Shatterford - 10th Nov 07

Started off from Shatterford car park in the New Forest at dawn this morning, it was still a bit dark & the wind was up.
I walked over the heath by the railway line down towards Woodfidley, keeping an eye out for the Great Grey Shrike that is hanging around the area. A Dartford Warbler was doing its alarm call from deep in the heather, Bullfinches were calling as they worked the Pines & Birch along the railway line, & Redwings were calling as they flew over head.
I took a quick detour over a railway bridge to have a look over the heath & mire towards Stephill Bottom, Furzy Brow & Pig Bush to see if the Shrike was perched over this side somewhere, or see if a Hen Harrier was about. No luck, but on the brickwork were some fronds of the ferns, Wall Rue & Maidenhair Spleenwort. Goldcrest & Blue Tits were in the Birches by the bridge.
Back on the Shatterford side again, over the heath & Bishop’s Dyke, then into the Silver Birch & Oak at Woodfidley Passage with the timber Inclosure of Denny lodge behind. The wind dropped in the cover of the trees & there were a few Chaffinches, Robins, Wrens & Tits about. On the ground, in the muddy tracks was still some Bog Stitchwort.
I followed the fence line of the Inclosure south east until I came across the gate & then went up the grass track into the Inclosure.
Along the grass rides 3 Fallow does & 2 fawns came out of the Pines on the left & crossed the track in front of me. In the beech on my right were a big troupe of Clouded Agaric Clitocybe nebularis, loads of Amethyst Deceivers Laccaria amethystia, a few Butter Caps Collybia butyracea, Spectacular Rustgill Gymnopilus junonius, Common Puffball & a False Death Cap. On a living Beech tree was a few brackets of Inonotus hispidus. When I came to the gravel track I headed north west down the hill & then right again back onto another grass ride. Another Fallow doe & her fawn moved into a group of Coast Redwoods.
Back out of Denny Lodge Inclosure & walking parallel with the fence-line some Crossbills were flying around some Larch with Coal Tits & Long-tailed Tits around. On a big fallen Beech trunk by the fence were the brackets of the fungus Pseudotrametes gibbosa & on a living Oak the other side of the track was the rare Ganoderma resinaceum or 'Lacquered Bracket'.
Over the heath & 5 bridges towards Denny Wood some more Redwings flew over calling, a young Fallow buck & a doe were by the fence, a Jay flew into a Willow & nearing Denny Wood, a flock of Siskins.
Into the ancient Denny Wood a Fallow buck, with one antler broken off during the rut trotted past. I could hear a Marsh Tit calling, a few Nuthatches, Stock Dove song, Jays & also a Brambling. On the trees, on the dead wood & on the ground were more fungi. Sulphur Tuft, Honey Fungus, more Amethyst Deceivers& Butter Caps, Mycena’s, Russula’s, Porcelain mushrooms
Out onto the heath again & back to the car park was quiet as the wind was up a bit more, but there were a couple of Meadow Pipits & a Stonechat.