A beautiful sunny morning with a wintery fresh feel; a welcome sight following the wet and windy weekend. Today the trees stand motionless having survived the storm. Just one casualty, a branch of a pollarded Lime Tree, torn from it’s trunk and collapsed on the ground. The dawn chorus of bird song prevails, with the tunes of Robins and Great Tits filling the air at Sunnydale. The lower churrs of Magpies can also be heard all around as they call out to one another from up above.
The low sun reaches out through the trees and casts long shadows across the forest floor. A bright blue sky beams through the canopy. Bare tree branches have formed a carpet of rustling leaves at my feet. A little Wren hops around the base of a Sycamore Tree, where a passel of shoots form a protective barrier for it to bellow out its rapid call from within.
On the horizon, a crisp outline of the Isle of Wight sits in clear view, over 30km away. In the foreground, two Black Pines stand tall over the bay and steep descent to the shore. A group of Long-tailed Tits flit around the needles, occasionally swinging upside down, and then flying from one tree to the other, their long tail feathers billowing out behind them.
As I approach the office, a Bullfinch flies across the pond, whilst a group of Redwing perch amongst an Elder. The bird ringers report good numbers of Song thrush and Redwing, a recovery from Warwickshire, and Firecrest too!
After temperatures dropped to 6.8 degrees overnight, it was already 10.8 degrees by the time I got to the weather station. On my walk I had counted five Red Admiral butterflies, all of whom will soon be dormant for the winter, so make the most of this warm morning to scavenge the last of the seasons flowers and fruits.