday, but this week has brought the first frosts and I think they will be the last dragonfly of this year.

Though many trees have now lost their leaves, there are still some greens to be seen in the hedgerows and there are some wonderful contrasts of red, green and gold.  In places the hedgerows are themselves red with the profusion of haws on now leafless hawthorns.

Above - Fantastic autumn colours to be seen on The Drive/Apedale Road.

There are still a few plants flowering, clover, daisies and buttercups are quite common.  I was surprised to see that there is still the occasional blossom on the bramble.  Of course some plants still have fruit and the ground is littered with beech nuts or, at least, the empty casings.  Chestnut burrs also litter the forest floor, the odd nuts that are seen are very small.  It appears that, like the hazelnuts earlier in the year, the squirrels have no intention of allowing chestnuts to ripen.  I am always surprised that despite the large numbers of oaks in Apedale, I have never seen an acorn on the tree or on the ground there.

Left - The ground is littered with empty beech nut casings.  Right -  Sweet chestnut burrs also abound, the squirrels seem intent on preventing them reaching maturity.

As mentioned previously, the Hawthorn is still in fruit and quite spectacularly so.  I have never seen haws as numerous, as plump or as intense as this year's crop.

Above - A spectacular show from the Hawthorn and an unexpected contrast with the silver leaves on the tree behind.

I was lucky enough to spot a couple of resident birds recently.  The first sighting was a Kestrel high over the ground between Watermills and Apedale roads.  This sighting was in the evening before the clocks' change and I was lucky to have enough light.  The second was a Grey Heron on one of the Springwood pools.  I often see Herons, but is rare that they will stay still for long enough to point a camera at once they have seen you.

Left - A Kestrel, high in the sky late evening in Chesterton.  Right - A Heron perches, Springwood pool west.

As might be expected, there is more activity in the world of fungi than elsewhere.  I was startled in Miry Arena by a clump of almost perfect Fly Agarics.  In good condition they really are a shocking scarlet.

 An iconic Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) startles the eye in Miry Arena, this was one of a well preserved group.

I think these may be 'The Charcoal Burner' (Russula cyanoxantha), woods near the Audley Road.

Left - Probably Clitocybe rivulosa (False Champignon), Miry Arena near the Agarics.  Right - Bolbitius titubans (Yellow Fieldcap) in the grass, Blackbank end of the park.

Fomes fomentarius (Tinder Fungus) growing on a stump in a clearing in Miry Wood.

 Left - Probably ink caps (Coprinopsis atramentaria), hollow Sycamore in Watermills Wood.  Right - Part of a clump of Suillus luteus (Slippery Jack), near Blackbank.

An unidentified bracket fungus, marked like a rusty orange version of 'Turkey Tail'.

I have also seen a small white bracket fungus similar to the orange one pictured above.  I have a feeling this and grey examples I have seen in the past, are all varieties or colours of the same fungus.  I have also seen green examples, though I am pretty sure that this is just algae growing on the fungus.

Daldinia concentrica (King Alfred's Cakes), Burgess's wood.

There are other mushrooms growing in the grass, most are difficult to identify when examples are few or are at one particular stage of growth.  I am pretty sure I have seen Egghead Mottlegill (Panaeolus semiovatus) growing in horse dung on the path from New Woodhouse Farm to the Audley Road.  What looks like Mower's Mushroom (Panaeolina foenisecii) can also be seen in the same field.  The resident horse gets very inquisitive when I crouch or lie down to take photographs.  Though he seems quite friendly I do feel rather vulnerable when lying down with a horse standing over me.  When I walk or run through the field he pretty much takes no notice.

As well as the resident birds, the season seems to have brought visitors.  It is now quite common to see geese in flight in the area.  In the afternoons of late, fifteen or so Canada Geese have been making a regular visit to the private pool on the Apedale Road.  Birds on this pool tend to be very well fed by several local people.

 Canada geese (Branta canadensis), an evening visit to the private pool on the Apedale Road.