Today we parked the car at Beacon car park on Frodsham Hill and walked part of the Sandstone trail towards Alvanley, and then made our way over Helsby Hill and back through Woodhouses and Foxhill arboretum. It was another beautiful autumnal day, our Sunday walks certainly seem to be blessed at the moment! There was plenty of bird activity, with lots of Goldcrests, Nuthatches, Redwings and tits, and larger birds included Raven and Buzzard.
We sat on a bench in a beautiful sunny glade in the middle of an ancient woodland and ate our lunch. It was almost like summer again in this sheltered spot, with warm sunshine and Robins and Wrens singing. I found this interesting looking green fungus under an Oak tree, which looks like Common Earthball
Scleroderma citrinum, though that species isn't normally green.
Also basking in the sunshine were a couple of Comma butterflies and this old female Common Darter. In fact there was plenty of insect activity in the glade, with lots of hoverflies feeding on the ivy flowers.
This is a good time of year to see bracket fungus, and Birch Polypore
Piptoporus betulinus is one of the commonest. The brown fungus is (I think!) Southern Bracket
Ganoderma australe and is one of the largest I have ever seen, approximately 60cm across!
I found this pink fungus growing in the south west corner today. It was about 4" diameter, but at the moment I'm not sure which species it is. Continuing the recent trend, it was almost birdless again, with only a single Buzzard being noteworthy. Ducks are completely absent at the moment, except for the ubiquitous Mallard.
Still very quiet at the mere, but it was another beautiful autumnal day. I love the contrast in the colours! 
Fungi have got a bit of a bad press recently with Ash die back (Chalara fraxinea) in the news, but most fungi are extremely useful and a vital part of the ecosystem. They're also very attractive at a time of year when there are very few flowering plants to admire.
Pink-footed Geese.
Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae, a very attractive fungus growing on Elder. 
Lichen growing on Hawthorne.
The Old Coach Road runs through large swathes of farmland, the southern most end of the Lancashire mosses. Amazing to think that much of this photograph is in St Helens.
We sat on a bench in a beautiful sunny glade in the middle of an ancient woodland and ate our lunch. It was almost like summer again in this sheltered spot, with warm sunshine and Robins and Wrens singing. I found this interesting looking green fungus under an Oak tree, which looks like Common Earthball Scleroderma citrinum, though that species isn't normally green. 
Also basking in the sunshine were a couple of Comma butterflies and this old female Common Darter. In fact there was plenty of insect activity in the glade, with lots of hoverflies feeding on the ivy flowers. 
This is a good time of year to see bracket fungus, and Birch Polypore Piptoporus betulinus is one of the commonest. The brown fungus is (I think!) Southern Bracket Ganoderma australe and is one of the largest I have ever seen, approximately 60cm across!
Pink-footed Geese over the Old Coach Road and thousands roosting on Simonswood Moss (behind the cows!). Although Pink-footed Geese have been in the Rainford area for as long as I can remember, Simonswood Moss is a relatively new roost site, and was created by peat extraction.
