November 3rd, 1998

During the half-term holiday, a large clump of honey fungus appeared at the foot of a tree on the edge of the green. The tree is an old grafted specimen and  it was not surprising to find that the centre of the trunk is rotten as honey fungus is well known as being responsible for decay in trees. This fungus has a bad reputation because it can  cause the death of mature specimens. However, another fungus, known as giant polyopore (meripilus giganteus), has brought about the demise of some trees on the edge of the cricket field. Giant polylore is one of the bracket fungi and causes the decay of roots on beech trees. One mature beech died suddenly just over a year ago and was cut down. A second tree, which was looking quite sick, blew down during a winter storm.

Early this morning, a small group of fieldfares flew over the school making their distinctive 'chacking' calls. These are the first fieldfares seen in the grounds this winter. The fieldfares which use the grounds tend to remain in the tops of tall trees, and so can be difficult to get a good sighting of, but their calls are easy to identify and should be heard regularly during the next few months. Numbers of these birds using the grounds can be variable and there is often a decline in numbers after the intial influx as birds continue their migration.