Linford Brook - 26th Dec 07

Had to do some more visiting today, but managed to slip out for a wander this afternoon.
Luckily wasn’t far from the western edge of the Forest so decided to go to Linford bottom.
Got to the car park & it looked like everyone had the same idea as me, so I just managed to find a space.
Walked along the Linford Brook for 2/3 of a mile & then up towards Pinnick Wood. Just in front of the wood a Great Spotted Woodpecker was working a small tree, a Green Woodpecker was working the grass underneath & 3 Jays were making a hell of a noise at the edge of the wood.
Once in the ancient wood I could no longer hear any voices, even the birds had gone quiet. The wood was silent & nothing was about, except for quite a bit of fungi on the dead wood on the ground. There was Stereum hirsutum, Stereum sanguinolentum, Chondrostereum purpureum, Turkeytail, Ascocoryne sarcoides, Phlebia radiata, Phellinus punctatus, some Crepidotus & when I got over to Roe Inclosure there were some Chanterelles.




I headed into Roe Inclosure. Walking along the tracks I saw 3 separate Roe deer, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Redwings, Wrens, Robins, Siskins, Chaffinches, Coal Tits & a Sparrowhawk was calling from a block of Douglas Fir.

Coming out of Roe Inclosure at Amie’s Corner, I walked straight into Red Shoot Wood. In here pretty much the same birds around & a Fallow buck ran through the trees.
I then walked along the northern edge of Great Linford Inclosure for a bit & then through the gate. The usual birds were still about plus a Dunnock as I walked through the Inclosure & back to the car.