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THORPE MARSH: A few birds and a lichenocolous fungus

15th March 2015

I managed to get down to Thorpe Marsh for a couple of hours, hoping to see one of the waders that others have seen flying over in recent days (Golden Plover, Curlew, Ringed Plover) or perhaps an early summer migrant. A White-tailed Eagle flying around the county gave an added incentive to keep looking up as I walked round. Sadly none of the aformentioned species did fly over. The highlight was excellent views of a male Sparrowhawk as it swept past at head height and landed in a nearby tree. A couple of Meadow Pipits were the only addition to my yearly patch list.


With few birds about I went and had a look at some of the lichen covered trees in order to put my recently gained lichen knowledge to the test. I took quite a few photos to confirm at my leisure, but the most interesting find was a tiny pink fungus called Illosporiopsis christiansenii that parisitises Physcia lichens.It is in the photo below, but you may need to click to enlarge it before you can see it!


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