Another grey but warm morning’s patrol, with a few runners and walkers also enjoying the National Nature Reserve.
The meadows have now mostly been cleared of the hay bales, all now stacked in Herren Ground ready to be transported off site. Perched on top of the pile was Wheatear, its pale sandy colouring blending in with the hay.
Along the edges and uncut patches lots of flowers still to enjoy including the Black Knapweed (a deep purple colour) Field and Small Scabious (a pale purple) and Red Bartsia (a dirty pinky colour).
Also look out for the last orchid of the year, the Autumn Ladies Tresses, whose delicate white flowers spiral up the grey stem, and for the Autumn Gentian, which always seems more difficult to see than it should, blending as it does with the background and not showing its purple flowers until the sun is bright!
The sound of a Green Woodpecker as ‘yaffled’, this allowed mw to watch this large green bird as it landed on the twiggy branches of a Hawthorn, the red moustache plain to see.
A flitting movement from the Wayfaring Tree, was a Spotted Flycatcher, spotted chest and definitive markings on its wings, making it easy to identify, but it was its antics which left no doubt, flying up, down, turning, perching and repeating – just great to stop and watch.
A Yellowhammer, showing off its bright yellow head moved between the Blackthorn bushes, as did a small flock of chattering Linnets and a couple of Stonechats.
Overhead a Yellow Wagtail looped, calling distinctively, while heading in a similar direction a flock of Chaffinches.
Speeding across the sky, jinking and flitting were some Swallows, a couple of flocks of 20ish spotted.
Slowly walking across the ground, three of our biggest Beetles, the Greater Bloody-nose Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa), Dor Beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius) and the burying beetle (Necrophorus humator).