Fabulous Fungi etc.....Sunday 9th October 2022.

Another free day today,due to Mrs R working again,saw me visiting one of my favourite reserves,Messingham sand Quarries.

On arrival,it was a bit cool,with sunny periods and a force 3 south westerly breeze and i proceeded to walk around the first meadow below the car park,finding the first of several Green-shield Bugs seen during the visit,but also 2 Hairy Sheildbug which were nice to see.

Not many birds were seen so far,but overhead Siskin,Lesser Redpoll and a couple of Common Buzzard were noted.

Near the old dipping platform i found a single Pine Ladybird,these are tiny and are a real struggle to photograph with my set up.

Further on i managed to find a lovely Twin-spot Centurion,a type of Soldier Fly,which was a new species for me i think,i don't recall seeing them before.

I then kept walking seeing a brief Kingfisher on the pathway up to the Duck hide,before stopping and enjoying some nice views of a Great-white Egret along with 5 of it's smaller cousins.

Some lovely examples of Fly Agaric were seen as i walked up to the wader hide and i stopped to take a few photos,such stunning things,the archetypal toadstool of fairytales.

At the wader hide a spent a good hour or so seeing some nice birds,which included 3 Green Sandpiper taking the full advantage of the low water levels with 80 plus Teal doing the same and giving some nice,close views from the hide and a juvenile Marsh Harrier hunted the margins along with 2 close Common Buzzards.

After a welcome message and some directions from Wayne & Clare,i retraced my footsteps back to the Heather Meadow and finally found their Collared Earthstars they had found.

These really are unusual Fungi and a first for me,such amazing looking things.

As i wandered back to the car to go and pick Tracey up from work a couple of Jay's scolded me as i passed by and a Green Woodpecker yaffled nearby.

What a cracking little reserve this is and it is just great to be out on a lovely autumnal day like this one.

Collared Earthstar

Fly Agaric

Pestle Puffball

Fly Agaric

Blushing Wood Mushroom

Common Puffball

Fly Agaric

Platycheirus Sp.

Twin-spot Centurion,A Type Of SoldierFly

Pine Ladybird

Hairy Shieldbug

Robin.