More mushrooms, less birds

Very few birds on the water at lunchtime with only the adult Mute Swans, a few Mallard and one Tufted Duck visible. The higher water since the deluge probably prevents those other dabblers from feeding and they've made alternative arrangements for the moment.

Loads of fungus around, and a new batch of common Puffball is up on the edge of Compartment 6. Some others unidentified as yet, too.I've been in love with puffballs since a friend of mine brought one into school many (many!) years ago. They're just so otherworldly.

Interesting breakdown of 1k species challenge

Here: link

Moth news

From September's moth night, also add the micro Acleris emargana, which was already on the list, but a nice one to see - ID'd by GB

link

Species add - Beechwood Sickener, Russula nobilis

Fairly common, dotted about in the leaf litter of compartment 6, and almost always missing chunks. Who's responsible I wonder?

Russula nobilis, Beechwood Sickener

29/10/2013

Species add - Peppery Waxcap, Lactarius piperatus, to Fungi

Compartment 2, edge of small pond (both sides since the rains came down!)


Lactarius piperatus, Peppery Waxcap

25/10/2013

Similar to Fleecy Milkcap, but gill frequency is the key: link. This one looks pretty crowded to me.

Species add - Coprinopsis radiata to Fungi

On deer (?) droppings in the Mossy Barrens, compartment 7a. (Identification tentative)

Coprinopsis radiata

26/10/2013

Species add - Snowy Waxcap, Hygrocybe virginia to Fungi

Hygrocybe virginea, Snowy Waxcap

Relatively numerous in the paddock

Pic add - redwing to Birds

Redwing

29/10/2013

Many flocks SW in the morning from dawn across the whole landscape fro the hills to the west to beyond the ridge to the east

Vismig record from trektellen

Species add - Bleeding Oak Crust, Stereum gausapatum to Fungi

Quite a lot on dead oak in the Woodland, Compartment 6

Pics - Invertebrate - Arachnids: Mites, Spiders, Harvestmen

Link to list of Cullaloe's Arachnids

SPIDERS

Diplocephalus latifrons

Metellina mengei

05/04/2014

Walckenaeria nudipalpis

16/03/2015, Filter beds

HARVESTMEN

Megabunus diadema

Turret head

Diadem'd

Body patterning

Nematoma bimaculatum

26/10/2013, Mossy Barrens

Pic add - Nematoma bimaculatum to Harvestman

Nematoma bimaculatum
From the "Mossy Barrens" area of cmpt 7a

26/10/2013

Species add - Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (slime mould) to Fungi

Thanks to Collins Fungi guide, this photo of slime mould Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa has finally found a name. Will be added into the fungus page, though this not really its home it would seem.

06/10/2013, cmpt 6

Species add - Cladonia pyxidata to Lichens

Cladonia pyxidata, Pixie Cups

http://fungi.myspecies.info/lichens/cladonia-pyxidata

26/10/2013, cmpt 7a

Reserve Views

Historic

(the second pic here was shamelessly stolen from Grahame and Janie's old Cullaloe blog)

How Cullaloe looked in 1946!

Immediately after the reservoir was drained

General

SE corner cmpt 1, cmpt 2, and pines in cmpt 6, 15/10/2013

Compartment 1a

NW corner 27/10/2013

From NW corner, 22/12/2013

Compartment 1b

Small Pond, 25/10/2013

Compartment 2

Looking N from paddock, 17/10/2013

Channel onto the reserve under the road

The grim-looking "third pond"

Compartment 3

Filter beds, 18/04/2013

Compartment 4b

Being mown - 09/10/2013

Compartment 6

Bordering cmpt 2, 26/10/2013

29/10/2103

Compartment 7a

Along the burn in winter, looking south, Jan '15

Mossy Barrens, 16/10/2013

7a west from path, 29/10/2013

7a west from the banking path above the car park, 15/10/2013

Compartment 8

The "paddock", looking W, 28/10/2013

Eastern leg of cmpt 8, looking E, 28/10/2013

Species add - Cladonia portentosa, Reindeer Lichen to Lichen

Cladonia portentosa, Reindeer Lichen

26/10/2013

A lichenised fungus according to:
Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools, Sterry, Hughes

also see

Microscope Pond Specimens

Useful links:
www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/
http://www.micromagus.net/index1.html

Daphne (Water Flea) sp.
from filter beds beside pond-dipping platform

28/10/2013

also see:
Water Flea (intact) 2013-11-04

Gastrotrich and food item
from filter beds beside pond-dipping platform

28/10/2013

This micro-beastie is some sort of Gastrotrich! - ID step one complete! It's an aquatic worm.
Kingdom: Animalia, Protostomia, Spiralia
Superphylum: Platyzoa
Phylum: Gastrotricha
Orders Chaetonotida and Macrodasyida (765 spp. in 14 families - 7 in each Order)

Presence of lateral "double tail" (furca) means it's Order Chaetonotidae (link). The furca seem to be used to anchor to the bottom. At least in the image above they were - note the ends are deeper and not in focus.

I have since found another gastrotrich, but it seemed to be smaller and was more of the russian doll type body shape

Encyc of Life
wiki

Unknown A
from filter beds beside pond-dipping platform. Several of these have been seen, typically appearing to graze on clumps of vegetation. The long end pointing down in both photos is the front!

Unknown B
Some kind of aquatic worm I'm supposing. Swam with its rear end not extended (pic 2), but then seemed to anchor with it (pic 1). Vibrating cilia at the mouth (fat) end

Unknown C
I think this isn't the same as Unknown B, but I'm not 100% sure yet. It was quite a shape shifter, but always appeared to keep at least a basic bell form rather than the trumpet appearance of this one. Again appears to be some kind of aquatic worm.

Unknown D
Definitely a different critter, this one! Arachnid? The mouthpart mark resolved to a red "X" when focus was in the right place. Like many of the bigger creatures where focus placed really affected how it looked. It was hard to get enough of it in focus to present an overall picture