Miniature Worlds: Lichens and Mosses

We like these mixtures of Lichens and Mosses: these have set up home on the Sea Wall beside the Thames close to Conway's Berth in Erith:

A new Lichen for the Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding Area

Physcia aipolia on a fence in the Norman Road Field:

Never seen it on a fence before.

A 'Big Adventure' to Leysdown-on-Sea, the Isle of Sheppey

To Leysdown-on-Sea to hopefully find a Bird or two. Species seen:

Black-Headed Gull

Crow

Curlew
Herring Gull

Magpie

Oystercatcher

Pheasant
Pied Wagtail

Redshank (see below)

Sandwich Tern (see below)

Starling

Swallow

Turnstone (see below) 

and Wood Pigeon

Wild flower' species seen included Sea Holly (see below), Sea Milkwort and Sea Spurge (see below):

And we didn't neglect the Lichens, finding inter alia, Caloplaca saxicola:

Our visit acted as a reminder that although it is nice to visit Leysdown-on-Sea, it is very isolated (as is Sheppey in general) and that we are super-lucky to live in SE London with so much on our doorstep.

Our first local Stonechats of the Autumn (and more Xanthoria polycarpa)

With our minds elsewhere we are winding down our Wild Life related activities. But we needed to go down to the local Nature Reserve and Yippee, almost immediately chanced upon at least four Stonechats including this one:

And we found (lots) more Xanthoria polycarpa: