Whitcliff Deer Park, Berkeley, 4 December 2024

Above: Eyelash fungus Scutellina species © Alvan White

Leaders: Clare and Mark Kitchen

On an unusually mild December morning thirteen of us met in the village of Ham and walked along the ridge of the deer park, which gave us fine views of the River Severn and the Forest of Dean on the one side and the Cotswold edge on the other.

We took the stile over the brick wall encompassing the park. Though the park was created in 1270, the building of the present wall commenced in 1770 and took seven years to complete. We immediately came upon a small herd of fallow bucks, in both dark and white forms in addition to the usual normal colour.

An avenue of lime trees planted in the nineteenth century were heavily festooned in Mistletoe, and there were a large number of ancient oaks and horse-chestnuts. Decaying fallen boughs and cut stumps supported an interesting array of fungi which included Mycena inclinata, Stereum hirsutum, (Hairy Curtain-crust), Coprinus micaceus, (Glistening Inkcap) and a Scutellina species (Eyelash Fungus). Probably the most interesting of these fungi was the beautiful Schizophyllum commune, Split Gill, an alien species often found sprouting from plastic silage bags.

A single Mistle Thrush flew overhead and moments later a colony of Flammulina velutipes, Velvet Shank was found growing on a Horse Chestnut tree. It was sad to find one of a group of four Wellingtonia trees had died. A few Sitka Spruce, Britain’s most commonly planted conifer species, rarely encountered in Gloucestershire were spotted.

Three Redwing flew over us and later a Bullfinch was seen below us and on the north facing slopes where a large herd of fallow deer was grazing. The Red Deer were nowhere to be seen until at last on our return near the park stile, six or seven fine stags with fine antlers revealed themselves,

Our thanks go out to Jean Oliver for identifying the fungi.

Clare and Mark Kitchen