between 350 and 500. Other landowners in the area also shoot them and, unfortunately,
there does not seem to much liaison between them. The numbers both here and elsewhere
certainly need reducing - as woodland ecologists such as Oliver Rackham and George
Peterken have long urged - as due to a combination of lack of coppicing and deer browsing
it is possible, in winter, to gain (on bended knee) an uninterrupted view of two hundred
yards or more of woodland floor in many of the coppices. However, a little more co-
operation would not go amiss. That good numbers of deer still survive was demonstrated
to me a few days later when walkers' dogs chased around 120 of them out of Parson's
Spring, among which were at least forty yearlings.
Hainault Forest fungus foray, 28th October 2006
Jacquey and Roger Newton 93 Dunkeld Road, Dagenham, RM8 2PT
Email: rogerl913@hotmail.com
In our third season since becoming interested in fungi and joining the EFC, we organised
and led our first fungi foray to Hainault Forest. This location was chosen as it is our
local country park and where in 2004 we not only developed our love for fungi but also
for each other. We liaised with local experts Brian Ecott and Peter Comber who are also
volunteers in the park and in addition obtained permission from Linda Herbert of the
London Borough of Redbridge.
On 28th October the day dawned very clear and cold but with plenty of sun. The turn out
on the day was very good, with 10 members of the Field Club and 8 non members, for
some members it was their first venture this far south west in the county! We started
from the main carpark and walked south-westwards up the hill and across the meadow
towards Romford Road/Whalebone Lane North and found nearly 30 species; the highlight
of which were some beautiful waxcaps including Parrot Waxcap Hygrocybe psittacina
and Spangle Waxcap Hygrocybe insipida much to the delight of Tony Boniface.
We entered the ''new "woodland, only planted in 1904, on the brow of Hog Hill walking
towards Dog Kennel Hill. The group spilt into a couple of groups and continued along
the wooded walk on the brow of the hill by the Golf Course. Some of us were very
interested in the micro-fungi and slime moulds in particular Martin Gregory and Ken
Adams who could often be seen crawling around dead logs on the ground (see plate 10)
and lagging far behind the rest of us. But their efforts were well rewarded by making a
significant contribution to the total number of fungi recorded for the day.
We then regrouped and lunch was eaten in the sunshine with incredible views across
London to Canary Wharf and the Nat West tower.
Interesting species found included Stropharia aurantiaca, Podoscypha multizonata and
Helvella lacunosa.
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 52, January 2007 29