A grey start to the day, with a few spots of rain tumbling out of a steel blue and grey sky, though here and there patches of sunshine hint at a brighter day to come.
It feels like autumn migration is getting underway in earnest, with many hundreds of Swallows, House Martins and a few Sand Martins swirling overhead throughout the morning rounds, feeding up on tiny insects as they prepare for the long journey ahead.
Charms, totalling many hundreds of Goldfinches also fill the air with their jangling calls, occasional patches of sunshine catching the crimson and gold in their plumage. Lots of Siskins also on the move, along with Redpoll and the first Brambling reported this year – a sure sign of the turning seasons.
A Firecrest darts among the canopy neat the Dell, with Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Long-tailed Tits weaving their way through the tangle of Old Man’s Beard, Bryony and Bramble below the bridge.
Looking down instead of up, there is still plenty to see, as the wetter, cooler weather brings forth a fresh crop of fungi, with several large Shaggy Parasols and Horse Mushrooms seen around the meadows, while Common Puffballs are starting to release their hold on the ground, to bounce across the fields in the breeze, puffing out their spores as they go.
A large patch of Common Toadflax is still in bloom near the top of the Lighthouse Field, with white-flowered Yarrow, Common and Hoary Ragwort and Wild Carrot all in bloom nearby.
On the shorter turf, Centaury, Yellow-wort, Wild Thyme and Hop Trefoil are still in bloom.
Even on a breezy, grey morning, there are still loads of Red Admirals to see – on just one sheltered 3m patch of Ivy blossom near the Lighthouse Road, I counted more than 30! Several reports yesterday of them heading out to see in large numbers – it is now thought that while most will overwinter, some of the second generation this year will head south to Europe or Africa in the Autumn.