Nature with Nev

I was delighted to see some strange looking fungi tucked away under a variegated form of several garden shrubs, and at first I thought they were some kind of Boletus fungi based on the shape of the cap. I searched through several of my guide books and the nearest I could find to this species was Hazel Boletus - but it didn't seem quite right. Eventually I emailed the picture to my good friend Pat O'Reilly who is the author of the book 'Fascinated by Fungi.  He could see why at first I thought it was a Boletus, but it is actually a Pestle Puffball, and when I read more from his link I could see exactly what it was.  It made for some interesting reading too. This is a fungi that stands out yet can so easily be overlooked.This one had blended in so well with the rotting leaves around it and short grasses. There were actually five specimens in all. This species is commonly referred to as the 'Pestle Puffball', and from the shape I can see why. When young it is ...

  The ever curious Robin I decided to have a change of scenery, so I invited along fellow birder John Lawton for a day out at Slimbridge. We arrived at 8am and the usual birds were seen around the car park and towards the first hide, such as Woodpigeons, House Sparrows, Goldfinches, Moorhens, Mallards, Greylag Geese flying over, Little Egrets, Rooks, Dunnocks, Black-headed Gulls, Jackdaws, Crows, Blackbirds and Chaffinches. First stop was the Rushy Pen Hide where Pintail were feeding really close in along with Tufted Ducks, Coot, Mute Swans, several Common Redshanks, Teal, Shelduck, Wigeon, Canada Geese, herring Gulls and a tiny Wren pecking around in the grass. Next we moved on to the Martin Smith Hide which had a good selection of water birds out on the flooded fields and lagoon. Wigeon and Shoveler were in good numbers and the distinctive qhistling calls of the Wigeon were lovely to hear. Redshanks and several Oystercatchers and Lapwing were present and a single Grey he...

This is the most accurate and comprehensive bird book ever done covering Mallorca, and my book covers 31 different sites all across the island and includes all 340 known species of bird. The new road numbers are included in the book along with information on driving on the island, car hire, accommodation, public transport and much more. I have included some places to eat that I recommend when out and about bird watching all day thus saving the visitor time trying to find a suitable place. Sites included. This book covers spring and autumn migration, return migration, winter birdwatching, endemics, a complete species status list and tick list. Sites covered include: Albufera Marsh, Albufereta Marsh, S’Illot, S’Illot waterworks, Boquer Valley, Cap de Formentor, Cases Velles, Alburcutx Tower, Cuber reservoir, Lluc Monastery, Soller, Sallinas de Llevante (the salt pans), Castle de Santuri, Es Trenc, Far de Cap Ses Sallines, La Gola, Puerto Pollensa area, Bee Hive lane, Ca...