Burley - 13th Jan 08

Helped a friend out with an 8 mile Ramble for the public around Burley today.
We started off from Burbush car park, went along the old railway line for a bit & then went over the heath at Slap & Shappen Hill, along the Burley golf course, along the road, out onto the heath again at Burley Rocks, over Rooks Bridge, into Burley New Inclosure, South Oakley Inclosure, Berry Wood, crossed the heath to Ridley Wood, up to Verely Hill, then down to Castle Hill & then down the cycle track that goes the western side of Burley & back to the car park.
Although it was windy & grey, the promised rain never came.
Because of the wind, the heathland birds stayed down with only the odd Meadow Pipit going up & a Buzzard soaring. Around the wooded areas were Great Tit, Blue Tit & Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird & Redwing.
A Fallow buck & a doe were on the heath just below Ridley Wood.
I managed to find a few fungi, mainly on dead wood: Witches Butter, loads of Yellow Brain Fungus on Gorse, Southern Bracket, Stereum hirsutum, Turkeytail, Candlesnuff Fungus, Beech Woodwart, Jews Ear (on Beech), Cramp Balls, Velvet Shank, Sulphur Tuft, Wrinkled Crust, Birch Polypore, Fat Polypore, Green Woodcup, Crepidotus sp. Smokey Bracket, & Black Bulgar (also on Beech).