Chat Moss

Fly Agaric

The trademark fungi of fairy tales, the fly agaric is the most unmistakable mushrooms in our green spaces. Thanks to regular wildlife walker and contributor Kevin Bradshaw for this photo of this Amanita muscaria in it's autumnal prime.

Found in woodlands, parks and heaths with scattered trees, typically growing beneath birch trees or pines and spruces. The colourful fruiting bodies can usually be seen between late summer and early winter.

Fly agarics are poisonous and should not be eaten. Reports of deaths are rare, but ingestion often causes stomach cramps and hallucinations.

Lunt Meadows

Roe Deer among Canada Goose

This amusingly fantastic photo was taken by Roe Deer Diary on our Lunt Meadows nature reserve this month. We believe this roebuck felt a bit left out and wanted to paddle among the Canada goose who were having a lovely time on the water.

"Spot the odd one out! I'd love to take credit for this stunning photo of a Roebuck mingling with Canada geese at nearby #LuntMeadowsNR. Thanks to volunteer Graham Roberts for letting me share" - Roe Deer Diary

Brockholes

Great white egret

The great white egret is almost as large as a grey heron, but with longer legs and longer neck. Once rare visitors from the Mediterranean, we now see them wading and breeding around our coastlines in England, Wales and on our Brockholes nature reserve.

Passionate photographer and regular visitor to our reserves Ilse shared this photo of a bright white egret catching it's dinner, alongside a grey heron.

"Another one of the heron family at Brockholes is the great white egret. This beauty was successful in catching tiny fish. I thought it was nice to see it lining up with the grey heron and to be able to compare the two." - Ilse

Bank Vole

This little cutie was spotted at Brockholes having a munch in secret by eagle-eyed visitor Tony Connor.

The chestnut-brown bank vole is our smallest vole and can be found in hedgerows, woodlands, parks and gardens. They are ideal prey for owls, weasels and kestrels.

Buzzard

Buzzards are the most frequently seen medium-sized birds of prey. They have broader wings and shorter tails than the harriers or red kite. Their plumage can vary from a uniform dark brown to much paler shades. They make a distinctive 'V' shaped silhouetted against the sky. Learn more about how to identify different birds of prey in our region. 

Kestrel

The Lancs nature spotter took this beautiful photograph of a female kestrel in fantastic detail. Kestrels are typically seen hovering, their pointed wings held out. Males have a grey head and tail with a prominent black band, a gingery-brown back and a creamy underside which is speckled with black. Females are similar, but with a more uniform brown back and dark bands on the tail. Thankfully a common sight in our region and on our reserves, but they are still classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).

Mere Sands Wood

Honey Fungus

Peter Collins Howard shared this photo of honey fungus at our Mere Sands Wood nature reserve, which is renowned for it's treasure trove of mushrooms and woodland wonders. Honey fungus is beautiful to observe as it bubbles up across woodland, but it is a parasitic and prevalent fungi which grows on dead wood and attacks woody and perennial plants.

Learn more about the kingdom of fungi from our species explorer.