According to meteorologists, autumn started on Friday with the arrival of September, and it has certainly felt more like autumn today. The sun has been missing in action, but at least the drizzle more or cleared this afternoon. It didn't deter the birds, though, with a great mix of waders still present on the Scrape: little stint, sanderling and little ringed plover were the highlights, alongside 150+ black-tailed godwits, 30+ dunlins, 17 snipe, eight avocets and a few spotted redshanks, ruffs, green and common sandpipers and golden plovers.
Several yellow wagtails remain on the Scrape too, and a wheatear in the dunes was another sign of autumn migration, though the late swift over the Scrape was a reminder that summer is not yet completely over. There were, however, signs that winter is also not far away too with increasing numbers of ducks on the Scrape, and the first red-throated diver reported offshore yesterday.
But autumn, as they say, is the season of mellow fruitfulness, and all around the reserve there are ample signs of the changing seasons. Ripe blackberries hang temptingly from bramble bushes; bullace and elderberries add to the food available for migrating warblers and robins, and thistle and ragwort seeds attract flocks of hungry goldfinches and linnets.
With so much wildlife to look out for on the water, in the dunes and bushes, or int he skies overhead, it's easy to forget to look down, but in doing so you may miss a host of other goodies. Among these is one of our 70 species to spot that is best found during September. This is one of two types of fungi in our fun challenge: the parasol mushroom.
Parasol in woodland edge
Parasols are easy to find in grassy areas and woodland edges around the reserve. Large ones can be the size of dinner plates, though many are smaller. They start as typical closed cup mushrooms before opening to a large, flat cup.
There are many other fungi to look out for over the coming weeks. Some, like the fly agaric, are very distinctive. Others are hard to distinguish from similar species, or so small they can easily missed, and many have some great names. Look out, for example, for earthballs, puffballs, stinkhorns and amethyst deceiver. Take care, though, as many fungi are poisonous, so if in doubt, don't touch.
Common earthball