The first thing I do every morning when I arrive at Titchwell is to check the gents toilet walls for insects and spiders. (Luckily not many people have witnessed this odd behaviour!) Apart from the potential for losing friends, it has netted me several species on my wildlife list, the latest two being December moth and a plume moth emmelina monodactyla. The plume moth may be seen at any time of the year and its food plant is bindweed.
There are several turkeytail fungi (many-zoned polypore) growing in the wet woodland, and on the edge of the wood I found a leaf-mine caused by the small fly phytomyza spondylii, on a hogweed plant.
The surge tide last Sunday evening fortunately didn't affect the reserve's freshwater habitats. However, it did leave thousands of rudd either dead or trapped in the ditch next to our west bank path. Looking on the bright side, this gave us brilliant views of the fish and the moorhens, water rails, little egrets and black-headed gulls that came amongst the trees to feed. Not only did the sea water kill the fish in Thornham pool, it also finished off hundreds of worms along the side of the path by the Volunteer Marsh - many of them were common earthworms (lumbricus terrestris). Nearby, on the sea bank, one of our staff members found a small clump of field mushrooms, giving me my 6th new species for this fortnight and raising my total to 935. I shall only reach my target by the end of the year if Noah's Ark gets wrecked on the beach!
Ray Kimber.