A still, sunny morning, with the gentlest of northerly breezes wandering through the dry grasses, making their stems rattle.
After a heavy dew, Craneflies whir up out of the damp grass as I walk through – their delicate wings glittering in the low sun, with Common and Small Blue, Marbled White and Meadow Brown already on the wing. Red Admirals drift along hedgerows – the crimson patches on their wings looking magnificent in the golden light, with a Wall seen, appropriately, basking on a dry-stone wall.
The hedgerows are a glorious, chaotic ‘scribble’ of Old Man’s Beard (covered in silvery seeds), Honeysuckle (with buttery yellow flowers – one of my favourite smells!) and the glossy, heart-shaped leaves of Bryony (now covered in heavy ropes of green, orange and red berries, like strings of beads). Much smaller, the fruits of Bittersweet (or Woody Nightshade) can also been seen, like tiny (poisonous) tomatoes, wthe the fruits of Hawthorn and Dog Rose adding to a varied palette of colours.
Dusty, midnight blue Sloes are starting to ripen, while alongside the hedges, the seeds of large stands of Teasels are attracting flocks of ‘tinkling’ Goldfinches. Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Long-tailed Tits weave in and out of the hedges as they feed up ready for winter, while overhead, Swallows and Martins hoover up insects from the air.
A Spotted Flycatcher on the Gully slopes darts out from the scrub to snatch insects from the air, with a few Wheatears, scattered across the downs – instantly recognisable by their bright white rump.
Our bird ringing studies continue in the Wildlife Area, with the highlight this morning a Grasshopper Warbler captured, measured, weighed, ringed and safely released. These studies, undertaken by highly trained volunteers all over the world, are vital in understanding how our rapidly changing climate is impacting birds.
Late summer flowers in bloom around the uncut edges of the meadows include Common and Greater Knapweed, Bristly Ox-tongue and the much-maligned Ragwort – despite it’s reputation as a ‘problem plant’, it is a really valuable nectar source at a time of year, when many other flowers have finished.