A bird in the hand

Parabuteo unicinctus

The Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus is a raptor of the south western states of USA, Central and South America - a bird of savanna, chaparrel and other semi-arid habitats. It is a social bird and will often be found hunting in small family groups, working cooperatively to exploit larger quarry. It's natural sociability making it an ideal bird to be trained for falconry (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2009 [Online]; The Peregrine Fund, 2009 [Online]). Peter Harvey took the opportunity today to study the species close up and in the hand when a falconer asked permission to hunt through his garden-side wood.

Fungi Foray @ Swanwick Lakes

The picture above illustrates a combined group effort from 5 -10 mins fungi foraging under birch Betula sp. and hazel Corylus avellana in East Valley, Swanwick Lakes NR under the guidance of Phil Budd (Course run by HWT). In no particular order: Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum; Common Earth-ball Scleroderma citrinum; Blushing bracket Daedeleupsis confragosa; Common Bonnet Mycena alcalina (pictured below); Lilac (purple) fibre-cap Inocybe geophyllia var. lilacianai; Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma marginatum; The Deceiver Laccaria laccata; Wood Blewit Lepista nuda; Winter (Velvet stemmed) Agaric Clitocybe sp.; Wood pink-gill Entoloma Rhodopolium; Hygrocybes sp. tbc; Galerina marginata; Cortinarius sp. tbc; Poison Pie Hebeloma crustuliniforme; (Brown) Birch Bolette Leccinum scabrumi; remnant Birch polypore Piptoporus betulinus.

Other fungi species identified on the day: Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria (pictured below); Tricholoma fulvum (not pictured).

Common Bonnet Mycena alcalina

Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria

And what of the mystery garden 'shrooms? Phil Budd without hesitation identified the specimen I had taken along as Fairy-ring toadstool Marasmius oreades.